The Sayings of Confucius

by Confucius · 論語

Assigned by 2 of the 9 reading lists, catalogue entry only

Written
c. 5th-3rd century BCE
Language
Chinese
Length
Short · 100 ppunder 120 pages
Difficulty
Moderate2 of 5 for a first-year reader

We recommendAnalects, with Selections from Traditional Commentaries, translated by Edward SlingerlandHackett, 2003A clear translation that prints the traditional Chinese commentaries alongside each passage.

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A collection of about five hundred short sayings, conversations and anecdotes of Confucius, compiled by his disciples and their successors over the centuries after his death in 479 BCE. Arranged in twenty books with no system, they concern the cultivation of the gentleman, ritual propriety, filial piety, learning, humaneness, and the right way to serve a ruler. The Harvard Classics prints Lionel Giles's selection under the title The Sayings of Confucius.

No reading guide yet

The catalogue entry above is complete: the dates, the form, the themes and every program that assigns The Sayings of Confucius are verified against each program's published list.

What is missing is the part that takes real work: the summary, the key passages, and a recommended translation. The edition named below is the one most programs assign, so the buy links are useful already.

Browse the 48 works that do have a guide →

論語, The Analects, Analects of Confucius, Lunyu, Lun Yü, Analects, ren, li, junzi, gentleman, filial piety, ritual, Zhou, Lionel Giles, Kongzi, Kong Qiu, K'ung Fu-tzu, Kong Fuzi, 孔子