Original Text:
子曰后生可畏焉知来者之不如今也四十五十而无闻焉斯亦不足畏也已
Translation:
Other Translations:
The Master said, “We should look upon the younger generation with awe because how are we to know that those who come after us will not prove our equals? Once, however, a man reaches the age of forty or fifty without having learned anything, we can conclude from this fact alone that he is not worthy of being held in awe.”
Confucius, & Slingerland, E. (2003). Analects: With selections from traditional commentaries. Hackett Publishing.
The Master said, Respect those younger than yourself. How do you know that the coming generation may not prove as good as our present one? But if a person lives to forty or fifty and hasn’t been heard of, then he’s no longer worthy of respect.
Confucius, & Watson, B. (2007). The Analects of Confucius. Columbia University Press.