Book 14: 《憲問》 Xian Wen (Xian Asked)
《憲問》 Passage 14.25
Legge Translation (1861)
Qu Boyu sent a messenger with friendly inquiries to Confucius.Confucius sat with him, and questioned him. "What," said he, "is your master engaged in?" The messenger replied: "My master is anxious to make his faults few, but he has not yet succeeded."
He then went out, and the Master said: "A messenger indeed! A messenger indeed!"
Word by word
- 蘧伯玉 qú bó yù
Qu Boyu, courtesy name of Qu Yuan, a grandee of Wey
- 蘧 surname element in the name Qu Boyu
- 伯 Bo, courtesy-name element in 伯玉, the courtesy name of Qu Yuan (蘧瑗)
- 玉 Yu, courtesy-name element in 伯玉, the courtesy name of Qu Yuan (蘧瑗)
Roberts and Ames & Rosemont identify him explicitly as an official of Wey.
- 使 shǐ
to send, dispatch (on a mission)
- 人 rén
messenger, envoy (person sent on a mission)
- 於 yú
preposition marking the recipient of an action: to
- 孔子 kǒng zǐ
Confucius (Master Kong)
- 孔 surname element in the name Confucius
- 子 honorific suffix: master, forming the name Confucius
- 孔子 kǒng zǐ
Confucius (Master Kong)
- 孔 surname element in the name Confucius
- 子 honorific suffix: master, forming the name Confucius
- 與 yǔ
coverb: with, together with
- 之 zhī
third-person object pronoun: him
- 坐 zuò
to sit
- 而 ér
coordinating conjunction: and, and then
- 問 wèn
to ask, question
- 焉 yān
fused preposition-pronoun: to/of him
焉 stands in for 於之, the object of 問 (asked him).
- 曰 yuē
to say
- 夫子 fū zǐ
your master (respectful reference to Qu Boyu)
- 夫 demonstrative element forming a respectful title: that
- 子 honorific title: master, teacher
Ames & Rosemont render this as 'the Minister,' reflecting Qu Boyu's post in Wey, rather than the generic honorific 'master.'
- 何 hé
what
- 為 wéi
to do, be engaged in, be occupied with
- 對 duì
to reply, answer (a superior's inquiry)
- 曰 yuē
to say, introducing the reported reply
English fuses this with 對 ('replied'/'answered').
- 夫子 fū zǐ
my master (the messenger's reference to Qu Boyu)
- 夫 demonstrative element forming a respectful title: that
- 子 honorific title: master, teacher
Ames & Rosemont again use 'the Minister' in place of the generic honorific 'master.'
- 欲 yù
to want, wish
- 寡 guǎ
to reduce, lessen, make few
- 其 qí
possessive pronoun: his
- 過 guò
fault, transgression, error
- 而 ér
contrastive conjunction: but, yet
- 未能 wèi néng
not yet able to, has not yet succeeded in
- 未 not yet
- 能 to be able, can
- 也 yě
final particle of assertion
- 使 shǐ
messenger, envoy (noun)
- 者 zhě
nominalizing particle: the one who, that which
The noun sense and definite article are carried by 使 ('the messenger') alone.
- 出 chū
to go out, leave, depart
- 子曰 zǐ yuē
the Master said
- 子 honorific title: the Master, referring to Confucius
- 曰 to say
- 使乎 shǐ hū
what a messenger!, exclamation of admiration
- 使 messenger, envoy (in an exclamation of praise)
- 乎 exclamatory final particle
Confucius repeats the exclamation twice, praising the messenger's tactful, self-effacing reply.
- 使乎 shǐ hū
what a messenger!, exclamation of admiration
- 使 messenger, envoy (in an exclamation of praise)
- 乎 exclamatory final particle
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