Analects / Book 15.24, Wei Ling Gong

Analects Passage on Forgiveness In One Word: Text, Translation, and Commentary

Analects Passage on Forgiveness In One Word: Text, Translation, and Commentary with original text, pinyin, a literal rendering, a readable translation, source location, key terms, and a careful modern reading.

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Analects forgiveness in one word shu original Chinese pinyin translation meaning

Analects, Book 15.24, Wei Ling Gong: read "子貢問曰：有一言而可以終身行之者乎？子曰：其恕乎！己所不欲，勿施於人..." before the English explanation.

Original text

子貢問曰：有一言而可以終身行之者乎？子曰：其恕乎！己所不欲，勿施於人。

Zigong wen yue, you yi yan er keyi zhongshen xing zhi zhe hu? Zi yue, qi shu hu! Ji suo bu yu, wu shi yu ren.

Literal layer

Zigong asked: Is there one word that can be practiced for a whole life? The Master said: Is it not shu? What you do not desire for yourself, do not impose on others.

Readable layer

Analects 15.24 presents shu, often rendered reciprocity or sympathetic consideration, as one word that can guide lifelong practice through the rule not to impose on others what one does not want oneself.

Nigatsudo Burned Sutra from The Metropolitan Museum of Art open-access collection — **Nigatsudo Burned Sutra; Unidentified artist; Purchase, Mrs. Jackson Burke Gift, 1978; The Metropolitan Museum of Art.**Nigatsudo Burned Sutra is used as a public-domain manuscript-style object for dialogue and passage comparison on Analects Forgiveness In One Word. The fit is semantic: the page asks readers to inspect Book 15.24, Wei Ling Gong and the term Zigong, while the image remains illustrative rather than proof of the exact manuscript, author portrait, or historical scene.

Reader focus

What this page helps you decide

Analects 15.24 answers Zigong's search for one lifelong word with shu. The passage then explains shu negatively: what you do not want for yourself, do not impose on another person. The important point is the order. Confucius first names the guiding word, then gives a practical test. The line is not only a quote about politeness; it is a discipline for checking one's own desires before acting toward others.

Watch Zigong, shu, zhongshen; these terms decide where the literal layer and the readable layer separate.
Compare this page with do not impose on others and loyalty and reciprocity before quoting the line as a general golden rule.

The Teaching Scene

This block uses Analects, Book 15.24, Wei Ling Gong as the anchor, with "子貢問曰：有一言而可以終身行之者乎？子曰：其恕乎！己所不欲，..." kept in front of the explanation.

Zigong's One-Word Question: The passage begins with Zigong asking whether one word can be practiced through an entire life. That question creates the frame. Confucius is not giving a decorative saying. He is answering a request for a durable practice. The page therefore reads the line as a lifelong discipline rather than as a one-time act of niceness.

Why Shu Comes First: Shu is the key term before the famous final clause appears. It can be read as reciprocity, sympathetic consideration, or putting oneself in relation to another. Keeping the Chinese term visible prevents the passage from collapsing into a modern slogan. The word names the practice; the next sentence gives a test for using it.

The Negative Form: Ji suo bu yu, wu shi yu ren is phrased negatively: what you do not want, do not impose on others. This does not command the reader to assume everyone wants the same good things. It first stops projection and pressure. The restraint matters because shu begins by checking what one is about to place on another person.

A Lifelong Practice: Zhongshen means through the whole body of one's life, or for a lifetime. That gives the passage a long horizon. The line is not a quick social tip. It is something to keep applying across family, friendship, office, teaching, and conflict. Its simplicity is demanding because it has to be repeated in changing situations.

The Word That Changes The Passage

Not Sentimental Forgiveness: The page title uses forgiveness in a broad search sense, but the source word is shu, not a simple command to excuse every wrong. Shu is closer to considerate reciprocity. It asks the reader to notice the pressure of one's own desire and stop imposing it. That makes the line practical without turning it into passivity.

Relation To Reciprocity: Analects readers often connect this passage with loyalty and reciprocity. The connection is real, but this page stays focused on the one-word question. Shu is not only a social exchange principle. It is a self-checking practice: before acting outward, the person tests whether the action would be bearable if reversed.

Analects Forgiveness In One Word Citation Limit: A responsible citation should include both parts: Zigong asks for one lifelong word, and Confucius answers with shu before giving the do-not-impose line. Quoting only the final sentence can hide the source's shape. The passage is about the named practice that makes the final rule intelligible.

Analects Forgiveness In One Word Reading Payoff: This page differs from the do-not-impose page because it centers the word shu and Zigong's lifelong-practice question. It differs from loyalty-and-reciprocity pages because the emphasis is not a pair of virtues but one guiding term. The article gives readers a source-based way to explain why the famous final line belongs to a one-word discipline.

Keep the term set visible here: Zigong, shu, zhongshen. The reading changes if one of these terms is translated too smoothly.

The reading should end in one practical move: Compare this page with do not impose on others and loyalty and reciprocity before quoting the line as a general golden rule.

Next reading

Links chosen for reading movement

Analects Passage on Do Not Impose On OthersFrom Analects Forgiveness In One Word, open Analects Passage on Do Not Impose On Others to compare Zigong with a second checked passage; the path starts from Book 15.24, Wei Ling Gong, so the link has a specific reading job rather than a generic recommendation.Confucius Quotes About Loyalty And Reciprocity: Analects Source and MeaningFrom Analects Forgiveness In One Word, open Confucius Quotes About Loyalty And Reciprocity to test the translation boundary against a neighboring source; the path starts from Book 15.24, Wei Ling Gong, so the link has a specific reading job rather than a generic recommendation.Analects Passage on Daily Self-ExaminationFrom Analects Forgiveness In One Word, open Analects Passage on Daily Self-Examination to move from this wording to a concrete reader workflow; the path starts from Book 15.24, Wei Ling Gong, so the link has a specific reading job rather than a generic recommendation.Confucius Quotes About Friendship And Correction: Analects Source and MeaningFrom Analects Forgiveness In One Word, open Confucius Quotes About Friendship And Correction to keep the next step tied to source evidence instead of a loose related list; the path starts from Book 15.24, Wei Ling Gong, so the link has a specific reading job rather than a generic recommendation.