Book 12: 《顏淵》 Yan Yuan
《顏淵》 Passage 12.7
Legge Translation (1861)
Zigong asked about government. The Master said: "The requisites of government are that there be sufficiency of food, sufficiency of military equipment, and the confidence of the people in their ruler."Zigong said: "If it cannot be helped, and one of these must be dispensed with, which of the three should be foregone first?" "The military equipment," said the Master.
Zigong again asked: "If it cannot be helped, and one of the remaining two must be dispensed with, which of them should be foregone?"
The Master answered: "Part with the food. From of old, death has been the lot of all men; but if the people have no faith in their rulers, there is no standing for the state."
Word by word
- 子貢 zǐ gòng
Zigong, a disciple of Confucius
- 子 prefix of a courtesy name, as in 子路 and 子貢; not the title Master
- 貢 component of the name Zigong (a disciple of Confucius)
- 問 wèn
to ask about, inquire into
- 政 zhèng
government, governing
- 子曰 zǐ yuē
the Master said
- 子 the Master (Confucius), referred to respectfully
- 曰 said (introduces reported speech)
- 足 zú
to make sufficient, ensure there is enough of
- 食 shí
food, provisions
- 足 zú
to make sufficient, ensure there is enough of
- 兵 bīng
military equipment, arms, troops
- 民 mín
the common people
- 信 xìn
trust, confidence (in the ruler or government)
- 之 zhī
it, them (referring to the ruler or government)
Commentators differ on whether the referent is the ruler personally or the government itself.
- 矣 yǐ
final particle asserting a completed or realized state
- 子貢 zǐ gòng
Zigong, a disciple of Confucius
- 子 prefix of a courtesy name, as in 子路 and 子貢; not the title Master
- 貢 component of the name Zigong (a disciple of Confucius)
- 曰 yuē
said (introduces reported speech)
- 必 bì
intensifying adverb marking necessity: certainly, of necessity
- 不得已而 bù dé yǐ ér
cannot be helped, have no alternative but to, forced to
- 不 not
- 得 to obtain, get, be able to
- 已 to stop, cease
- 而 conjunctive particle: and, and so
- 去 qù
to give up, relinquish, do without (a resource)
- 於 yú
of, among (marking the set selected from)
- 斯 sī
this, these (demonstrative)
- 三 sān
three
- 者 zhě
nominalizing particle: the one(s), the thing(s)
- 何 hé
what, which
- 先 xiān
first, to be given priority
- 曰 yuē
said (introduces reported speech)
- 去 qù
to give up, discard, do without
- 兵 bīng
military equipment, arms, troops
- 子貢 zǐ gòng
Zigong, a disciple of Confucius
- 子 prefix of a courtesy name, as in 子路 and 子貢; not the title Master
- 貢 component of the name Zigong (a disciple of Confucius)
- 曰 yuē
said (introduces reported speech)
- 必 bì
intensifying adverb marking necessity: certainly, of necessity
- 不得已而 bù dé yǐ ér
cannot be helped, have no alternative but to, forced to
- 不 not
- 得 to obtain, get, be able to
- 已 to stop, cease
- 而 conjunctive particle: and, and so
- 去 qù
to give up, relinquish, do without (a resource)
- 於 yú
of, among (marking the set selected from)
- 斯 sī
demonstrative pronoun: this, these
English identifies the referent as 'the remaining/other two' rather than repeating a demonstrative, so the particle's deictic work is done by that phrase instead of a distinct word.
- 二者 èr zhě
the remaining two (things, options)
- 二 two
- 者 nominalizing particle: the one(s), the thing(s)
- 何 hé
what, which
- 先 xiān
next, first, to be given priority
- 曰 yuē
said (introduces reported speech)
- 去 qù
to give up, discard, do without
- 食 shí
food, provisions
- 自古 zì gǔ
from antiquity, since ancient times
- 自 from, since
- 古 antiquity, ancient times
- 皆 jiē
all, everyone
- 有 yǒu
to have, undergo, experience (existential)
- 死 sǐ
death, to die
- 民 mín
the common people
- 無 wú
to lack, be without, have no
- 信 xìn
trust, confidence (in the government)
- 不立 bù lì
will not stand, has no standing, cannot endure
- 不 not
- 立 to stand, be established, endure
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