Analects 8.5
The Analects (論語), BOOK VIII. T'AI-PO 泰伯第八
曾子曰、以能問於不能、以多問於寡、有若無、實若虛、犯而不校、昔者吾友、嘗從事於斯矣。
The philosopher Tsang said, "Gifted with ability, and yet putting questions to those who were not so; possessed of much, and yet putting questions to those possessed of little; having, as though he had not; full, and yet counting himself as empty; offended against, and yet entering into no altercation; formerly I had a friend who pursued this style of conduct."
James Legge (1861), Confucian Analects, The Chinese Classics vol. 1 (1861; 2nd ed. 1893) — public domain.
Character glossary
- 曾céngalready, formerly, once; the past
- 子zison, child; seed, egg; fruit; small thin
- 曰yuēto speak; to say
- 以yǐaccording to; so as to; because of; then
- 能néngcan, may; capable, full of energy
- 問wènto ask about, to inquire after
- 於yúat, in, on; to, from; alas!
- 不bùno, not, un-; negative prefix
- 多duōmuch, many, multi-; more than, over
- 寡guǎwidowed; friendless, alone
- 有yǒuto have, to own, to possess; to exist
- 若ruòif, supposing, assuming; similar
- 無wúno, not; lacking, -less
- 實shíreal, true; honest, sincere
- 虛xūfalse; worthless, hollow, empty; vain
- 犯fàncriminal; to violate, to commit a crime
- 而érand, and then, and yet; but
- 校xiàoschool; military field officer
- 昔xīpast, former; ancient
- 者zhěthat which; they who; those who
- 吾wúI, my, our; to resist, to impede
- 友yǒufriend, companion; fraternity
- 嘗chángto taste; to experience, to experiment w
- 從cóngfrom, by, since, whence, through
- 事shìaffair, matter, business; to serve; acci
- 斯sīthis, thus, such; emphatic particle; use
- 矣yǐparticle of completed action
Passages with shared wording
- Zhuangzi Autumn Floods
- Analects 19.15
- Zhuangzi The Identity of Contraries
- Mencius 2A.2
- Zhuangzi Hsü Wu Kuei
- Mencius 4B.17
Data: English Wikisource (Public domain texts; transcription CC BY-SA 4.0). Retrieved 2026-10-22.