Analects 9.25
The Analects (論語), BOOK IX. TSZE HAN 子罕第九
子曰、三軍可奪師也、匹夫不可奪志也。
The Master said, "The commander of the forces of a large state may be carried off, but the will of even a common man cannot be taken from him."
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
- 曰yuēto speak; to say
- 三sānthree
- 軍jūnarmy, military; soldiers, troops
- 可kěmay, can, -able; possibly
- 奪duóto rob, to snatch, to take by force
- 師shīteacher, professional, master
- 也yěalso, too
- 匹pǐbolt of cloth; mate, one of a pair; meas
- 夫fūman, husband; worker; those
- 不bùno, not, un-; negative prefix
- 志zhìdetermination, will; mark, sign; to reco
Passages with shared wording
Data: English Wikisource (Public domain texts; transcription CC BY-SA 4.0). Retrieved 2026-10-22.