Confucian Analects · Analects 9.6
1. A high officer asked Tsze-kung, saying, 'May we not say that your Master is a sage? How various is his ability!' 2. Tsze-kung said, 'Certainly Heaven has endowed him unlimitedly. He is about a sage. And, moreover, his ability is various.' 3. The Master heard of the conversation and said, 'Does the high officer know me? When I was young, my condition was low, and therefore I acquired my ability in many things, but they were mean matters. Must the superior man have such variety of ability? He does not need variety of ability.' 4. Lao said, 'The Master said, "Having no official employment, I acquired many arts."'
Chinese · source text【第六章】【一節】大宰問於子貢、曰、夫子聖者與、何其多能也。【二節】子貢曰、固天縱之將聖、又多能也。【三節】子聞之曰、大宰知我乎、吾少也賤、故多能、鄙事、君子多乎哉、不多也。【四節】牢曰、子云、吾不試、故藝。
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Confucius · English translation by James Legge · bilingual transcription
James Legge, The Chinese Classics, Volume 1: Confucian Analects · Project Gutenberg #4094
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