Mencius 4A.21
Mencius (孟子), Book 4, Part I: Li Lou I 離婁上
孟子曰：「有不虞之譽，有求全之毀。」
Mencius said, 'There are cases of praise which could not be expected, and of reproach when the parties have been seeking to be perfect.'
James Legge (1861), The Works of Mencius, The Chinese Classics vol. 2 (1861; 2nd ed. 1895); romanization modernized on Wikisource — public domain.
Character glossary
- 孟mèngfirst in a series; great, eminent
- 子zison, child; seed, egg; fruit; small thin
- 曰yuēto speak; to say
- 有yǒuto have, to own, to possess; to exist
- 不bùno, not, un-; negative prefix
- 虞yúanxious, concerned, worried
- 之zhīmarks preceding phrase as modifier of fo
- 譽yùfame, reputation; to praise
- 求qiúto seek; to request, to demand; to besee
- 全quánwhole, entire, complete; to preserve
- 毀huǐto damage, to ruin; to defame, to slande
Passages with shared wording
- Art of War 11.19
- Zhuangzi The Evidence of Virtue Complete
- Hexagram 17
- Zhuangzi Lieh Tzŭ
- Zhuangzi Exercise of Faculties
- Zhuangzi Kêng Sang Ch’u
Data: English Wikisource (Public domain texts; transcription CC BY-SA 4.0); Chinese Wikisource (Public domain texts; transcription CC BY-SA 4.0). Retrieved 2026-10-22.