Book 14: 《憲問》 Xian Wen (Xian Asked)
《憲問》 Passage 14.44
Legge Translation (1861)
A youth of the village of Que was employed by Confucius to carry the messages between him and his visitors.Some one asked about him, saying, "I suppose he has made great progress."
The Master said: "I observe that he is fond of occupying the seat of a full-grown man; I observe that he walks shoulder to shoulder with his elders. He is not one who is seeking to make progress in learning. He wishes quickly to become a man."
Word by word
- 闕黨 què dǎng
Que, a village or district (place name)
- 闕 Que, name of a village or district
- 黨 village, district, community
- 童子 tóng zǐ
boy, young lad
- 童 young; a youth
- 子 child, boy
- 將命 jiāng mìng
to carry messages, serve as a messenger
- 將 to carry, bear, convey
- 命 message, order, instructions
Literally 'convey orders/commands'; the boy's task was relaying messages between host and visitors.
- 或 huò
someone, a certain person
- 問 wèn
to ask
- 之 zhī
him, the boy (object pronoun)
- 曰 yuē
to say, said, introduces a quotation
- 益 yì
to progress, make progress, improve
- 者 zhě
nominalizing particle: one who, someone who
- 與 yú
interrogative final particle
- 子曰 zǐ yuē
the Master said
- 子 the Master, Confucius (honorific title)
- 曰 said, introduces a quotation
- 吾 wú
I, me
- 見 jiàn
to see, observe, witness
- 其 qí
he, him, referring to the boy
- 居 jū
to sit, occupy a seat
- 於 yú
in, at, a locative preposition
- 位 wèi
seat, a place or position of rank
- 也 yě
final particle marking assertion
- 見 jiàn
to see, observe, witness
- 其 qí
he, him, referring to the boy
- 與 yǔ
with, alongside, a coverb marking companionship
- 先生 xiān shēng
elders, seniors
- 先 senior, elder, prior in age
- 生 an elder, senior person
- 並行 bìng xíng
to walk side by side, walk together
- 並 together, side by side
- 行 to walk, go
- 也 yě
final particle marking assertion
English closes the sentence with a period rather than a word, so nothing renders 也 explicitly here.
- 非 fēi
not, is not, negates the predicate that follows
- 求 qiú
to seek, pursue
- 益 yì
progress, improvement
- 者 zhě
nominalizing particle: one who, someone who
- 也 yě
final particle marking assertion
- 欲 yù
to want, desire, wish
- 速成 sù chéng
quick success, quick results
- 速 quick, speedy, hasty
- 成 to complete, succeed, mature
Translators split between reading 速成 as haste toward a result (quick success) and haste toward adulthood (growing up quickly).
- 者 zhě
nominalizing particle: one who, someone who
- 也 yě
final particle marking assertion
English closes the passage with a period and closing quotation mark rather than a word, so nothing renders 也 explicitly here.
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