Analects 9.22 · Zi Han
“There are shoots that never flower, and flowers that never bear fruit.”
Meaning, context, and how to apply it today
苗而不秀者有矣夫 秀而不實者有矣夫 (miáo ér bù xiù zhě yǒu yǐ fú, xiù ér bù shí zhě yǒu yǐ fú) means “There are shoots that never flower, and flowers that never bear fruit.” It is a passage from the Analects of Confucius, Book 9 (Zi Han), Chapter 22.
苗而不秀者有矣夫 秀而不實者有矣夫
- Pinyin
- miáo ér bù xiù zhě yǒu yǐ fú, xiù ér bù shí zhě yǒu yǐ fú
- Translation
- There are shoots that never flower, and flowers that never bear fruit.
- Source
- Analects, Book 9 (Zi Han), Chapter 22
What does this passage mean?
In the Zi Han chapter, Confucius discusses the completion of learning and self-cultivation. 苗 is a sprouting shoot, 秀 a flower in bloom, and 實 the bearing of fruit. Using the growth of a crop as his image, Confucius expresses sorrow over beginnings that never reach completion. The saying also carries a sense of mourning for his disciple Yan Hui, who died young: a gifted life that sprouted but never flowered, or flowered but never bore fruit.
How can we apply it today?
We see many people around us who have talent but do not carry their work through, or who begin well but give up midway. Starting may be half the work, but the other half is what ultimately matters. At every stage in which a startup must grow from idea to business and from business to sustainable company, many ventures fall away. True achievement means completing the journey from seed to sprout, sprout to flower, and flower to fruit.
Questions to reflect on
- ·What have I begun but failed to complete?
- ·If something flowered but never bore fruit, why did that happen?
- ·What does the 'sprout' I am cultivating now need in order to bear fruit?
Character-by-character breakdown
| Character | Pinyin | Meaning | Strokes | Radical |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 苗 | miáo | sprout | 11 | 艸 (grass) |
| 而 | ér | and; but | 6 | 而 (and) |
| 不 | bù | not | 4 | 一 (one) |
| 秀 | xiù | flower; bloom | 7 | 禾 (grain) |
| 者 | zhě | one; thing | 8 | 老 (old) |
| 有 | yǒu | exist | 6 | 月 (moon) |
| 矣 | yǐ | grammatical particle | 7 | 矢 (arrow) |
| 夫 | fú | grammatical particle | 4 | 大 (big) |
| 秀 | xiù | flower; bloom | 7 | 禾 (grain) |
| 而 | ér | and; but | 6 | 而 (and) |
| 不 | bù | not | 4 | 一 (one) |
| 實 | shí | fruit | 14 | 宀 (roof) |
| 者 | zhě | one; thing | 8 | 老 (old) |
| 有 | yǒu | exist | 6 | 月 (moon) |
| 矣 | yǐ | grammatical particle | 7 | 矢 (arrow) |
| 夫 | fú | grammatical particle | 4 | 大 (big) |
Frequently asked questions
Q. What does “There are shoots that never flower, and…” mean?
苗而不秀者有矣夫 秀而不實者有矣夫 (miáo ér bù xiù zhě yǒu yǐ fú, xiù ér bù shí zhě yǒu yǐ fú) means “There are shoots that never flower, and flowers that never bear fruit.” It comes from the Analects, Book 9 (Zi Han), Chapter 22.
Q. Where does this passage appear in the Analects?
It is Analects 9.22: Book 9 (Zi Han), Chapter 22.
Q. How can this teaching be applied today?
We see many people around us who have talent but do not carry their work through, or who begin well but give up midway.Starting may be half the work, but the other half is what ultimately matters.