Book 1: 《學而》 Xue Er (Studying)
《學而》 Passage 1.7
Legge Translation (1861)
Zixia said: "If a man withdraws his mind from the love of beauty, and applies it as sincerely to the love of the virtuous; if, in serving his parents, he can exert his utmost strength; if, in serving his prince, he can devote his life; if, in his intercourse with his friends, his words are sincere: — although men say that he has not learned, I will certainly say that he has."Word by word
- 子夏 zǐ xià
Zixia, name of a disciple of Confucius
- 子 prefix of a courtesy name, as in 子路 and 子貢; not the title Master
- 夏 Xia, courtesy-name element in 子夏, the courtesy name of Bu Shang (卜商); his given name is 商
- 曰 yuē
said
- 賢賢 xián xián
to esteem worthy people for their worth
- 賢 to esteem as worthy, to value
- 賢 the worthy, virtuous; worthiness
reduplicated construction: treat the worthy (賢) as worthy
- 易色 yì sè
to shift regard away from physical beauty toward virtue
- 易 to change, exchange one attitude for another
- 色 physical beauty, sensual attraction — alt. reading: countenance, outward demeanor
classic interpretive crux: 色 may denote sensual/physical beauty (contrasted with virtue) or outward countenance/demeanor; translators split between the two readings
- 事父母 shì fù mǔ
to serve one's parents
- 事 to serve
- 父 father
- 母 mother
- 能 néng
to be able to, can
- 竭…力 jié … lì
to exert all one's strength, do one's utmost
- 竭 to exhaust, exert to the utmost
- 力 strength, effort
- 其 qí
his, her, their (possessive pronoun)
- 事君 shì jūn
to serve one's ruler, lord
- 事 to serve
- 君 ruler, lord
- 能 néng
to be able to, can
- 致…身 zhì … shēn
to give one's whole self, devote entirely
- 致 to give completely, devote entirely
- 身 body, person, self
- 其 qí
his, her, their (possessive pronoun)
- 與…交 yǔ … jiāo
to interact with, have dealings with
- 與 with, together with
- 交 to interact, associate with
- 朋友 péng yǒu
friend(s)
- 朋 friend
- 友 friend
- 言而有信 yán ér yǒu xìn
to be trustworthy in word, true to one's word
- 言 words, speech
- 而 conjunctive particle: and
- 有 to have, possess
- 信 trustworthiness, being true to one's word
- 雖曰 suī yuē
even though it is said that, although one might say
- 雖 although, even if
- 曰 say, said (here: it is said)
- 未學 wèi xué
not yet learned, lacking (formal) education
- 未 not yet
- 學 learned, educated
- 吾 wú
I, me
- 必 bì
surely, certainly, necessarily
- 謂 wèi
to call, describe as, say of
- 之 zhī
him, that person (third-person object pronoun)
- 學矣 xué yǐ
learned, educated
- 學 learned, educated
- 矣 final particle marking assertion, completion
矣 marks the assertion as definitively settled
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