Analects 9.30
The Analects (論語), BOOK IX. TSZE HAN 子罕第九
唐棣之華、偏其反而、豈不爾思、室是遠而。子曰、未之思也、夫何遠之有。
1. How the flowers of the aspen-plum flutter and turn! Do I not think of you? But your house is distant.
2. The Master said, "It is the want of thought about it. How is it distant?"
James Legge (1861), Confucian Analects, The Chinese Classics vol. 1 (1861; 2nd ed. 1893) — public domain.
Character glossary
- 唐tángthe Tang dynasty; Chinese; empty, exagge
- 棣dìcherry; Kerria japonica
- 之zhīmarks preceding phrase as modifier of fo
- 華huáflowery; illustrious; Chinese
- 偏piānslanting, inclined; prejudiced
- 其qíhis, her, its, their; that
- 反fǎnreverse, opposite; contrary, anti-
- 而érand, and then, and yet; but
- 豈qǐwhat; how
- 不bùno, not, un-; negative prefix
- 爾ěryou; that, those; final particle
- 思sīto think, to ponder, to consider; final
- 室shìhouse, home; room, chamber
- 是shìto be; indeed, right, yes; okay
- 遠yuǎndistant, remote, far; profound
- 子zison, child; seed, egg; fruit; small thin
- 曰yuēto speak; to say
- 未wèinot yet; 8th terrestrial branch
- 也yěalso, too
- 夫fūman, husband; worker; those
- 何héwhat, why, where, which, how
- 有yǒuto have, to own, to possess; to exist
Passages with shared wording
- Mencius 5B.6
- Hexagram 31
- Analects 17.5
- Zhuangzi Knowledge travels North
- Zhuangzi On Letting Alone
- Tao Te Ching Chapter 38
Data: English Wikisource (Public domain texts; transcription CC BY-SA 4.0). Retrieved 2026-10-22.