Book 11: 《先進》 Xian Jin (Former Eras)
《先進》 Passage 11.20
Legge Translation (1861)
Zizhang asked what were the characteristics of the good man. The Master said: "He does not tread in the footsteps of others, but moreover, he does not enter the chamber of the sage."Word by word
- 子張 zǐ zhāng
Zizhang, a disciple of Confucius
- 子 prefix of a courtesy name, as in 子路 and 子貢; not the title Master
- 張 naming element in the proper name Zizhang, a disciple of Confucius
- 問 wèn
to ask, inquire about
- 善人 shàn rén
good person, excellent person
- 善 good, virtuous, excellent
- 人 person
A semi-technical Analects term for someone naturally virtuous who has not fully mastered the tradition (cf. 7.26); translators split between 'good/excellent person' and Ames & Rosemont's 'truly efficacious person', with Roberts an outlier ('those with skills').
- 之 zhī
possessive/modifying particle: of
- 道 dào
the way, path (of conduct)
Most translators read 道 as 'the way'; Legge ('characteristics') and Roberts ('teachings') diverge toward the defining-traits sense.
- 子曰 zǐ yuē
the Master said
- 子 the Master, honorific title for Confucius
- 曰 said, spoke
- 不 bù
not
- 踐 jiàn
to tread, walk in, follow (a path)
- 跡 jì
footprints, tracks
Figurative for the established paths or precedents left by predecessors.
- 亦 yì
also, moreover, likewise
- 不 bù
not
- 入 rù
to enter, gain entrance
- 於 yú
locative preposition: into, to
Most translators render 入 with a bare transitive 'enter', which absorbs 於's work into English syntax; only Ames & Rosemont and Lau supply an explicit preposition.
- 室 shì
inner room, chamber
Figurative for the deepest level of attainment, as in 11.15's image of ascending the hall (堂) and then entering the inner room (室).
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