Appears in 8 chapters of the Analects, 3 taughtYan Yan 言偃

Courtesy names, other names

Ziyou; Yan

Who

Disciple of Confucius

Relation to Confucius

Disciple

Source

The text of each chapter; identity follows Zhu Xi's commentary (Sibu beiyao edition of the Collected Commentaries on the Four Books)

See Yan Yan on the map: their chapters and who appears with them ›

Chapters in the Analects

1. 2.7Ziyou asks about filial piety

   子游問孝。子曰：今之孝者，是謂能養。至於犬馬，皆能有養；不敬，何以別乎？

2. 4.26Importune a ruler and you meet disgrace; importune a friend and you grow distant

   子游曰：事君數，斯辱矣；朋友數，斯疏矣。

3. 6.12Not taking shortcuts: is that talent?

   子游為武城宰。子曰：女得人焉爾乎？曰：有澹臺滅明者，行不由徑。非公事，未嘗至於偃之室也。

4. 11.2Those who followed me in Chen and Cai are no longer at my gatenot yet taught

   子曰：從我於陳、蔡者，皆不及門也。德行：顏淵，閔子騫，冉伯牛，仲弓。言語：宰我，子貢。政事：冉有，季路。文學：子游，子夏。

5. 17.4The Master went to Wucheng and heard the sound of strings and…not yet taught

   子之武城，聞絃歌之聲。夫子莞爾而笑，曰：割雞焉用牛刀？子游對曰：昔者偃也聞諸夫子曰：君子學道則愛人，小人學道則易使也。子曰：二三子！偃之言是也。前言戲之耳。

6. 19.12Zixia's disciples and young followers are fine when it comes to…not yet taught

   子游曰：子夏之門人小子，當灑掃、應對、進退，則可矣。抑末也，本之則無。如之何？子夏聞之曰：噫！言遊過矣！君子之道，孰先傳焉？孰後倦焉？譬諸草木，區以別矣。君子之道，焉可誣也？有始有卒者，其惟聖人乎！

7. 19.14In mourning, carry grief to its fullest, and stop therenot yet taught

   子游曰：喪致乎哀而止。

8. 19.15My friend Zhang does what is hard to donot yet taught

   子游曰：吾友張也，為難能也。然而未仁。

In this site's chapter order. Chapters already taught include our reading and the commentators' original pages. Chapters marked “not yet taught” have the original text and the commentaries.