Book 14: 《憲問》 Xian Wen (Xian Asked)
《憲問》 Passage 14.42
Legge Translation (1861)
Zilu asked what constituted the superior man. The Master said: "The cultivation of himself in reverential carefulness.""And is this all?" said Zilu. "He cultivates himself so as to give rest to others," was the reply.
"And is this all?" again asked Zilu. The Master said: "He cultivates himself so as to give rest to all the people. He cultivates himself so as to give rest to all the people: — even Yao and Shun were still solicitous about this."
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 character of the name Zilu, a disciple of Confucius
- 問 wèn
to ask, inquire
- 君子 jūn zǐ
exemplary person, gentleman
- 君 lord, ruler; 君子 is literally a lord's son
- 子 son; 君子 is literally a lord's son, one of the ruling class, which the Analects makes a term of character
- 子曰 zǐ yuē
the Master said
- 子 the Master, i.e. Confucius (respectful title)
- 曰 said, spoke; introduces direct speech
- 脩己 xiū jǐ
to cultivate, train, develop oneself
- 脩 to cultivate, train, discipline oneself
- 己 oneself
- 以 yǐ
in order to, so as to
- 敬 jìng
respectful, reverential, reverence
- 曰 yuē
said, asked (dialogue tag introducing direct speech)
- 如 rú
particle reinforcing a demonstrative: thus, in this way
- 斯 sī
this, that (referring to what was just said)
- 而已 ér yǐ
that's all, nothing more
- 而 conjunctive particle: and, and then
- 已 to stop, cease; no more, only this
- 乎 hū
interrogative final particle
- 曰 yuē
said, replied (dialogue tag introducing direct speech)
- 脩己 xiū jǐ
to cultivate, train, develop oneself
- 脩 to cultivate, train, discipline oneself
- 己 oneself
- 以 yǐ
in order to, so as to
- 安人 ān rén
to bring peace, security to other people
- 安 to bring peace, security to; to pacify
- 人 other people, others
- 曰 yuē
said, asked (dialogue tag introducing direct speech)
- 如 rú
particle reinforcing a demonstrative: thus, in this way
- 斯 sī
this, that (referring to what was just said)
- 而已 ér yǐ
that's all, nothing more
- 而 conjunctive particle: and, and then
- 已 to stop, cease; no more, only this
- 乎 hū
interrogative final particle
- 曰 yuē
said (dialogue tag introducing direct speech)
- 脩己 xiū jǐ
to cultivate, train, develop oneself
- 脩 to cultivate, train, discipline oneself
- 己 oneself
- 以 yǐ
in order to, so as to
- 安百姓 ān bǎi xìng
to bring peace, security to the common people
- 安 to bring peace, security to; to pacify
- 百 hundred; numerous, many
- 姓 clan name, surname; the common people
- 脩己 xiū jǐ
to cultivate, train, develop oneself
- 脩 to cultivate, train, discipline oneself
- 己 oneself
Roberts, Ames & Rosemont and Lau fuse this repeated clause with the first occurrence rather than translating it a second time.
- 以 yǐ
in order to, so as to
- 安百姓 ān bǎi xìng
to bring peace, security to the common people
- 安 to bring peace, security to; to pacify
- 百 hundred; numerous, many
- 姓 clan name, surname; the common people
- 堯舜 yáo shùn
Yao and Shun, legendary sage-emperors
- 堯 Yao, legendary sage-emperor
- 舜 Shun, legendary sage-emperor
- 其 qí
modal particle marking a tentative, rhetorical tone: perhaps, surely
Several translators use the modal 'would' here, but that is the ordinary English way of marking a counterfactual and is not a distinct rendering of this particle.
- 猶 yóu
even, still, yet
- 病 bìng
to find difficult, be troubled by, hard to bear
- 諸 zhū
contraction of 之乎: it, marking a rhetorical question
諸 fuses the object pronoun 之 with the interrogative particle 乎: 'find it hard, wouldn't they?'
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