Analects 17.14 · Yang Huo
“To hear something on the road and repeat it along the way is to abandon virtue.”
Meaning, context, and how to apply it today
道聽而途說 德之棄也 (dào tīng ér tú shuō, dé zhī qì yě) means “To hear something on the road and repeat it along the way is to abandon virtue.” It is a passage from the Analects of Confucius, Book 17 (Yang Huo), Chapter 14.
道聽而途說 德之棄也
- Pinyin
- dào tīng ér tú shuō, dé zhī qì yě
- Translation
- To hear something on the road and repeat it along the way is to abandon virtue.
- Source
- Analects, Book 17 (Yang Huo), Chapter 14
What does this passage mean?
Hearing on the road and repeating along the road describes passing on an unverified story as soon as one hears it. Calling this the abandonment of virtue is a forceful moral judgment. Confucius treated the circulation of information without checking its reliability not as a harmless mistake but as a matter of character.
How can we apply it today?
The passage could hardly be more timely in an age when false news and rumors race across social media. Uncritically forwarding an unverified message in a group chat, amplifying gossip about a celebrity, or spreading a workplace rumor all repeat the same pattern. Asking only once, “Has this been verified?” before sharing can prevent significant harm.
Questions to reflect on
- ·Have you passed unverified information to someone else?
- ·Do you critically check rumors and hearsay?
- ·Might you be spreading stories along the road without realizing it?
Character-by-character breakdown
| Character | Pinyin | Meaning | Strokes | Radical |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 道 | dào | road | 13 | 辵 (walk) |
| 聽 | tīng | hear | 22 | 耳 (ear) |
| 而 | ér | and; but | 6 | 而 (and) |
| 途 | tú | road | 10 | 辵 (walk) |
| 說 | shuō | speak | 14 | 言 (speech) |
| 德 | dé | virtue | 15 | 彳 (step) |
| 之 | zhī | possessive particle | 4 | 丿 (slash) |
| 棄 | qì | abandon | 12 | 木 (tree) |
| 也 | yě | grammatical particle | 3 | 乙 (second) |
Frequently asked questions
Q. What does “To hear something on the road and repeat it…” mean?
道聽而途說 德之棄也 (dào tīng ér tú shuō, dé zhī qì yě) means “To hear something on the road and repeat it along the way is to abandon virtue.” It comes from the Analects, Book 17 (Yang Huo), Chapter 14.
Q. Where does this passage appear in the Analects?
It is Analects 17.14: Book 17 (Yang Huo), Chapter 14.
Q. How can this teaching be applied today?
The passage could hardly be more timely in an age when false news and rumors race across social media.