Book 15: 《衛靈公》 Wei Ling Gong (Duke Ling of Wey)
《衛靈公》 Passage 15.1
Legge Translation (1861)
The Duke Ling of Wey asked Confucius about tactics. Confucius replied: "I have heard all about sacrificial vessels, but I have not learned military matters."On this, he took his departure the next day.
Word by word
- 衛靈公 wèi líng gōng
Duke Ling of Wey
- 衛 Wey, name of a feudal state
- 靈 Ling, a posthumous honorific title
- 公 duke, feudal ruler's title
- 問 wèn
to ask, inquire about
- 陳 zhèn
military formation, battle array
Read here as 陣 (zhèn), battle formation, not the usual 陳 senses of 'display' or 'plead'; Slingerland and Peimin Ni both flag the reading explicitly.
- 於 yú
coverb marking the person addressed: to, of
- 孔子 kǒng zǐ
Confucius
- 孔 Kong, the surname of Confucius
- 子 master, honorific title for a teacher
- 孔子 kǒng zǐ
Confucius
- 孔 Kong, the surname of Confucius
- 子 master, honorific title for a teacher
- 對曰 duì yuē
replied, answered
- 對 to respond, reply to a superior
- 曰 to say, said
- 俎豆 zǔ dòu
ritual vessels, sacrificial vessels
- 俎 sacrificial stand for meat offerings
- 豆 ritual food vessel, sacrificial dish
- 之 zhī
possessive/modifying particle: of
- 事 shì
matter, practice, affair
- 則 zé
topic-marking conjunction: as for...then, in that case
None of the eight give 則 a separate word; English lets the comma between the topicalized clause and the reply do this work.
- 嘗 cháng
experiential aspect marker: have (done) before, once
- 聞 wén
to hear, hear about
- 之 zhī
object pronoun: it, them
- 矣 yǐ
perfective final particle: marks completed action
- 軍旅 jūn lǚ
army and troops, military forces
- 軍 army, military force
- 旅 troops, brigade, military unit
- 之 zhī
possessive/modifying particle: of
- 事 shì
matter, affair, practice
- 未 wèi
not yet, have not
- 之 zhī
object pronoun: it
- 學 xué
to study, learn
- 也 yě
final particle of assertion
English closes the sentence with a period rather than a particle; none of the eight give 也 a separate word.
- 明日 míng rì
the next day, the following day
- 明 next, the following
- 日 day
- 遂 suì
thereupon, consequently, as a result
- 行 xíng
to go, depart, leave
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