Book 14: 《憲問》 Xian Wen (Xian Asked)
《憲問》 Passage 14.28
Legge Translation (1861)
The Master said: "The way of the superior man is threefold, but I am not equal to it. Virtuous, he is free from anxieties; wise, he is free from perplexities; bold, he is free from fear."Zigong said: "Master, that is what you yourself say."
Word by word
- 子曰 zǐ yuē
the Master said
- 子 Master, teacher (honorific title for Confucius)
- 曰 said, spoke
- 君子 jūn zǐ
gentleman, exemplary person
- 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
- 道 dào
the Way, right path (moral teaching)
Lau's 'on the lips of' construes this occurrence closer to 'sayings, words spoken' than 'the Way' — a reading that anticipates the pun on 道 in 夫子自道也 below.
- 者 zhě
topic-marking particle: as for
- 三 sān
three
- 我 wǒ
I, me
- 無能 wú néng
unable, lacking the ability (to do something)
- 無 not, lacking, without
- 能 able to, capable of
- 焉 yān
it, them, referring back to the three qualities
Ames & Rosemont reads 焉 reflexively ('in myself') rather than as anaphoric to the three qualities; the other translators who render it treat it as the latter.
- 仁者 rén zhě
the human-hearted; one who possesses 仁
- 仁 rén
humane, benevolent
- 者 zhě
nominalizing particle: one who, the one who is
- 不 bù
not, never
- 憂 yōu
worry, anxiety, vexation
- 知 zhì
wise, wisdom
- 者 zhě
nominalizing particle: one who, the one who is
- 不 bù
not, never
- 惑 huò
confused, perplexed, in doubt
- 勇 yǒng
brave, courageous
- 者 zhě
nominalizing particle: one who, the one who is
- 不 bù
not, never
- 懼 jù
afraid, fearful, timid
- 子貢 zǐ gòng
Zigong, proper name (disciple of Confucius)
- 子 prefix of a courtesy name, as in 子路 and 子貢; not the title Master
- 貢 tribute, gift (here a name element)
- 曰 yuē
to say, said, replied
- 夫子 fū zǐ
the Master (honorific for Confucius)
- 夫 that, those (demonstrative forming an honorific title)
- 子 master, teacher (honorific)
- 自 zì
reflexive: himself, oneself, of his own accord
- 道 dào
to speak of, describe, tell of
Zigong puns on 道: having just quoted the Master's saying about 'the Way' (dào, noun), he now says the Master 自道, 'speaks of himself' (dào, verb). Legge, Slingerland, Peimin Ni, Lau, and Chin render the verb sense; Roberts, Ames & Rosemont, and Watson keep the literal noun 'way/path', losing the wordplay.
- 也 yě
final particle of assertion
English closes the sentence with a period (and, for Legge/Watson, the copula already required by 'that is...') rather than a dedicated word for 也.
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