Classical Prose
师说
韩愈
古之学者必有师。
师者，所以传道受业解惑也。
人非生而知之者，孰能无惑？
惑而不从师，其为惑也，终不解矣。
生乎吾前，其闻道也固先乎吾，吾从而师之；
生乎吾后，其闻道也亦先乎吾，吾从而师之。
吾师道也，夫庸知其年之先后生于吾乎？
是故无贵无贱，无长无少，道之所存，师之所存也。
嗟乎！
师道之不传也久矣！
欲人之无惑也难矣！
古之圣人，其出人也远矣，犹且从师而问焉；
今之众人，其下圣人也亦远矣，而耻学于师。
是故圣益圣，愚益愚。
圣人之所以为圣，愚人之所以为愚，其皆出于此乎？
爱其子，择师而教之；
于其身也，则耻师焉，惑矣！
彼童子之师，授之书而习其句读者，非吾所谓传其道解其惑者也。
句读之不知，惑之不解，
或师焉，或不焉，
小学而大遗，吾未见其明也。
巫医乐师百工之人，不耻相师。
士大夫之族，曰师曰弟子云者，则群聚而笑之。
问之，则曰：“彼与彼年相若也，道相似也。
位卑则足羞，官盛则近谀。”
呜呼！
师道之不复，可知矣。
巫医乐师百工之人，君子不齿，
今其智乃反不能及，其可怪也欤！
圣人无常师。
孔子师郯子、苌弘、师襄、老聃。
郯子之徒，其贤不及孔子。
孔子曰：“三人行，则必有我师。”
是故弟子不必不如师，师不必贤于弟子。
闻道有先后，术业有专攻，如是而已。
李氏子蟠，年十七，好古文，
六艺经传皆通习之，不拘于时，学于余。
余嘉其能行古道，作《师说》以贻之。
Translation
Those who studied in ancient times always had teachers. A teacher is one who transmits the Way, teaches learning, and resolves doubts. Human beings are not born knowing everything. Who can be without doubts? If one has doubts but does not follow a teacher, those doubts will never be resolved. If someone was born before me and heard the Way before me, I follow him and take him as my teacher. If someone was born after me but also heard the Way before me, I follow him and take him as my teacher. What I learn is the Way. Why should I care whether his age comes before or after mine? Therefore, whether noble or lowly, old or young, wherever the Way exists, there the teacher exists. Alas! The way of following teachers has not been transmitted for a long time. It is difficult for people to be without doubts. The sages of antiquity far surpassed ordinary people, yet they still followed teachers and asked questions. The common people of today fall far below the sages, yet they are ashamed to learn from teachers. Therefore the sage becomes ever more sage, and the fool ever more foolish. The reason sages become sages and fools become fools probably comes from this, does it not? People love their children and choose teachers to instruct them. But when it comes to themselves, they are ashamed to have teachers. How confused! Those teachers of children, who teach books and practice punctuation and reading pauses, are not what I mean by those who transmit the Way and resolve doubts. Not knowing punctuation and not resolving doubts — in one case they take a teacher, in the other they do not. They learn the small and abandon the great. I do not see their wisdom. Shamans, physicians, musicians, and craftsmen are not ashamed to learn from one another. But among the scholar-official class, if someone speaks of a teacher and a disciple, they gather together and laugh at it. Ask them why, and they say, 'That person and this person are about the same age, and their understanding of the Way is similar. If the teacher has low status, it is shameful. If the teacher holds high office, it is too much like flattery.' Alas! One can understand why the way of the teacher cannot be restored. Shamans, physicians, musicians, and craftsmen are looked down upon by gentlemen, yet now the wisdom of these gentlemen cannot even match them. How strange this is! Sages have no fixed teachers. Confucius studied with Tanzi, Changhong, Shixiang, and Laodan. These men were not as worthy as Confucius. Confucius said, 'When three walk together, there is certainly one who can be my teacher.' Therefore a disciple is not necessarily inferior to a teacher, nor is a teacher necessarily more worthy than a disciple. There is a sequence in hearing the Way, and each profession has its own specialists — that is all. Li Pan, a young man of seventeen, loves ancient literature and has studied all the Six Classics and their commentaries. Not bound by the prevailing customs of the age, he came to study with me. I approve of his ability to practice the ancient way, so I wrote 'On Teachers' to give to him.
Analysis
'On Teachers' is one of Han Yu's most important essays and a representative work of the Tang classical prose movement. On the surface, it explains why students need teachers. More deeply, it attacks the scholar-official habit of being ashamed to learn from others and redefines what a teacher truly is. The opening is direct: ancient learners always had teachers. Han Yu immediately defines the teacher's role: to transmit the Way, teach learning, and resolve doubts. The most important term is 'the Way.' A teacher is not merely someone who drills textual knowledge; he is someone who helps the learner understand fundamental principles. The basic logic is simple and powerful: no one is born knowing everything; everyone has doubts; doubts that are not brought to a teacher remain unresolved. Learning from teachers is therefore not a matter of social custom, but a necessity of intellectual growth. Han Yu then makes his most radical point: a teacher is not defined by age, rank, or social status. If someone has heard the Way before me, I should learn from him, whether he is older or younger. 'Wherever the Way exists, there the teacher exists' is the core of the essay. The next section criticizes contemporary society. Ancient sages, though far superior to ordinary people, still sought teachers. Common people today are far below the sages, yet they are ashamed to learn. This explains why the wise become wiser and the foolish become more foolish. Han Yu also exposes a contradiction: people choose teachers for their children but are ashamed to have teachers themselves. They admit that children need instruction, yet refuse the same principle for their own learning because of pride and social anxiety. The phrase 'learning the small and abandoning the great' is another sharp criticism. People seek teachers for matters like reading and punctuation, but not for deeper questions of the Way. They care about minor technical learning while neglecting major intellectual and moral education. Han Yu then compares the scholar-official class with shamans, physicians, musicians, and craftsmen. These humble professionals are not ashamed to learn from each other. But the scholar-officials, who look down on them, gather together and laugh at the very idea of a teacher-disciple relationship. Their real concern is not truth but face and status. Han Yu concludes that the wisdom of these 'superior' people cannot even match that of the 'inferior' craftsmen. The third section uses Confucius as evidence. Confucius, the greatest sage, had no fixed teachers — he learned from men who were not his equals in overall virtue. The point is clear: learning is not about hierarchy. 'Therefore a disciple is not necessarily inferior to a teacher, nor is a teacher necessarily more worthy than a disciple. There is a sequence in hearing the Way, and each profession has its own specialists.' This is the most modern-sounding passage in the essay. Han Yu presents an open, merit-based model of learning that cuts against the social hierarchy of his age. The essay was written for a young man named Li Pan, who loved classical literature and studied with Han Yu despite the prevailing social prejudice against seeking teachers. 'On Teachers' remains relevant today not as a call for respecting authority, but as a reminder that genuine learning requires humility, openness, and the willingness to learn from anyone who knows more about a subject — regardless of age, rank, or social status.
About the Author
Han Yu, courtesy name Tuizhi, was a Tang dynasty writer, thinker, and official from Heyang in Henan. He claimed ancestral affiliation with Changli and is often called Han Changli. He is ranked first among the 'Eight Great Masters of the Tang and Song' and was the leading figure of the Tang classical prose movement. Han Yu opposed the ornate and empty tendencies of parallel prose and advocated a return to the prose traditions of the pre-Qin and Han periods. He emphasized that writing should carry moral and philosophical substance. His prose is vigorous, argumentative, and tightly structured, with immense influence on later Chinese literature. Major works include 'On Teachers,' 'On Horses,' 'On the Origin of the Way,' 'Memorial for My Nephew Shi'erlang,' and 'Preface to Seeing Meng Dongye Off.'