Analects 15.34 · Wei Ling Gong
“The exemplary person cannot be judged by small matters but can be entrusted with great ones; the petty person cannot be entrusted with great matters but can be judged by small ones.”
Meaning, context, and how to apply it today
君子不可小知 而可大受也 小人不可大受 而可小知也 (jūn zǐ bù kě xiǎo zhī, ér kě dà shòu yě, xiǎo rén bù kě dà shòu, ér kě xiǎo zhī yě) means “The exemplary person cannot be judged by small matters but can be entrusted with great ones; the petty person cannot be entrusted with great matters but can be judged by small ones.” It is a passage from the Analects of Confucius, Book 15 (Wei Ling Gong), Chapter 34.
君子不可小知 而可大受也 小人不可大受 而可小知也
- Pinyin
- jūn zǐ bù kě xiǎo zhī, ér kě dà shòu yě, xiǎo rén bù kě dà shòu, ér kě xiǎo zhī yě
- Translation
- The exemplary person cannot be judged by small matters but can be entrusted with great ones; the petty person cannot be entrusted with great matters but can be judged by small ones.
- Source
- Analects, Book 15 (Wei Ling Gong), Chapter 34
What does this passage mean?
This passage comes from the thirty-fourth chapter of Wei Ling Gong. To ‘know by small matters’ means to judge a person by minor tasks; to ‘entrust with great matters’ means to give them major responsibility. The exemplary person cannot be recognized through small skills but can be trusted with great things, while the petty person cannot be trusted with great things but is useful in small ones. Zhu Xi explained that the exemplary person is not necessarily better than others at trivial matters, but has the substance and virtue to bear heavy responsibility. It warns against confusing small talents with large capacity, while not dismissing the small usefulness of the petty person: a balanced view of judging people.
How can we apply it today?
In hiring and promotion, we are drawn to conspicuous small talents. The person who presents well, handles spreadsheets quickly, and is witty in meetings gets noticed first. But the person who can be trusted with the organization in a crisis must be chosen by other standards. Do they keep their principles? Do they refuse to evade responsibility? Do they put the organization before themselves? Such qualities rarely show in small matters. Conversely, entrusting great matters to someone skilled only in small ones makes both the organization and the person miserable. The first wisdom in using people is to see the difference between talent and capacity.
Questions to reflect on
- ·When you judge people, do you look first at small talents or at large capacity?
- ·Do you know someone clumsy in small things who could be trusted with great ones?
- ·Are you someone to entrust with great matters, or someone useful in small ones?
Character-by-character breakdown
| Character | Pinyin | Meaning | Strokes | Radical |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 君 | jūn | ruler | 7 | 口 (mouth) |
| 子 | zǐ | son | 3 | 子 (child) |
| 不 | bù | not | 4 | 一 (one) |
| 可 | kě | right | 5 | 口 (mouth) |
| 小 | xiǎo | small | 3 | 小 (small) |
| 知 | zhī | know | 8 | 矢 (arrow) |
| 而 | ér | and; but | 6 | 而 (and) |
| 可 | kě | right | 5 | 口 (mouth) |
| 大 | dà | great | 3 | 大 (big) |
| 受 | shòu | receive; be entrusted | 8 | 又 (again) |
| 也 | yě | grammatical particle | 3 | 乙 (second) |
| 小 | xiǎo | small | 3 | 小 (small) |
| 人 | rén | person | 2 | 人 (person) |
| 不 | bù | not | 4 | 一 (one) |
| 可 | kě | right | 5 | 口 (mouth) |
| 大 | dà | great | 3 | 大 (big) |
| 受 | shòu | receive; be entrusted | 8 | 又 (again) |
| 而 | ér | and; but | 6 | 而 (and) |
| 可 | kě | right | 5 | 口 (mouth) |
| 小 | xiǎo | small | 3 | 小 (small) |
| 知 | zhī | know | 8 | 矢 (arrow) |
| 也 | yě | grammatical particle | 3 | 乙 (second) |
Frequently asked questions
Q. What does “The exemplary person cannot be judged by…” mean?
君子不可小知 而可大受也 小人不可大受 而可小知也 (jūn zǐ bù kě xiǎo zhī, ér kě dà shòu yě, xiǎo rén bù kě dà shòu, ér kě xiǎo zhī yě) means “The exemplary person cannot be judged by small matters but can be entrusted with great ones; the petty person cannot be entrusted with great matters but can be judged by small ones.” It comes from the Analects, Book 15 (Wei Ling Gong), Chapter 34.
Q. Where does this passage appear in the Analects?
It is Analects 15.34: Book 15 (Wei Ling Gong), Chapter 34.
Q. How can this teaching be applied today?
In hiring and promotion, we are drawn to conspicuous small talents.The person who presents well, handles spreadsheets quickly, and is witty in meetings gets noticed first.