Analects 9.4
The Analects (論語), BOOK IX. TSZE HAN 子罕第九
子絕四、毋意、毋必、毋固、毋我。
There were four things from which the Master was entirely free. He had no foregone conclusions, no arbitrary predeterminations, no obstinacy, and no egoism.
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
- 絕juéto cut, to sever; to break off, to termi
- 四sìfour
- 毋wúnot; do not; surname
- 意yìthought, idea, opinion; desire, wish; me
- 必bìsurely, certainly; must; will
- 固gùto solidify; strength
- 我wǒI, me, my; our, us
Passages with shared wording
Data: English Wikisource (Public domain texts; transcription CC BY-SA 4.0). Retrieved 2026-10-22.