9.11 颜渊喟然叹曰1：“仰之弥高2，钻之弥坚。瞻之在前，忽焉在后。夫子循循然善诱人3，博我以文，约我以礼，欲罢不能。既竭吾才，如有所立卓尔4，虽欲从之，末由也已5。”
【译文】
颜渊感叹道：“老师的道，抬头仰视，越觉其高，用力钻研，越觉其深。望过去似在前面，忽然间又似在后面。老师有步骤地引导着我，用文献来丰富我的学识，用礼节来约束我的行为，令我想停下来也不可能。我已经竭尽全力，但它如在面前高高地耸立着，虽想攀从，却觉无路可由。”
【YZG解释】
颜渊感叹道：“老师的道，越是抬头仰视，越觉其高，越用力钻研，越觉其深。望过去似在前面，当我赶上去时，恍惚间又似在后面。老师有计划有步骤地引导着我自己发现真理，用文献来让我见闻广博，用礼节来约束我的行为，令我想停下来也停不下来。我已经竭尽全力，但它如在面前高高地耸立在我眼前，虽想跟随，却觉找不到跟上去的路径。”
【English Translation】
Yan Yuan sighed: “As for the Way of my teacher, the more I look up to it, the higher it seems, and the more I delve into it, the deeper it seems. When I look at it from afar, it seems to be in front, but when I catch up, it seems to be behind. The teacher guided me in a planned and step-by-step manner to discover the truth by myself, made me have extensive knowledge by literature, and regulated my behaviors with the Rites, which made me unable to stop even if I wanted to. I have done my best, but it towers above me, and although I want to follow it, I feel that I cannot find the way to follow.”