Analects 9.6
The Analects (論語), BOOK IX. TSZE HAN 子罕第九
大宰問於子貢、曰、夫子聖者與、何其多能也。子貢曰、固天縱之將聖、又多能也。子聞之曰、大宰知我乎、吾少也賤、故多能、鄙事、君子多乎哉、不多也。牢曰、子云、吾不試、故藝。
1. A high officer asked Tsze-kung, saying, "May we not say that your Master is a sage? How various is his ability!"
2. Tsze-kung said, "Certainly Heaven has endowed him unlimitedly. He is about a sage. And, moreover, his ability is various."
3. The Master heard of the conversation and said, "Does the high officer know me? When I was young, my condition was low, and therefore I acquired my ability in many things, but they were mean matters. Must the superior man have such variety of ability? He does not need variety of ability."
4. Lao said, "The Master said, 'Having no official employment, I acquired many arts.'"
Character glossary
- 大dàbig, great, vast, high, deep
- 宰zǎito slaughter, to butcher; to govern, to
- 問wènto ask about, to inquire after
- 於yúat, in, on; to, from; alas!
- 子zison, child; seed, egg; fruit; small thin
- 貢gòngto offer, to contribute; tribute, gifts
- 曰yuēto speak; to say
- 夫fūman, husband; worker; those
- 聖shèngholy, sacred; sage, saint
- 者zhěthat which; they who; those who
- 與yǔand; with; to; for; to give, to grant
- 何héwhat, why, where, which, how
- 其qíhis, her, its, their; that
- 多duōmuch, many, multi-; more than, over
- 能néngcan, may; capable, full of energy
- 也yěalso, too
- 固gùto solidify; strength
- 天tiānsky, heaven; god, celestial
- 縱zòngto indulge in, to give free reign to
- 之zhīmarks preceding phrase as modifier of fo
- 將jiāngthe future, what will be; ready, prepare
- 又yòuand, also, again, in addition
- 聞wénnews; to hear, to smell; to make known
- 知zhīto know, to perceive, to comprehend
- 我wǒI, me, my; our, us
- 乎hūinterrogative or exclamatory final parti
- 吾wúI, my, our; to resist, to impede
- 少shǎofew, little; less; inadequate
- 賤jiàncheap, low, mean, worthless
- 故gùreason, cause; happening, instance
- 鄙bǐrustic, vulgar; to despise, to scorn
- 事shìaffair, matter, business; to serve; acci
- 君jūnsovereign, ruler, prince, monarch, chief
- 哉zāifinal exclamatory particle
- 不bùno, not, un-; negative prefix
- 牢láopen, prison, stable; fast, firm, secure
- 云yúncloud; to say, to speak
- 試shìto try, to experiment; exam, test
- 藝yìart; talent, ability; craft
Passages with shared wording
- Zhuangzi On Declining Power
- Zhuangzi The Circling Sky
- Zhuangzi Tsê Yang
- Zhuangzi Tien Tzŭ Fang
- Zhuangzi The Old Fisherman
- Zhuangzi Lieh Tzŭ
Data: English Wikisource (Public domain texts; transcription CC BY-SA 4.0). Retrieved 2026-10-22.