Book 1: 《學而》 Xue Er (Studying)
《學而》 Passage 1.1
Legge Translation (1861)
The Master said: "Is it not pleasant to learn with a constant perseverance and application?Is it not delightful to have friends coming from distant quarters?
Is he not a man of complete virtue, who feels no discomposure though men may take no note of him?"
Word by word
- 子曰 zǐ yuē
the Master said
- 子 Master, honorific title for a teacher (here, Confucius)
- 曰 said, spoke
- 學 xué
to learn, study
- 而 ér
and, and then
- 時 shí
repeatedly, at regular intervals
The reading of 時 is contested: 王肅 (in 何晏) and 楊伯峻 take it as 'at the proper times', 朱熹 and 錢穆 as 時時 'constantly, repeatedly'. Roberts, Lau and Chin follow the first, Legge, Peimin Ni and Ames & Rosemont the second.
- 習 xí
to practice, put into practice
- 之 zhī
pronoun: it, what was learned
- 不亦…乎 bù yì … hū
is it not...?, rhetorical affirmative-question frame
- 不 not
- 亦 also, too
- 乎 interrogative final particle
- 說 yuè
pleased, delighted
loangraph for 悅 (yuè); not 'to speak, say' here
- 有 yǒu
to have
- 朋 péng
friend
- 自 zì
from
- 遠方 yuǎn fāng
distant place, afar
- 遠 distant, far
- 方 place, region, quarter
- 來 lái
to come
- 不亦…乎 bù yì … hū
is it not...?, rhetorical affirmative-question frame
- 不 not
- 亦 also, too
- 乎 interrogative final particle
- 樂 lè
joyful, delightful
polyphonic character: read lè 'joy' here, not yuè 'music'
- 人 rén
other people, others
- 不 bù
not
- 知 zhī
to know, recognize, understand
- 而 ér
contrastive conjunction: but, yet
- 不 bù
not
- 慍 yùn
to be resentful, indignant
- 不亦…乎 bù yì … hū
is it not...?, rhetorical affirmative-question frame
- 不 not
- 亦 also, too
- 乎 interrogative final particle
- 君子 jūn zǐ
exemplary person, gentleman
- 君 lord, ruler; 君子 is literally a lord's son
- 子 son; 君子 is literally a lord's son, one of the ruling class, which the Analects makes a term of character
In the 詩經 and 書經 君子 is a man of the ruling lineage, literally a lord's son, opposed to 小人 as commoner. The Analects turns both into terms of character rather than birth; the older social sense survives where 君子 is set against 民 (8.2, 12.19).
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