与朋友交而不信乎

與朋友交而不信乎
yǔ péngyǒu jiāo ér bù xìn hū
quotation

Meanings

  1. 1 in dealings with friends, have I failed to be trustworthy?
  2. 2 (fig.) a daily self-examination on honesty in friendship, one of Zengzi's three questions
  3. 3 (lit.) with friends interacting, yet not trustworthy, question?

Examples

HSK 4
Xiě rìjì kěyǐ cóng yǔpéngyǒujiāo'érbùxìnhū zhèyàng de zìwèn kāishǐ.
Journaling can begin with self-questioning like 'in dealings with friends, have I failed to be trustworthy?'
HSK 7-9
Tā měiwǎn fǎnxǐng, wèn zìjǐ yǔpéngyǒujiāo'érbùxìnhū.
Every evening he reflects, asking himself 'in dealings with friends, have I failed to be trustworthy?'

Tips

history
From 《论语·学而》 (Analects, Xue'er 1:4), the famous 三省 (three self-examinations) of 曾子 (Zengzi, Confucius' disciple): 吾日三省吾身:为人谋而不忠乎?与朋友交而不信乎?传不习乎? (I daily examine myself on three things: in planning for others, have I been less than loyal? In dealings with friends, have I been less than trustworthy? Have I failed to practice what was transmitted to me?). A cornerstone of Confucian self-cultivation.
usage
is a classical question particle (≈ ). here = trustworthy, keeping one's word (not 'believe'). Always part of the three-question set. Chinese elementary moral education still teaches this passage as the model of daily reflection.

Stroke Order

péng
yǒu
jiāo
ér
xìn