Analects 9.11
The Analects (論語), BOOK IX. TSZE HAN 子罕第九
子疾病、子路使門人爲臣。病間曰、久矣哉、由之行詐也、無臣而爲有臣、吾誰欺、欺天乎。且予與其死於臣之手也、無寧死於二三子之手乎、且予縱不得大葬、予死於道路乎。
1. The Master being very ill, Tsze-lu wished the disciples to act as ministers to him.
2. During a remission of his illness, he said, "Long has the conduct of Yu been deceitful! By pretending to have ministers when I have them not, whom should I impose upon? Should I impose upon Heaven?
3. "Moreover, than that I should die in the hands of ministers, is it not better that I should die in the hands of you, my disciples? And though I may not get a great burial, shall I die upon the road?"
James Legge (1861), Confucian Analects, The Chinese Classics vol. 1 (1861; 2nd ed. 1893) — public domain.
Character glossary
- 子zison, child; seed, egg; fruit; small thin
- 疾jísickness, illness, disease; to envy, to
- 病bìngsickness, illness, disease
- 路lùroad, path, street; journey
- 使shǐcause, mission, orders; envoy, messenger
- 門méngate, door, entrance, opening
- 人rénman, person; people
- 爲wèido, handle, govern, act; be
- 臣chénminister, statesman, official, vassal
- 間jiānbetween, among; midpoint; space, place,
- 曰yuēto speak; to say
- 久jiǔlong ago; a long time
- 矣yǐparticle of completed action
- 哉zāifinal exclamatory particle
- 由yóucause, reason; from
- 之zhīmarks preceding phrase as modifier of fo
- 行xíngto go, to walk, to move; professional
- 詐zhàto cheat, to defraud; sly, treacherous
- 也yěalso, too
- 無wúno, not; lacking, -less
- 而érand, and then, and yet; but
- 有yǒuto have, to own, to possess; to exist
- 吾wúI, my, our; to resist, to impede
- 誰shuíwho? whom? whose? anyone?
- 欺qīto cheat, to double-cross, to deceive
- 天tiānsky, heaven; god, celestial
- 乎hūinterrogative or exclamatory final parti
- 且qiěmoreover, also (post-subject); about to,
- 予yǔto give; to award
- 與yǔand; with; to; for; to give, to grant
- 其qíhis, her, its, their; that
- 死sǐdead; death; impassable, inflexible
- 於yúat, in, on; to, from; alas!
- 手shǒuhand
- 寧níngcalm, peaceful; healthy; rather; to pref
- 二èrtwo; twice
- 三sānthree
- 縱zòngto indulge in, to give free reign to
- 不bùno, not, un-; negative prefix
- 得déto obtain, to get, to acquire; suitable,
- 大dàbig, great, vast, high, deep
- 葬zàngto bury, to inter
- 道dàomethod, way; path, road
Passages with shared wording
- Zhuangzi Man Among Men
- Zhuangzi The Tao of God
- Analects 7.34
- Zhuangzi The Great Supreme
- Zhuangzi The Universe
- Zhuangzi The Identity of Contraries
Data: English Wikisource (Public domain texts; transcription CC BY-SA 4.0). Retrieved 2026-10-22.
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