Book 15: 《衛靈公》 Wei Ling Gong (Duke Ling of Wey)
《衛靈公》 Passage 15.24
Legge Translation (1861)
Zigong asked, saying: "Is there one word which may serve as a rule of practice for all one's life?"The Master said: "Is not RECIPROCITY such a word? What you do not want done to yourself, do not do to others."
Word by word
- 子貢 zǐ gòng
Zigong, disciple of Confucius
- 子 prefix of a courtesy name, as in 子路 and 子貢; not the title Master
- 貢 second syllable of the disciple Zigong's courtesy name
- 問曰 wèn yuē
asked, saying
- 問 to ask
- 曰 to say, said
- 有…乎 yǒu … hū
existential-interrogative frame: is there...?
- 有 there is, existential 'to have, exist'
- 乎 interrogative final particle
- 一言 yī yán
a single word, statement, expression
- 一 one, a single
- 言 word, saying, statement
- 而 ér
conjunctive particle linking a noun to a following descriptive clause
- 可以 kě yǐ
can, may (modal of ability/possibility)
- 可 can, may (modal of possibility)
- 以 modal particle indicating ability: to be able to
- 終身 zhōng shēn
to the end of one's life, throughout one's life
- 終 end; to the end of, entire
- 身 body; one's person, life
- 行 xíng
to practice, carry out
- 之者 zhī zhě
nominalizing relative frame: that, which
- 之 it, referring back to the word just mentioned
- 者 nominalizing particle: that which, one that
之 is the resumptive object pronoun ('it') and 者 nominalizes the preceding clause; together they surface in English as the single relative pronoun 'that/which'.
- 子曰 zǐ yuē
the Master said
- 子 Master; honorific title, here referring to Confucius
- 曰 to say, said
- 其…乎 qí … hū
tentative modal-interrogative frame: perhaps..., is it not...?
- 其 tentative modal particle: perhaps, surely
- 乎 exclamatory final particle softening a tentative assertion
- 恕 shù
reciprocity, treating others as one would be treated oneself
The crux term of the passage. Three translators (Ames & Rosemont, Lau, Chin) leave it untranslated as 'shu' rather than choosing an English equivalent, reflecting genuine controversy over whether 恕 is best rendered as reciprocity, empathy, or understanding.
- 己 jǐ
oneself, yourself (emphatic reflexive)
- 所 suǒ
nominalizing particle: what, that which
- 不 bù
not
- 欲 yù
to want, desire, wish
- 勿 wù
prohibitive negation: do not, must not
- 施 shī
impose upon
- 於 yú
coverb marking the recipient: on, upon, to, toward
- 人 rén
other people, others
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