Analects 8.7
The Analects (論語), BOOK VIII. T'AI-PO 泰伯第八
曾子曰、士、不可以不弘毅、任重而道遠。仁以爲己任、不亦重乎、死而後已、不亦遠乎。
1. The philosopher Tsang said, "The officer may not be without breadth of mind and vigorous endurance. His burden is heavy and his course is long.
2. "Perfect virtue is the burden which he considers it is his to sustain;—is it not heavy? Only with death does his course stop;—is it not long?
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
- 士shìscholar, gentleman; soldier
- 不bùno, not, un-; negative prefix
- 可kěmay, can, -able; possibly
- 以yǐaccording to; so as to; because of; then
- 弘hóngto enlarge, to expand; liberal, great
- 毅yìdecisive, firm, resolute
- 任rènto trust, to rely on; to appoint; to bea
- 重zhòngheavy, weighty; to double, to repeat
- 而érand, and then, and yet; but
- 道dàomethod, way; path, road
- 遠yuǎndistant, remote, far; profound
- 仁rénbenevolent, humane, kind
- 爲wèido, handle, govern, act; be
- 己jǐself, oneself; personal, private; 6th he
- 亦yìalso, too; likewise
- 乎hūinterrogative or exclamatory final parti
- 死sǐdead; death; impassable, inflexible
- 後hòuafter; behind, rear; descendants
- 已yǐalready; finished; to stop; then, afterw
Passages with shared wording
- Zhuangzi On Declining Power
- Zhuangzi Man Among Men
- Zhuangzi Kêng Sang Ch’u
- Zhuangzi Robber Chê
- Zhuangzi Mountain Trees
- Analects 19.2
Data: English Wikisource (Public domain texts; transcription CC BY-SA 4.0). Retrieved 2026-10-22.