The Analects (Chinese: Lúnyǔ, 論語, “Selected Sayings”) is a collection of short sayings, dialogues, and anecdotes attributed to the Chinese teacher Confucius (Kong Qiu, traditionally 551–479 BCE) and his disciples. Confucius did not write it himself. His followers compiled it over a long period after his death, and most scholars place its composition across the Warring States period — roughly the 5th to 3rd centuries BCE — with the received twenty-book text settling later, so any single date for the work is approximate. The text is arranged into twenty “books,” each named after words in its opening line rather than by subject, so the sayings are not grouped by topic.
The sayings circle a few concerns: how a person becomes good, how a ruler should govern, and how the two connect. Recurring terms include ren (often translated as benevolence or humaneness), li (ritual, propriety, the forms of correct conduct), yi (rightness), xiao (filial duty to parents and ancestors), and the junzi, the gentleman or exemplary person who serves as the book’s model of character. Confucius presents learning, self-correction, and attention to relationships and ritual as the path to that character. The teaching is practical and this-worldly and says little about metaphysics or an afterlife. The Analects became the central text of the Confucian tradition and, for much of imperial Chinese history, a foundation of education and the civil-service examinations.
What you do not want done to yourself, do not do to others.
Book XV, 23 — James Legge translation
First lines
The Master said, “Is it not pleasant to learn with a constant perseverance and application? Is it not delightful to have friends coming from distant quarters? Is he not a man of complete virtue, who feels no discomposure though men may take no note of him?”
Contents
Book 1 — Xué Ér (學而)
Book 2 — Wéi Zhèng (為政)
Book 3 — Bā Yì (八佾)
Book 4 — Lǐ Rén (里仁)
Book 5 — Gōngyě Cháng (公冶長)
Book 6 — Yōng Yě (雍也)
Book 7 — Shù Ér (述而)
Book 8 — Tàibó (泰伯)
Book 9 — Zǐ Hǎn (子罕)
Book 10 — Xiāng Dǎng (鄉黨)
Book 11 — Xiān Jìn (先進)
Book 12 — Yán Yuān (顏淵)
Book 13 — Zǐ Lù (子路)
Book 14 — Xiàn Wèn (憲問)
Book 15 — Wèi Líng Gōng (衛靈公)
Book 16 — Jì Shì (季氏)
Book 17 — Yáng Huò (陽貨)
Book 18 — Wēizǐ (微子)
Book 19 — Zǐzhāng (子張)
Book 20 — Yáo Yuē (堯曰)
Reception
The Analects is among the most widely read and influential books in East Asian history. For roughly two thousand years it was a core text of Chinese education, and from the Song dynasty onward it formed part of the “Four Books” that underpinned the imperial civil-service examinations; its influence extended across Korea, Japan, and Vietnam. It has been translated into English many times, from James Legge’s nineteenth-century version through twentieth-century translations by Arthur Waley and D. C. Lau and more recent scholarly editions by translators such as Edward Slingerland. Translators disagree over how to render key terms like ren and li, and scholars disagree over how much of the received text reflects Confucius himself rather than later editing, with the later books often regarded as less reliable. Critics in several periods — including the early-twentieth-century New Culture Movement and the Cultural Revolution in China — have attacked Confucian ethics as hierarchical and conservative, while defenders read the same passages as a humane account of duty and mutual obligation. Modern readers often meet the book through single maxims quoted out of context, which can flatten a text that is largely occasional and dialogic.
Frequently asked
Did Confucius write the Analects?
No. The Analects is a record of his sayings and conversations, compiled by his disciples and their followers after his death. Confucius (551–479 BCE) left no book of his own; the text took shape over generations, which is why scholars treat it as a layered compilation rather than a single-authored work.
What is the Analects about?
It is a collection of short sayings and dialogues about how to live well and govern well. Its recurring themes are personal moral cultivation, ritual and proper conduct (li), benevolence toward others (ren), filial duty, and the ideal of the junzi, the exemplary person. The teaching is practical and focused on this life rather than on metaphysics.
How is the Analects organised?
It is divided into twenty “books,” each named after a word or phrase from its opening line rather than by topic. Because of this the sayings are not grouped by subject, and related ideas appear scattered across different books. Many English editions number the passages within each book for reference.