Book 10: 《鄉黨》 Xiang Dang (In the Village)
《鄉黨》 Passage 10.11
Legge Translation (1861)
Although his food might be coarse rice and vegetable soup, he would offer a little of it in sacrifice with a grave, respectful air.Word by word
- 雖 suī
although, even though, even if
- 疏食 shū shí
coarse food, coarse grain or rice
- 疏 coarse, plain, simple (of food)
- 食 food, a meal
- 菜羹 cài gēng
vegetable soup, vegetable broth
- 菜 vegetables, greens
- 羹 soup, broth
- 瓜 guā
melon, gourd (a cucurbit)
The 魯論 text read 必 for 瓜 (釋文, cited by 朱熹: 魯論瓜作必), giving 必祭, 'he always made an offering'; every translator but Roberts follows that reading, which is why the melon vanishes from their versions. 何晏 and 朱熹 keep 瓜: even the melon course received an offering.
- 祭 jì
to make an offering, sacrifice
- 必 bì
always, invariably, without exception
Translators who attach 'invariably' to the offering are following the 魯論 reading 必祭 for 瓜祭 (see 瓜); in the received text 必 modifies 齊如, the solemn manner. Lau renders both.
- 齊如 zhāi rú
grave, solemn, and respectful in bearing
- 齊 reverent, solemn, as if observing ritual fasting — read here as 齋 (zhāi, ritual fasting/purification), not its more common reading qí, 'even, uniform'
- 如 suffix forming a manner expression: in a ... way, -like
Legge, Slingerland, Ames & Rosemont, Lau, and Chin render this as general solemnity of manner, while Peimin Ni and Roberts follow the reading of 齊 as 齋 (zhāi), 'as if fasting / in ritual purification'
- 也 yě
final particle of assertion
English closes the sentence with the period alone.
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