Book 12: 《顏淵》 Yan Yuan
《顏淵》 Passage 12.21
Legge Translation (1861)
Fan Chi rambling with the Master under the trees about the rain altars, said: "I venture to ask how to exalt virtue, to correct cherished evil, and to discover delusions."The Master said: "Truly a good question!
If doing what is to be done be made the first business, and success a secondary consideration; — is not this the way to exalt virtue? To assail one's own wickedness and not assail that of others; — is not this the way to correct cherished evil? For a morning's anger to disregard one's own life, and involve that of his parents; — is not this a case of delusion?"
Word by word
- 樊遲 fán chí
Fan Chi, a disciple of Confucius
- 樊 surname of Fan Chi, a disciple of Confucius
- 遲 Chi, courtesy-name element in 樊遲, the courtesy name of Fan Xu (樊須); his given name is 須
- 從遊 cóng yóu
to accompany on an excursion, go along on an outing
- 從 to accompany, go along with
- 遊 to travel, ramble, go on an excursion
- 於 yú
locative/directional preposition: to, at
- 舞雩 wǔ yú
the Rain Altar, a platform in Lu used for rain-sacrifice dances
- 舞 dance (in 舞雩, name of the rain-sacrifice altar)
- 雩 rain sacrifice; the Rain Altar, a place name here with 舞
- 之下 zhī xià
below, beneath (the frame X之下, 'below X')
- 之 modifying particle linking a noun to what follows: 's
- 下 below, underneath
- 曰 yuē
said
- 敢問 gǎn wèn
may I ask..., I venture to ask... (deferential request formula)
- 敢 to venture, presume (marker of deferential request)
- 問 to ask
- 崇德 chóng dé
to exalt virtue, to elevate one's moral character
- 崇 to exalt, hold in high esteem, elevate
- 德 virtue, moral character
- 脩慝 xiū tè
to correct vice, to reform hidden wrongdoing
- 脩 to cultivate, correct, put right (graphic variant of 修)
- 慝 hidden wrongdoing, vice, depravity concealed in the heart
脩, properly 'dried meat', is borrowed here for 修 ('cultivate, correct'); 慝 (心 under 匿) denotes wrongdoing concealed in the heart, distinct from open evil (惡).
- 辨惑 biàn huò
to discern confusion, to distinguish sound judgment from doubtful judgment
- 辨 to distinguish, discern
- 惑 confusion, delusion, doubtful judgment
- 子曰 zǐ yuē
the Master said
- 子 the Master, referring to Confucius
- 曰 said
- 善哉問 shàn zāi wèn
what an excellent question!, exclamatory praise of a question
- 善 excellent, fine
- 哉 exclamatory final particle
- 問 question
Predicate-fronting exclamation: 哉 marks the exclamation immediately after the predicate 善, with the subject 問 following rather than leading.
- 先事後得 xiān shì hòu dé
to put one's duty before the reward, effort precedes gain
- 先 first, beforehand
- 事 to attend to one's task, serve, do one's duty
- 後 after, afterward
- 得 to gain, obtain, receive as reward
- 非…與 fēi … yú
is this not...?, rhetorical question frame seeking agreement
- 非 is it not...?, negator opening a rhetorical question
- 與 interrogative final particle
- 崇德 chóng dé
to exalt virtue, to elevate one's moral character
- 崇 to exalt, hold in high esteem, elevate
- 德 virtue, moral character
- 攻 gōng
to attack, take to task, find fault with
- 其 qí
one's own (reflexive possessive)
- 惡 è
fault, wrongdoing, evil conduct
- 無攻 wú gōng
not to attack, refrain from attacking (prohibitive negation of 攻)
- 無 not, do not (prohibitive negative)
- 攻 to attack, find fault with, criticize
- 人 rén
other people, others
- 之 zhī
possessive/modifying particle: of, 's
- 惡 è
fault, wrongdoing, evil conduct
- 非…與 fēi … yú
is this not...?, rhetorical question frame seeking agreement
- 非 is it not...?, negator opening a rhetorical question
- 與 interrogative final particle
- 脩慝 xiū tè
to correct vice, to reform hidden wrongdoing
- 脩 to cultivate, correct, put right
- 慝 hidden wrongdoing, vice, depravity concealed in the heart
- 一朝之忿 yī zhāo zhī fèn
a sudden fit of anger, a momentary rage
- 一 one, a single
- 朝 morning
- 之 possessive/modifying particle: 's
- 忿 anger, rage, a fit of fury
Literally 'a single morning's resentment' — the brevity of a morning stands for the fleeting, momentary nature of the anger.
- 忘 wàng
to forget, lose sight of
- 其 qí
one's own (reflexive possessive)
- 身 shēn
oneself, one's own person
- 以及 yǐ jí
and, extending even to (marking the anger's reach onto another party)
- 以 thereby, so as to (marking a resulting extension)
- 及 to extend to, reach; and
- 其 qí
one's own (reflexive possessive)
- 親 qīn
one's parents, one's close kin
- 非…與 fēi … yú
is this not...?, rhetorical question frame seeking agreement
- 非 is it not...?, negator opening a rhetorical question
- 與 interrogative final particle
- 惑 huò
confusion, delusion, doubtful judgment
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