Analects 9.19 · Zi Han
“It is like building a mountain: if I stop with only one basket of earth remaining, the stopping is entirely my own.”
Meaning, context, and how to apply it today
譬如爲山 未成一簣 止 吾止也 (pì rú wéi shān, wèi chéng yī kuì, zhǐ, wú zhǐ yě) means “It is like building a mountain: if I stop with only one basket of earth remaining, the stopping is entirely my own.” It is a passage from the Analects of Confucius, Book 9 (Zi Han), Chapter 19.
譬如爲山 未成一簣 止 吾止也
- Pinyin
- pì rú wéi shān, wèi chéng yī kuì, zhǐ, wú zhǐ yě
- Translation
- It is like building a mountain: if I stop with only one basket of earth remaining, the stopping is entirely my own.
- Source
- Analects, Book 9 (Zi Han), Chapter 19
What does this passage mean?
In the Zi Han chapter, Confucius uses the image of building a mountain to discuss giving up and reaching completion. 簣 is a basket used to carry earth. If we stop while building a mountain with only one final basket of soil left, it is not the mountain that has stopped us; we ourselves have stopped. Confucius places responsibility for surrender not on external circumstances but on the self. At the same time, he encourages us that if we place even one basket of earth on level ground and continue, it is we who have advanced.
How can we apply it today?
Everyone has experienced giving up while saying, 'I was almost there.' Like quitting after forty kilometers of a forty-two-kilometer marathon, the final step often weighs the most. Yet Confucius tells us that stopping is not the fault of circumstances but our choice. At the same time, he assures us that even the smallest beginning is progress. Completion and surrender ultimately depend less on ability than on will.
Questions to reflect on
- ·Have I ever given up with only one final step remaining?
- ·When I quit, did I blame external circumstances?
- ·If I am about to abandon something now, is the real problem ability or will?
Character-by-character breakdown
| Character | Pinyin | Meaning | Strokes | Radical |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 譬 | pì | compare | 20 | 言 (speech) |
| 如 | rú | same; like | 6 | 女 (woman) |
| 爲 | wéi | do | 12 | 爪 (claw) |
| 山 | shān | mountain | 3 | 山 (mountain) |
| 未 | wèi | still | 5 | 木 (tree) |
| 成 | chéng | accomplish | 7 | 戈 (halberd) |
| 一 | yī | one | 1 | 一 (one) |
| 簣 | kuì | basket | 18 | 竹 (bamboo) |
| 止 | zhǐ | stop | 4 | 止 (stop) |
| 吾 | wú | I; me | 7 | 口 (mouth) |
| 止 | zhǐ | stop | 4 | 止 (stop) |
| 也 | yě | grammatical particle | 3 | 乙 (second) |
Frequently asked questions
Q. What does “It is like building a mountain: if I stop…” mean?
譬如爲山 未成一簣 止 吾止也 (pì rú wéi shān, wèi chéng yī kuì, zhǐ, wú zhǐ yě) means “It is like building a mountain: if I stop with only one basket of earth remaining, the stopping is entirely my own.” It comes from the Analects, Book 9 (Zi Han), Chapter 19.
Q. Where does this passage appear in the Analects?
It is Analects 9.19: Book 9 (Zi Han), Chapter 19.
Q. How can this teaching be applied today?
Everyone has experienced giving up while saying, 'I was almost there.' Like quitting after forty kilometers of a forty-two-kilometer marathon, the final step often weighs the most.