Book 12: 《顏淵》 Yan Yuan
《顏淵》 Passage 12.2
Legge Translation (1861)
Zhonggong asked about perfect virtue. The Master said: "It is, when you go abroad, to behave to every one as if you were receiving a great guest; to employ the people as if you were assisting at a great sacrifice; not to do to others as you would not wish done to yourself; to have no murmuring against you in the country, and none in the family."Zhonggong said: "Though I am deficient in intelligence and vigor, I will make it my business to practice this lesson."
Word by word
- 仲弓 zhòng gōng
Zhonggong, courtesy name of the disciple Ran Yong
- 仲 zhong, first syllable of the courtesy name Zhonggong
- 弓 gong, second syllable of the courtesy name Zhonggong
- 問 wèn
to ask about, inquire about
- 仁 rén
humaneness, benevolence, kindness
Confucius's central ethical concept; translators split between benevolence-family renderings and Ames & Rosemont's process-oriented 'authoritative conduct.'
- 子曰 zǐ yuē
the Master said
- 子 the Master, honorific title for Confucius
- 曰 said, spoke
- 出門 chū mén
to go out in public, leave the house
- 出 to go out, exit
- 門 gate, door
- 如 rú
as if, as though
- 見 jiàn
to receive, greet, meet with
- 大 dà
great, important, honored
- 賓 bīn
guest, visitor
- 使 shǐ
to employ, direct, put to work
- 民 mín
the common people, subjects
- 如 rú
as if, as though
- 承 chéng
to undertake, carry out, officiate at
- 大 dà
great, important, grand
- 祭 jì
sacrifice, sacrificial rite
- 己 jǐ
oneself, yourself (reflexive)
Opens the maxim 己所不欲，勿施於人, Confucius's negative formulation of the Golden Rule (the principle of reciprocity, shu 恕).
- 所 suǒ
nominalizing particle: that which, what
- 不 bù
not
- 欲 yù
to desire, want, wish for
- 勿 wù
do not, must not, prohibitive negative
- 施 shī
to impose on, do to, inflict upon
This exact clause, 己所不欲，勿施於人, recurs verbatim at Analects 15.24.
- 於 yú
coverb marking the goal: to, on, upon, toward
- 人 rén
other people, others
- 在 zài
coverb: in, at
- 邦 bāng
state, country, principality
- 無 wú
to be without, have no
- 怨 yuàn
resentment, ill will, grievance
- 在 zài
coverb: in, at
- 家 jiā
family, household, noble house
- 無 wú
to be without, have no
- 怨 yuàn
resentment, ill will, grievance
- 仲弓 zhòng gōng
Zhonggong, courtesy name of the disciple Ran Yong
- 仲 zhong, first syllable of the courtesy name Zhonggong
- 弓 gong, second syllable of the courtesy name Zhonggong
- 曰 yuē
said, replied
- 雍 yōng
I (Zhonggong's self-reference using his given name Yong)
Speakers conventionally refer to themselves by given name rather than 'I' as a mark of humility; translators render this simply as 'I'.
- 雖 suī
although, even though
- 不 bù
not
- 敏 mǐn
quick, clever, apt
- 請 qǐng
to ask permission, request leave to
- 事 shì
to devote oneself to, make one's business of, serve
- 斯 sī
this, these
- 語 yǔ
words, saying, teaching
- 矣 yǐ
final particle marking assertion or resolve
its sense of firm resolve is carried instead by the English modal ('will', 'shall', 'would like').
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