Book 14: 《憲問》 Xian Wen (Xian Asked)
《憲問》 Passage 14.17
Legge Translation (1861)
Zigong said: "Guan Zhong, I apprehend, was wanting in virtue. When the Duke Huan caused his brother Jiu to be killed, Guan Zhong was not able to die with him. Moreover, he became prime minister to Huan."The Master said: "Guan Zhong acted as prime minister to the Duke Huan, made him leader of all the princes, and united and rectified the whole kingdom. Down to the present day, the people enjoy the gifts which he conferred. But for Guan Zhong, we should now be wearing our hair unbound, and the lappets of our coats buttoning on the left side.
Will you require from him the small fidelity of common men and common women, who would commit suicide in a stream or ditch, no one knowing anything about them?"
Word by word
- 子貢 zǐ gòng
Zigong, courtesy name of a disciple of Confucius
- 子 prefix of a courtesy name, as in 子路 and 子貢; not the title Master
- 貢 tribute, offering; here a name syllable
- 曰 yuē
said, spoke (introduces direct speech)
- 管仲 guǎn zhòng
Guan Zhong, statesman and chief minister of Qi under Duke Huan
- 管 surname syllable in the name Guan Zhong
- 仲 Zhong, the courtesy name of Guan Yiwu (管夷吾); 管 is the surname, 夷吾 the given name
- 非 fēi
not, is not
- 仁者 rén zhě
the human-hearted; one who possesses 仁
- 仁 rén
humane, benevolent, possessed of ren
- 者 zhě
nominalizing particle: one who, a person who
- 與 yú
interrogative final particle seeking confirmation
- 桓公 huán gōng
Duke Huan of Qi
- 桓 stately, martial (original sense); here a syllable in a ruler's title
- 公 duke, ruler's title, here in Duke Huan's title
- 殺 shā
to kill, have put to death
- 公子糾 gōng zǐ jiū
Prince Jiu, Duke Huan's brother and rival claimant
- 公 ducal, princely (title element in 公子, 'prince')
- 子 son, child (in 公子, 'prince')
- 糾 Jiu, personal name of Duke Huan's brother and rival
- 不能 bù néng
unable to, could not
- 不 not (negates the ability expressed by the following word)
- 能 to be able to, can
- 死 sǐ
to die
- 又 yòu
moreover, furthermore, in addition
- 相 xiàng
to serve as chief minister to
- 之 zhī
him (object pronoun, referring to Duke Huan)
- 子曰 zǐ yuē
the Master said
- 子 master (title of respect), here referring to Confucius
- 曰 to say, said (introduces reported speech)
- 管仲 guǎn zhòng
Guan Zhong, statesman and chief minister of Qi under Duke Huan
- 管 surname syllable in the name Guan Zhong
- 仲 Zhong, the courtesy name of Guan Yiwu (管夷吾); 管 is the surname, 夷吾 the given name
- 相 xiàng
to serve as chief minister to
- 桓公 huán gōng
Duke Huan of Qi
- 桓 stately, martial (original sense); here a syllable in a ruler's title
- 公 duke, ruler's title, here in Duke Huan's title
- 霸 bà
to become hegemon, leader by strength among the lords
- 諸侯 zhū hóu
the feudal lords
- 諸 the various, all the (plural marker before a noun)
- 侯 feudal lord, marquis
- 一匡 yī kuāng
to unite and set right, bring under a single order
- 一 wholly, all at once, in a single stroke
- 匡 to correct, set right, put in order
- 天下 tiān xià
the world, all under heaven, the realm
- 天 heaven, sky (in 天下, 'the world')
- 下 under, below (in 天下, 'the world')
- 民 mín
the common people
- 到于今 dào yú jīn
down to the present day, to this day
- 到 to reach, arrive at
- 于 at, to (coverb marking the point reached)
- 今 the present, now
- 受 shòu
to receive, benefit from
- 其 qí
his, its (possessive, referring to Guan Zhong's achievements)
- 賜 cì
bounty, gift, favor bestowed
- 微 wēi
were it not for, but for (introduces a counterfactual condition)
- 管仲 guǎn zhòng
Guan Zhong, statesman and chief minister of Qi under Duke Huan
- 管 surname syllable in the name Guan Zhong
- 仲 Zhong, the courtesy name of Guan Yiwu (管夷吾); 管 is the surname, 夷吾 the given name
- 吾 wú
we (first person plural)
- 其…矣 qí … yǐ
counterfactual mood frame: would surely, hypothetical apodosis marker
- 其 modal adverb marking hypothetical certainty: would surely, likely
- 矣 final particle marking an asserted or anticipated state
其 supplies the modal force and 矣 marks the assertion, so together they map onto a single English modal rather than two separate words.
- 被髮 pī fà
to wear the hair loose and unbound (a barbarian custom)
- 被 to wear, have hanging loose (of hair)
- 髮 hair
- 左衽 zuǒ rèn
to fasten one's garments on the left (a barbarian custom)
- 左 left (side); left-fastening as a mark of barbarian dress
- 衽 lapel, front flap of a garment
- 豈若 qǐ ruò
how could it be like..., rhetorical denial of comparison
- 豈 how could it be, surely not (marks a rhetorical question)
- 若 to be like, resemble
- 匹夫匹婦 pǐ fū pǐ fù
an ordinary man and woman, common people
- 匹 ordinary, common (modifier in 匹夫, 'common man')
- 夫 man, husband (in 匹夫, 'common man')
- 匹 ordinary, common (modifier in 匹婦, 'common woman')
- 婦 woman, wife (in 匹婦, 'common woman')
- 之 zhī
genitive particle: of, marking the preceding phrase as modifier
- 為諒 wéi liàng
to practice petty or blind good faith, small-minded scrupulousness
- 為 to practice, act with, have
- 諒 petty or blind good faith, small-minded scrupulousness
諒 here is the rigid keeping of a personal pledge without regard to larger consequences, contrasted with the greater loyalty Guan Zhong showed by serving the realm instead of dying with Prince Jiu.
- 也 yě
pausal particle marking the end of a subordinate clause
- 自經 zì jīng
to strangle or hang oneself
- 自 self, oneself (reflexive)
- 經 to strangle, hang (oneself)
- 於 yú
in, at (locative coverb)
- 溝瀆 gōu dú
a ditch, drainage channel
- 溝 ditch, drainage channel
- 瀆 gutter, drain, ditch
- 而 ér
coordinating conjunction: and
- 莫…知 mò … zhī
no one knows, nobody is aware
- 莫 no one, nobody (negative indefinite pronoun)
- 知 to know
- 之 zhī
it, him (object pronoun, referring to the act or the person)
- 也 yě
final particle of assertion closing the sentence
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