Book 1: 《學而》 Xue Er (Studying)
《學而》 Passage 1.12
Legge Translation (1861)
The philosopher You said: "In practicing the rules of propriety, a natural ease is to be prized. In the ways prescribed by the ancient kings, this is the excellent quality, and in things small and great we follow them.Yet it is not to be observed in all cases. If one, knowing how such ease should be prized, manifests it, without regulating it by the rules of propriety, this likewise is not to be done."
Word by word
- 有子 yǒu zǐ
Master You (Youzi), a disciple of Confucius
- 有 surname You (in the name Master You)
- 子 honorific suffix: master
- 曰 yuē
said, spoke
- 禮 lǐ
ritual, the rites, rules of propriety
- 之 zhī
genitive/modifying particle: 's, of
- 用 yòng
use, function, practical effect
- 和 hé
harmony
- 為貴 wéi guì
is valued, is considered most important
- 為 copula: to be, to be regarded as
- 貴 valuable, precious, to be prized
- 先王 xiān wáng
the former kings, the sage kings of antiquity
- 先 former, earlier
- 王 king
- 之 zhī
genitive/modifying particle: 's, of
- 道 dào
way, path
- 斯 sī
this, in this respect
- 為美 wéi měi
is beautiful, is excellent
- 為 copula: to be, to be regarded as
- 美 beautiful, excellent, admirable
- 小大 xiǎo dà
in matters great and small
- 小 small
- 大 great, large
- 由之 yóu zhī
to follow it, to proceed according to it
- 由 to follow, proceed according to, go by
- 之 third-person object pronoun: it, this
Slingerland reads 由 as rigid adherence rather than simple following
- 有所不行 yǒu suǒ bù xíng
there are cases where it does not work, is not always practicable
- 有 there is, there exists
- 所 nominalizing particle: that which, place where
- 不 not
- 行 to work, be practicable, be carried out
- 知 zhī
to know, understand, be aware of
- 和而和 hé ér hé
to pursue harmony for its own sake
- 和 harmony
- 而 conjunctive particle: and, and yet
- 和 harmony, pursued for its own sake
- 不…節之 bù … jié zhī
not to regulate/moderate it
- 不 not
- 節 to regulate, moderate, adjust
- 之 third-person object pronoun: it (harmony)
- 以禮 yǐ lǐ
by means of ritual, using the rites
- 以 by means of, using
- 禮 ritual, the rites
- 亦 yì
also, likewise, too
- 不可行也 bù kě xíng yě
cannot be done, will not work
- 不 not
- 可 modal: can, be able to, permissible
- 行 to work, be practicable, be carried out
- 也 final particle of affirmation, emphasizing the statement
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