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Open Philosophy LibraryThe AnalectsConfucius

The Analects

By Confucius

A foundational collection of sayings and conversations associated with Confucius, The Analects examines character, learning, family relationships, ritual and ethical government. In James Legge's historic translation, its twenty Books present philosophy as a lifelong practice of self-cultivation whose effects extend from ordinary conduct to public leadership.

Translator or editor
James Legge
Publication
Compiled c. 5th-3rd centuries BCE; James Legge translation first published 1861
Genre
Confucian sayings and dialogues; ethics; political philosophy
Era
Ancient Philosophy

About this work

The Analects is the foundational record of sayings, conversations and remembered incidents associated with Confucius and his disciples. Compiled over generations, its twenty Books explore how learning, reflection and repeated practice shape reliable character. The collection connects ren, humane responsiveness, with li, the forms of ritual and appropriate conduct through which respect becomes visible. Its ideal person, the junzi, seeks what is right rather than what is immediately profitable and remains willing to learn, examine faults and correct behaviour. Family duties, friendship, education and public office are presented as connected fields of ethical cultivation. Government is most secure when rulers lead through virtue, trustworthy language and worthy appointments, rather than relying only upon punishment or coercion. James Legge's nineteenth-century translation uses historically important but sometimes dated expressions, including "superior man" and "rules of propriety." Read with attention to that vocabulary, The Analects remains an exceptionally rich guide to moral formation, social responsibility and exemplary government.

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