Book 12: 《顏淵》 Yan Yuan
《顏淵》 Passage 12.20
Legge Translation (1861)
Zizhang asked: "What must the officer be, who may be said to be distinguished?"The Master said: "What is it you call being distinguished?"
Zizhang replied: "It is to be heard of through the State, to be heard of throughout his clan."
The Master said: "That is notoriety, not distinction.
Now the man of distinction is solid and straightforward, and loves righteousness. He examines people's words, and looks at their countenances. He is anxious to humble himself to others. Such a man will be distinguished in the country; he will be distinguished in his clan.
As to the man of notoriety, he assumes the appearance of virtue, but his actions are opposed to it, and he rests in this character without any doubts about himself. Such a man will be heard of in the country; he will be heard of in the clan."
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 Zizhang, a disciple of Confucius (name component)
- 問 wèn
to ask
- 士 shì
a man of service: scholar-official, gentleman in office
- 何如 hé rú
what must one be like, how
- 何 what
- 如 to be like, to resemble
- 斯 sī
then, in that case (resultative connector)
- 可謂 kě wèi
can be called, can be said to be
- 可 can, may
- 謂 to call, to term, to say of someone
- 之 zhī
him (object pronoun)
- 達 dá
genuinely accomplished, morally substantial
This passage turns on distinguishing 達, genuine accomplishment, from 聞, mere reputation; translators split between an inward-substance reading (accomplished, unblocked) and an outward-standing reading (distinguished, success).
- 矣 yǐ
final particle marking an anticipated or realized state
The clause is a question in Chinese.
- 子曰 zǐ yuē
the Master said
- 子 the Master, Confucius
- 曰 said
- 何哉 hé zāi
what indeed?, what on earth (emphatic interrogative)
- 何 what
- 哉 exclamatory final particle: indeed, on earth
- 爾 ěr
you
- 所謂 suǒ wèi
that which is called, what is meant by
- 所 nominalizing particle: that which, what
- 謂 to call, to mean, to refer to
- 達 dá
genuinely accomplished, morally substantial
- 者 zhě
topic-marking particle: as for, the one which
- 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 Zizhang, a disciple of Confucius (name component)
- 對曰 duì yuē
replied, answered (a superior)
- 對 to respond, to reply (to a superior)
- 曰 said
- 在邦 zài bāng
serving in the state, in public office
- 在 to be in, to serve in
- 邦 a state, a principality
- 必 bì
surely, certainly, invariably
- 聞 wén
having a reputation, being widely known
- 在家 zài jiā
serving in the clan or noble household of a great officer (against 邦, the state)
- 在 to be in, to serve in
- 家 a great family, a noble house or clan
- 必 bì
surely, certainly, invariably
only Watson repeats the adverb for each half.
- 聞 wén
having a reputation, being widely known
- 子曰 zǐ yuē
the Master said
- 子 the Master, Confucius
- 曰 said
- 是 shì
this, that (demonstrative, referring back to what was just said)
- 聞 wén
being talked about, mere repute (opposed to 達, real distinction)
- 也 yě
final particle of assertion
- 非 fēi
is not, negates the identification
- 達 dá
genuinely accomplished, morally substantial
- 也 yě
final particle of assertion
- 夫 fú
topic-introducing particle: now, as for
- 達 dá
genuinely accomplished, morally substantial
- 也者 yě zhě
nominalizing particle: the one who, that which
- 也 particle marking a pause after the topic just named
- 者 nominalizing particle: the one who, that which
- 質直 zhì zhí
upright in one's basic character, solid and straightforward by nature
- 質 basic substance, one's innate character
- 直 upright, straight
- 而 ér
coordinating conjunction: and
- 好義 hào yì
fond of what is right, devoted to rightness
- 好 to be fond of, to love
- 義 rightness, what is right and fitting
- 察言 chá yán
examines what people say, weighs their words
- 察 to examine closely, to scrutinize
- 言 words, what people say
- 而 ér
coordinating conjunction: and
- 觀色 guān sè
observes people's expression, watches their countenance
- 觀 to observe, to watch closely
- 色 facial expression, countenance
- 慮 lǜ
is thoughtful, gives careful consideration
- 以下人 yǐ xià rén
defers to others, places himself below others
- 以 so as to, thereby (linking coverb)
- 下 to place oneself below, to defer to
- 人 other people, others
Slingerland alone reads 下人 as a noun, 'his inferiors', rather than as the verb phrase 'defer to others'.
- 在邦 zài bāng
serving in the state, in public office
- 在 to be in, to serve in
- 邦 a state, a principality
- 必 bì
surely, certainly, invariably
- 達 dá
genuinely accomplished, morally substantial
- 在家 zài jiā
serving in a noble family, in a private household
- 在 to be in, to serve in
- 家 a great family, a noble house or clan
- 必 bì
surely, certainly, invariably
- 達 dá
genuinely accomplished, morally substantial
- 夫 fú
topic-introducing particle: now, as for
- 聞 wén
the merely famous, one who is only heard of
- 也者 yě zhě
nominalizing particle: the one who, that which
- 也 particle marking a pause after the topic just named
- 者 nominalizing particle: the one who, that which
- 色取 sè qǔ
takes on the outward appearance of, puts on the guise of
- 色 outward appearance, countenance
- 取 to take on, to adopt
- 仁 rén
humaneness, benevolence, goodness
Translators reach for a range of near-equivalent terms here — virtue, Goodness, human-heartedness, authoritative conduct — all naming the same core Confucian virtue.
- 而 ér
adversative conjunction: but, yet
- 行違 xíng wéi
conduct departs from it, actions contradict it
- 行 conduct, actions
- 違 to depart from, to contradict
- 居之 jū zhī
rests content in this self-image, maintains this stance
- 居 to dwell in, to rest content in
- 之 it, this (object pronoun, referring to his self-image)
- 不疑 bù yí
without doubt, unquestioning of himself
- 不 not
- 疑 to doubt, to be in doubt
- 在邦 zài bāng
serving in the state, in public office
- 在 to be in, to serve in
- 邦 a state, a principality
- 必 bì
surely, certainly, invariably
- 聞 wén
having a reputation, being widely known
- 在家 zài jiā
serving in a noble family, in a private household
- 在 to be in, to serve in
- 家 a great family, a noble house or clan
- 必 bì
surely, certainly, invariably
- 聞 wén
having a reputation, being widely known
A text file for Anki 2.1.55 or later: File → Import. The cards go to the deck “Analects”, tagged by passage, and importing again updates them instead of adding copies.
Discussion
No one has started on this passage yet.
Start the discussion in r/analects