Book 10: 《鄉黨》 Xiang Dang (In the Village)
《鄉黨》 Passage 10.14
Legge Translation (1861)
When the villagers were going through their ceremonies to drive away pestilential influences, he put on his court robes and stood on the eastern steps.Word by word
- 鄉人 xiāng rén
villagers, fellow villagers
- 鄉 village, local community
- 人 person, people
- 儺 nuó
nuo: ritual exorcism to expel evil or pestilential spirits
Several translators (Slingerland, Peimin Ni, Ames & Rosemont, Chin) transliterate as 'nuo' rather than translating outright; others describe the ritual's purpose directly.
- 朝服 cháo fú
court robes, ceremonial court dress
- 朝 court (of a ruler); ceremonial, official
- 服 clothing, garment; to wear
- 而 ér
coordinating conjunction: and
- 立 lì
to stand
- 於 yú
locative preposition: on, at
- 阼階 zuò jiē
the eastern steps (the host's stairs, as distinct from the guest's steps on the west)
- 阼 the host's steps on the east side of a hall
- 階 steps, stairs
阼 specifically designates the host's/master's steps on the east side of the hall; Peimin Ni's 'stairs' does not carry this specification.
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