Book 14: 《憲問》 Xian Wen (Xian Asked)
《憲問》 Passage 14.21
Legge Translation (1861)
Chen Cheng murdered the Duke Jian of Qi.Confucius bathed, went to court, and informed the Duke Ai, saying, "Chen Heng has slain his sovereign. I beg that you will undertake to punish him."
The duke said: "Inform the chiefs of the three families of it."
Confucius retired, and said: "Following in the rear of the great officers, I did not dare not to represent such a matter, and my prince says, 'Inform the chiefs of the three families of it.'"
He went to the chiefs, and informed them, but they would not act. Confucius then said: "Following in the rear of the great officers, I did not dare not to represent such a matter."
Word by word
- 陳成子 chén chéng zǐ
Chen Chengzi, a powerful minister of the state of Qi
- 陳 surname: Chen
- 成 Cheng, posthumous epithet of Chen Heng (陳恆), known as 陳成子
- 子 honorific suffix in the appellation Chen Chengzi: master
- 弒 shì
to assassinate, to kill one's ruler or superior
弒 is reserved specifically for the killing of a ruler or parent, distinct from the ordinary verb 殺 'to kill'.
- 簡公 jiǎn gōng
Duke Jian, ruler of Qi
- 簡 Jian, posthumous ducal title (no literal meaning here)
- 公 duke
- 孔子 kǒng zǐ
Confucius (Master Kong)
- 孔 surname: Kong
- 子 honorific: Master
- 沐浴 mù yù
to bathe ceremonially, ritual purification before appearing at court
- 沐 to wash one's hair
- 浴 to bathe
- 而 ér
and, and then, connecting sequential actions
- 朝 cháo
to go to court, present oneself at the ducal court
- 告 gào
to report, inform
- 於 yú
oblique marker: to, introduces the recipient of the report
- 哀公 āi gōng
Duke Ai, ruler of Lu
- 哀 Ai, posthumous ducal title (no literal meaning here)
- 公 duke
- 曰 yuē
to say, said, introduces direct speech
- 陳恆 chén héng
Chen Heng, personal name of Chen Chengzi
- 陳 surname: Chen
- 恆 Heng, personal name (no literal meaning here)
- 弒 shì
to assassinate, to kill one's ruler or superior
- 其 qí
his, possessive pronoun
- 君 jūn
ruler, lord
- 請 qǐng
to request, ask
- 討 tǎo
to punish militarily, send a punitive expedition against
- 之 zhī
him, third-person object pronoun
- 公 gōng
the duke, referring to Duke Ai
- 曰 yuē
said
- 告 gào
report, tell (imperative)
- 夫三子 fú sān zǐ
those three lords, the heads of the Three Families dominating Lu (Ji, Meng, Shu)
- 夫 demonstrative particle: those
- 三 three
- 子 lords, heads of the ministerial families
夫 here is the demonstrative 'those', not the noun 'officer, husband' seen in 大夫 later in the passage.
- 孔子 kǒng zǐ
Confucius (Master Kong)
- 孔 surname: Kong
- 子 honorific: Master
- 曰 yuē
said
- 以 yǐ
because, given that, introduces the reason
- 吾 wú
I, me
- 從…後 cóng … hòu
to rank behind, hold a position after
- 從 to follow, to rank after
- 後 behind, rear rank
Confucius had by this time retired from active office; the phrase is a conventional, self-deprecating citation of his former rank as grounds for a duty to report.
- 大夫 dà fū
grandee, high minister
- 大 great
- 夫 officer, minister
- 之 zhī
possessive particle: 's, of
- 不敢不 bù gǎn bù
dare not fail to, cannot but, double negative of obligation
- 不 not
- 敢 to dare
- 不 not
- 告 gào
to report
- 也 yě
final particle of assertion
- 君 jūn
the lord, referring to Duke Ai
- 曰 yuē
to say, said, introduces direct speech
- 告 gào
report, tell (imperative)
- 夫三子 fú sān zǐ
those three lords, the heads of the Three Families dominating Lu (Ji, Meng, Shu)
- 夫 demonstrative particle: those
- 三 three
- 子 lords, heads of the ministerial families
夫 here is the demonstrative 'those', not the noun 'officer, husband' seen in 大夫 elsewhere in the passage.
- 者 zhě
topic-marking particle: as for, when it comes to
- 之 zhī
to go to
- 三子 sān zǐ
the three lords, the heads of the Three Families
- 三 three
- 子 lords, heads of the ministerial families
- 告 gào
to report, tell
- 不可 bù kě
to refuse, decline to approve or consent
- 不 not
- 可 to approve, agree, consent
- 孔子 kǒng zǐ
Confucius (Master Kong)
- 孔 surname: Kong
- 子 honorific: Master
- 曰 yuē
said
- 以 yǐ
because, given that, introduces the reason
- 吾 wú
I, me
- 從…後 cóng … hòu
to rank behind, hold a position after
- 從 to follow, to rank after
- 後 behind, rear rank
- 大夫 dà fū
grandee, high minister
- 大 great
- 夫 officer, minister
- 之 zhī
possessive particle: 's, of
- 不敢不 bù gǎn bù
dare not fail to, cannot but, double negative of obligation
- 不 not
- 敢 to dare
- 不 not
- 告 gào
to report
- 也 yě
final particle of assertion
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