Analects 12.8 · Yan Yuan
“Even a team of four horses cannot overtake the tongue.”
Meaning, context, and how to apply it today
駟不及舌 (sì bù jí shé) means “Even a team of four horses cannot overtake the tongue.” It is a passage from the Analects of Confucius, Book 12 (Yan Yuan), Chapter 8.
駟不及舌
- Pinyin
- sì bù jí shé
- Translation
- Even a team of four horses cannot overtake the tongue.
- Source
- Analects, Book 12 (Yan Yuan), Chapter 8
What does this passage mean?
The background of the eighth chapter of Yan Yuan is this. Ji Zicheng, a grandee of Wei, said that the exemplary person needs only substance, so what use is refinement? Zigong, lamenting the remark, began his rebuttal with these words: even a team of four horses cannot overtake the tongue. A fast chariot cannot catch a word once spoken, and it was a pity that such a careless remark had been made. Zigong went on to argue that refinement and substance are one and the same: strip the hair from a tiger’s hide and it is no different from the hide of a dog or a sheep. The line later became a proverb warning of the power of words.
How can we apply it today?
A word cannot be taken back the moment the send button is pressed. A remark posted in a group chat, a message sent in anger, or a joke blurted out in a meeting stays in someone’s memory even after it is deleted. In ancient times four horses could not catch it; today it spreads at the speed of the internet. Zigong’s warning is not to stop speaking but to speak knowing how fast words travel. The habit of reading once more before sending, and of letting an angry message sit for a day, is the only way to hold back words faster than any chariot.
Questions to reflect on
- ·Have you recently said something you wish you could take back?
- ·Do you have the habit of rereading before you send?
- ·Has a word you let out ever come back to you?
Character-by-character breakdown
| Character | Pinyin | Meaning | Strokes | Radical |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 駟 | sì | team of four horses | 15 | 馬 (horse) |
| 不 | bù | not | 4 | 一 (one) |
| 及 | jí | reach | 4 | 又 (again) |
| 舌 | shé | tongue | 6 | 舌 (tongue) |
Frequently asked questions
Q. What does “Even a team of four horses cannot overtake…” mean?
駟不及舌 (sì bù jí shé) means “Even a team of four horses cannot overtake the tongue.” It comes from the Analects, Book 12 (Yan Yuan), Chapter 8.
Q. Where does this passage appear in the Analects?
It is Analects 12.8: Book 12 (Yan Yuan), Chapter 8.
Q. How can this teaching be applied today?
A word cannot be taken back the moment the send button is pressed.