Book 1: 《學而》 Xue Er (Studying)
《學而》 Passage 1.8
Legge Translation (1861)
The Master said: "If the scholar be not grave, he will not call forth any veneration, and his learning will not be solid.Hold faithfulness and sincerity as first principles.
Have no friends not equal to yourself.
When you have faults, do not fear to abandon them."
Word by word
- 子曰 zǐ yuē
the Master said
- 子 master, teacher (title for Confucius)
- 曰 to say, said
- 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
- 不 bù
not
- 重 zhòng
serious, grave, dignified in bearing
Chin renders this as moral 'integrity' rather than gravitas of demeanor.
- 則 zé
conjunction marking consequence: then, as a result
- 不 bù
not
- 威 wēi
awe-inspiring authority, dignity that commands respect
- 學 xué
to study, learn
- 則 zé
conjunction marking consequence: then, as a result
- 不 bù
not
- 固 gù
firm, solid, thorough (of learning)
A genuine split: 孔安國 (in 何晏) glosses 固 as 蔽, obstruction, so study keeps one from rigidity, the reading of Ames & Rosemont, Lau and Watson; 朱熹 glosses it 堅固, so an unserious man's learning is not solid, the reading of Legge, Peimin Ni, Roberts and Chin, negated in Slingerland's 'superficially'.
- 主 zhǔ
to make central, prioritize, hold as one's guiding principle
- 忠信 zhōng xìn
loyalty and trustworthiness
- 忠 loyalty, doing one's utmost for others
- 信 trustworthiness, being true to one's word
- 無 wú
negative imperative: do not, let there be no
- 友 yǒu
to befriend, take as a friend
- 不如 bù rú
not as good as, inferior to
- 不 not
- 如 to be equal to, be like
- 己 jǐ
oneself, one's own self
- 者 zhě
nominalizing particle: one who, those who
- 過 guò
a fault, transgression, mistake
- 則 zé
conditional conjunction: when, if
- 勿 wù
prohibitive negative: do not, must not
- 憚 dàn
to dread, fear, shrink from
- 改 gǎi
to change, correct, amend
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