Book 14: 《憲問》 Xian Wen (Xian Asked)
《憲問》 Passage 14.13
Legge Translation (1861)
The Master asked Gongming Jia about Gongshu Wen, saying: "Is it true that your master speaks not, laughs not, and takes not?"Gongming Jia replied: "This has arisen from the reporters going beyond the truth.— My master speaks when it is the time to speak, and so men do not get tired of his speaking. He laughs when there is occasion to be joyful, and so men do not get tired of his laughing. He takes when it is consistent with righteousness to do so, and so men do not get tired of his taking." The Master said: "So! But is it so with him?"
Word by word
- 子 zǐ
the Master, Confucius
- 問 wèn
ask, inquire about
- 公叔文子 gōng shū wén zǐ
Gongshu Wenzi, a grandee of Wey (Wen is his posthumous epithet)
- 公 Gong, first element of the compound surname Gongshu
- 叔 component of the personal name Gongshu
- 文 component of the personal name/epithet Wenzi, meaning 'cultured'
- 子 honorific suffix in a personal name: master, sir
- 於 yú
preposition introducing the person consulted: of, from
- 公明賈 gōng míng gǔ
Gongming Jia, proper name
- 公 component of the personal name Gongming
- 明 component of the personal name Gongming
- 賈 Jia, given name of Gongming Jia (公明賈); 公明 is the surname
- 曰 yuē
say, introducing direct speech
- 信 xìn
true, truthful
- 乎 hū
interrogative final particle: is it that...?
- 夫子 fū zǐ
your master, here Gongshu Wenzi (honorific)
- 夫 demonstrative prefix: that, the
- 子 honorific title: master, sir
- 不 bù
not
- 言 yán
speak
- 不 bù
not
- 笑 xiào
laugh
- 不 bù
not
- 取 qǔ
take, accept
- 乎 hū
sentence-final interrogative particle, reinforcing the question
- 公明賈 gōng míng gǔ
Gongming Jia, proper name
- 公 component of the personal name Gongming
- 明 component of the personal name Gongming
- 賈 Jia, given name of Gongming Jia (公明賈); 公明 is the surname
- 對曰 duì yuē
replied, answered saying
- 對 reply, respond
- 曰 say, introducing a quotation
- 以 yǐ
coverb with its object omitted: with (it), i.e. told you that
- 告 gào
tell, report
- 者 zhě
nominalizing particle: the one who, whoever
- 過 guò
exceed the truth, exaggerate, err
- 也 yě
final particle of assertion
- 夫子 fū zǐ
the Master, honorific title
- 夫 demonstrative prefix: that, the
- 子 honorific title: master, sir
- 時 shí
the right time, proper occasion
- 然後 rán hòu
only then, only after
- 然 so, thus
- 後 after, afterward
- 言 yán
speak
- 人 rén
people, others
- 不 bù
not
- 厭 yàn
tire of, be dissatisfied with
- 其 qí
his, referring to Gongshu Wenzi
- 言 yán
speech, what he said
- 樂 lè
happy, joyful
- 然後 rán hòu
only then, only after
- 然 so, thus
- 後 after, afterward
- 笑 xiào
laugh
- 人 rén
people, others
- 不 bù
not
- 厭 yàn
tire of, be dissatisfied with
- 其 qí
his, referring to Gongshu Wenzi
- 笑 xiào
laughing, his laughter
- 義 yì
right, fitting, in accordance with duty
- 然後 rán hòu
only then, only after
- 然 so, thus
- 後 after, afterward
- 取 qǔ
take, accept
- 人 rén
people, others
- 不 bù
not
- 厭 yàn
tire of, be dissatisfied with
- 其 qí
his, referring to Gongshu Wenzi
- 取 qǔ
taking, what he accepted
- 子曰 zǐ yuē
the Master said
- 子 the Master, honorific title for Confucius
- 曰 say, introducing a quotation
- 其然 qí rán
is that so?, echoing the report with doubt
- 其 particle expressing tentative doubt: is it that...?
- 然 so, that way, the case
Confucius's reply is famously ambiguous between doubting the report and echoing it; the stronger doubt follows immediately in 豈其然乎.
- 豈其然乎 qǐ qí rán hū
how could that really be so?, intensified rhetorical doubt
- 豈 rhetorical interrogative adverb: how could it be, is it really
- 其 particle expressing tentative doubt: is it that...?
- 然 so, that way, the case
- 乎 interrogative final particle
豈 sharpens the preceding 其然 into overt rhetorical doubt; most translators (Roberts, Ames & Rosemont, Watson, Peimin Ni) render this second question more skeptically than the first.
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