What is the original Chinese?

知之者，不如好之者，好之者，不如樂之者。. Translated from the original Chinese by Spartan Surfers.

知之者，不如好之者，好之者，不如樂之者

Better to love it than know it. Better to enjoy it than love it.

Confucius, Analects 6.18

What it means

Knowing about something is the shallow end; loving it goes deeper; taking real joy in it goes deepest. People who enjoy the work outlast people who only understand it. Find the version of your craft you can delight in.

The source

"Better to love it than know it. Better to enjoy it than love it." Confucius said it in Analects 6.18. Translated from the original Chinese by Spartan Surfers.

"知之者，不如好之者，好之者，不如樂之者。"

Original Chinese, Analects 6.18. Text read at zh.wikisource.org.

Who said it

Confucius (551-479 BC). Teacher from the state of Lu whose conversations, collected by his students as the Analects, shaped two thousand years of Chinese ethics. He taught that character is built through learning, ritual and honest self-examination.

Questions

What does "Better to love it than know it. Better to enjoy it than love it." mean?: Knowing about something is the shallow end; loving it goes deeper; taking real joy in it goes deepest. People who enjoy the work outlast people who only understand it. Find the version of your craft you can delight in.
Who said "Better to love it than know it. Better to enjoy it than love it."?: Confucius (551-479 BC). Source: Analects 6.18.
What is the original Chinese?: 知之者，不如好之者，好之者，不如樂之者。. Translated from the original Chinese by Spartan Surfers.
Is "Better to love it than know it. Better to enjoy it than love it." on a shirt?: Yes. We print it to order on our tees in 6 illustrated looks, from $44, with free US shipping.

Cite this line

"Better to love it than know it. Better to enjoy it than love it." (Confucius, Analects 6.18, translated by Spartan Surfers). https://spartansurfers.com/quotes/better-to-love-it-than-know-it-better