Book 1: 《學而》 Xue Er (Studying)
《學而》 Passage 1.11
Legge Translation (1861)
The Master said: "While a man's father is alive, look at the bent of his will; when his father is dead, look at his conduct. If for three years he does not alter from the way of his father, he may be called filial."Word by word
- 子曰 zǐ yuē
the Master said
- 子 master, teacher (honorific title, referring to Confucius)
- 曰 said, say
- 父 fù
father
- 在 zài
to be alive, living
- 觀 guān
to observe, look at
- 其 qí
his (third-person possessive pronoun)
其 refers to the son being observed, not to the father (孔安國, 朱熹); Chin alone reads it of the father, 'observe what he would like to do'.
- 志 zhì
aspiration, will, intention
- 父 fù
father
- 沒 mò
to die, pass away
Read mò: the graph here stands for 歿 'to die', not méi 'to lack'.
- 觀 guān
to observe, look at
Roberts elides the repeated verb, governing both clauses with a single 'Observe' earlier in the sentence
- 其 qí
his (third-person possessive pronoun)
refers to the son under observation, not the father
- 行 xíng
conduct, actions, behavior
- 三年 sān nián
three years
- 三 three
- 年 year
- 無改 wú gǎi
does not change, does not alter
- 無 not, without (negates the following verb)
- 改 to change, alter
- 於 yú
preposition marking what the verb bears on: in, with regard to
- 父 fù
father
- 之 zhī
possessive/attributive particle: 's, of
- 道 dào
way, path
- 可 kě
can, may
- 謂…矣 wèi … yǐ
to be called, termed
- 謂 to call, term, say of someone that
- 矣 final particle marking completion or assertion
- 孝 xiào
filial, devoted to one's parents
Lau alone renders this as 'good' (son) rather than 'filial'
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