Analects 14.20 · Xian Wen
“When words are spoken without any shame, carrying them out is hard.”
Meaning, context, and how to apply it today
其言之不怍 則爲之也難 (qí yán zhī bù zuò, zé wéi zhī yě nán) means “When words are spoken without any shame, carrying them out is hard.” It is a passage from the Analects of Confucius, Book 14 (Xian Wen), Chapter 20.
其言之不怍 則爲之也難
- Pinyin
- qí yán zhī bù zuò, zé wéi zhī yě nán
- Translation
- When words are spoken without any shame, carrying them out is hard.
- Source
- Analects, Book 14 (Xian Wen), Chapter 20
What does this passage mean?
This passage comes from the twentieth chapter of Xian Wen. The key character means to feel ashamed. To speak without any shame is to make bold claims without considering how hard they will be to carry out, and such words, Confucius observes, are hard to fulfill. A person who feels some shame in speaking knows the weight of his words, and only one who knows the weight can bear it. It is one of the teachings on the unity of word and deed that recur throughout the Analects, pairing with the line in Li Ren that the ancients were sparing with words because they were ashamed that their deeds might fall short.
How can we apply it today?
People who announce grand plans without hesitation look attractive. But Confucius distrusts that lack of hesitation: if you feel no burden as you speak, you do not know the weight of practice your words demand. Between the person who keeps saying ‘it will absolutely work’ in meetings and the one who says ‘this part is hard, but I will try,’ it is clear who will keep their word. The slight shame and hesitation felt when speaking are not weakness but a sign of responsibility. The person whose face reddens a little before their own words is the one who ends up keeping them.
Questions to reflect on
- ·Do you speak with the weight of practice in mind, or without hesitation?
- ·Is there a bold claim you failed to keep?
- ·Do you regard the burden you feel when speaking as weakness or as responsibility?
Character-by-character breakdown
| Character | Pinyin | Meaning | Strokes | Radical |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 其 | qí | that; he | 8 | 八 (eight) |
| 言 | yán | speech | 7 | 言 (speech) |
| 之 | zhī | go; possessive particle | 4 | 丿 (slash) |
| 不 | bù | not | 4 | 一 (one) |
| 怍 | zuò | ashamed | 8 | 心 (heart) |
| 則 | zé | then; immediately | 9 | 刀 (knife) |
| 爲 | wéi | do | 12 | 爪 (claw) |
| 之 | zhī | go; possessive particle | 4 | 丿 (slash) |
| 也 | yě | grammatical particle | 3 | 乙 (second) |
| 難 | nán | difficult | 19 | 隹 (short-tailed bird) |
Frequently asked questions
Q. What does “When words are spoken without any shame…” mean?
其言之不怍 則爲之也難 (qí yán zhī bù zuò, zé wéi zhī yě nán) means “When words are spoken without any shame, carrying them out is hard.” It comes from the Analects, Book 14 (Xian Wen), Chapter 20.
Q. Where does this passage appear in the Analects?
It is Analects 14.20: Book 14 (Xian Wen), Chapter 20.
Q. How can this teaching be applied today?
People who announce grand plans without hesitation look attractive.