Book 14: 《憲問》 Xian Wen (Xian Asked)
《憲問》 Passage 14.16
Legge Translation (1861)
Zilu said: "The Duke Huan caused his brother Jiu to be killed, when Shao Hu died with his master, but Guan Zhong did not die. May not I say that he was wanting in virtue?"The Master said: "The Duke Huan assembled all the princes together, and that not with weapons of war and chariots:— it was all through the influence of Guan Zhong. Whose beneficence was like his? Whose beneficence was like his?"
Word by word
- 子路 zǐ lù
Zilu, disciple of Confucius
- 子 prefix of a courtesy name, as in 子路 and 子貢; not the title Master
- 路 second syllable of the name Zilu
- 曰 yuē
said
- 桓公 huán gōng
Duke Huan, ruler of Qi
- 桓 first syllable of the name Duke Huan
- 公 duke, feudal ruler's title
- 殺 shā
to kill, put to death
- 公子 gōng zǐ
prince, a ruler's son (title)
- 公 prince, a ruler's son (title element)
- 子 son, child, completing the title prince
- 糾 jiū
Jiu, personal name of the prince killed by Duke Huan
- 召忽 shào hū
Shao Hu, retainer who died for Prince Jiu
- 召 first syllable of the name Shao Hu
- 忽 second syllable of the name Shao Hu
- 死 sǐ
to die
- 之 zhī
him, the pronoun referring to Prince Jiu
- 管仲 guǎn zhòng
Guan Zhong, chief minister to Duke Huan
- 管 first syllable of the name Guan Zhong
- 仲 second syllable of the name Guan Zhong, originally meaning second-born
- 不死 bù sǐ
did not die
- 不 not
- 死 to die
- 曰 yuē
said, introducing a further remark by the same speaker
- 未…乎 wèi … hū
fall short of, not yet attain, posed as a rhetorical question
- 未 not yet, falling short of
- 乎 interrogative final particle
- 仁 rén
humane, benevolent
Translators split sharply on ren here: benevolence/humane (most), Goodness (Slingerland's technical term), authoritative conduct (Ames & Rosemont's).
- 子曰 zǐ yuē
the Master said
- 子 refers to Confucius, styled the Master
- 曰 said
- 桓公 huán gōng
Duke Huan, ruler of Qi
- 桓 first syllable of the name Duke Huan
- 公 duke, feudal ruler's title
- 九 jiǔ
nine, nine times
朱熹 counts nine assemblies of the lords; 楊伯峻 notes the reading of 九 as 糾, to bring together, which Slingerland and Ames & Rosemont follow with 'many times'.
- 合 hé
to unite, bring together, assemble
- 諸侯 zhū hóu
the feudal lords, the regional rulers
- 諸 various, several, marking plurality of the following noun
- 侯 feudal lord, marquis
- 不 bù
not
- 以 yǐ
by means of, using (coverb marking instrument)
- 兵車 bīng chē
weapons and chariots, military force
- 兵 soldiers, arms, weapons
- 車 chariot, war-cart
- 管仲 guǎn zhòng
Guan Zhong, chief minister to Duke Huan
- 管 first syllable of the name Guan Zhong
- 仲 second syllable of the name Guan Zhong
- 之 zhī
possessive particle: 's, of
- 力 lì
power, strength, capability, influence
- 也 yě
final particle of assertion, marking identity or predication
- 如 rú
such, indeed, marking an emphatic exclamation
孔安國 in 何晏 and 朱熹 read 如其仁 as a comparison, 'who could match his humaneness?' (Legge, Roberts); 王引之 and 楊伯峻 read 如 as 乃, 'this was his humaneness' (the other six).
- 其 qí
his, referring to Guan Zhong
- 仁 rén
benevolence, humaneness
- 如 rú
such, indeed, marking an emphatic exclamation
- 其 qí
his, referring to Guan Zhong
- 仁 rén
benevolence, humaneness
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