Each day brings you a passage from the Analects of Confucius, with the original text, a clear English translation, and a close look at what it means for life today.
學而時習之 不亦說乎
Is it not a joy to learn and to practice what one has learned at the proper time?
— Analects, Xue Er, Chapter 1
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人不知而不慍 不亦君子乎
Is one not an exemplary person if one remains unresentful when others fail to recognize one?
Meaning Today
In an age that measures personal worth through likes and view counts, this passage offers a powerful antidote. Genuine maturity is the ability to separate external evaluation from inner conviction.
Background & Context
The historical setting of each passage and what Confucius meant
Meaning Today
Practical ways to apply the passage in life now
Questions to Reflect On
Thoughtful questions to ask yourself
Study each Chinese character in the passage: its pinyin, meaning, stroke count, and radical. Save characters to your own collection and review them anytime.
學
xué · learn
仁
rén · benevolent
道
dào · the Way
德
dé · virtue
禮
lǐ · ritual propriety
信
xìn · trust
Every passage you read is kept in your Archive, and the ones you want to return to can be saved and reopened anytime.
Archive
Revisit past passages
Saved Passages
Keep the passages you love
Saved Characters
Review the characters you have studied
吾日三省吾身
wú rì sān xǐng wú shēn — Xue Er
Each day I examine myself on three counts.
For busy people, self-examination can feel like a luxury. Yet the habit of reviewing one’s day is also recognized in psychology as a powerful instrument of personal growth.
知之爲知之
不知爲不知 是知也
zhī zhī wéi zhī zhī, bù zhī wéi bù zhī — Wei Zheng
To acknowledge what you know as known, and what you do not know as unknown—that is wisdom.
Under pressure to appear expert, saying “I do not know” requires courage. The moment we acknowledge what we do not know, we create room to learn.
朝聞道 夕死可矣
zhāo wén dào, xī sǐ kě yǐ — Li Ren
If I hear the Way in the morning, I may die content that evening.
We live busy lives while postponing the fundamental question, “Why am I living?” Confucius declares that finding life’s meaning matters more than anything else.
德不孤 必有鄰
dé bù gū, bì yǒu lín — Li Ren
Virtue is never solitary; it always has neighbors.
This passage offers comfort to anyone who feels isolated while doing what is right. If the path is right, companions will appear even when the road begins in solitude.
見義不爲 無勇也
jiàn yì bù wéi, wú yǒng yě — Wei Zheng
To see what is right and fail to do it is a lack of courage.
Few people truly cannot recognize the right course. The difficulty lies in having the courage to turn knowledge into action. Real courage is not recklessness; it is doing what is right despite fear.
學而不思則罔
思而不學則殆
xué ér bù sī zé wǎng — Wei Zheng
Learning without reflection leads to confusion; reflection without learning leads to peril.
In a workplace, those who only follow a manual cannot respond to change, while those who insist on their own way may rush down an untested path.
Original text, pinyin, and translation, plus Read Deeper and character notes, right in your browser
學而時習之 不亦說乎
One minute a day with 2,500 years of wisdom.
Rediscover the joy of learning and putting it into practice.
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