Analects 9.2
The Analects (論語), BOOK IX. TSZE HAN 子罕第九
達巷黨人曰、大哉孔子、博學而無所成名。子聞之、謂門弟子曰、吾何執、執御乎、執射乎、吾執御矣。
1. A man of the village of Ta-hsiang said, "Great indeed is the philosopher K'ung! His learning is extensive, and yet he does not render his name famous by any particular thing."
2. The Master heard the observation, and said to his disciples, "What shall I practise? Shall I practise charioteering, or shall I practise archery? I will practise charioteering."
James Legge (1861), Confucian Analects, The Chinese Classics vol. 1 (1861; 2nd ed. 1893) — public domain.
Character glossary
- 達dáto reach, to arrive at; intelligent
- 巷xiàngalley, lane
- 黨dǎngpolitical party, gang, faction
- 人rénman, person; people
- 曰yuēto speak; to say
- 大dàbig, great, vast, high, deep
- 哉zāifinal exclamatory particle
- 孔kǒngopening, hole, orifice; great
- 子zison, child; seed, egg; fruit; small thin
- 博bóto gamble, to play games; to win; rich,
- 學xuélearning, knowledge, science; to study,
- 而érand, and then, and yet; but
- 無wúno, not; lacking, -less
- 所suǒplace, location; "that which", a particl
- 成chéngto accomplish; to become; to complete, t
- 名míngname; position, rank, title
- 聞wénnews; to hear, to smell; to make known
- 之zhīmarks preceding phrase as modifier of fo
- 謂wèito call, to say, to tell; name, title; m
- 門méngate, door, entrance, opening
- 弟dìyoung brother, junior
- 吾wúI, my, our; to resist, to impede
- 何héwhat, why, where, which, how
- 執zhíto execute; to grasp, to hold; to keep;
- 御yùchariot; to drive, to ride; to manage
- 乎hūinterrogative or exclamatory final parti
- 射shèto shoot, to eject, to emit
- 矣yǐparticle of completed action
Passages with shared wording
Data: English Wikisource (Public domain texts; transcription CC BY-SA 4.0). Retrieved 2026-10-22.