Book 15: 《衛靈公》 Wei Ling Gong (Duke Ling of Wey)
《衛靈公》 Passage 15.2
Legge Translation (1861)
When he was in Chen, their provisions were exhausted, and his followers became so ill that they were unable to rise.Zilu, with evident dissatisfaction, said: "Has the superior man likewise to endure in this way?"
The Master said: "The superior man may indeed have to endure want, but the mean man, when he is in want, gives way to unbridled license."
Word by word
- 在 zài
coverb: at, in, located in
- 陳 chén
Chen, name of a small state
- 絕 jué
to run out, be exhausted
- 糧 liáng
provisions, food supplies
- 從者 cóng zhě
followers, attendants, disciples accompanying him
- 從 to follow, accompany
- 者 nominalizing particle: one who, those who
- 病 bìng
to be worn down, weakened (by hunger), fall ill
Most translators read this as weakness from hunger; Legge and Roberts keep the literal illness sense.
- 莫能 mò néng
none could, no one was able to
- 莫 no one, none, nobody
- 能 to be able to, can
- 興 xīng
to rise, get up, stand up
Roberts uniquely reads this as recovering rather than rising to one's feet.
- 子路 zǐ lù
Zilu, a disciple of Confucius
- 子 prefix of a courtesy name, as in 子路 and 子貢; not the title Master
- 路 personal-name syllable, no independent meaning here
- 慍 yùn
angry, resentful, indignant
- 見 xiàn
to appear before, present oneself, have an audience with
Read as xiàn; some translators instead render it as the visible sign of his anger.
- 曰 yuē
to say, said
- 君子 jūn zǐ
exemplary person, gentleman, superior man
- 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
Roberts renders junzi as a true prince rather than gentleman/exemplary person.
- 亦 yì
also, too, even, likewise
- 有 yǒu
to have, experience, encounter
- 窮 qióng
hardship, extreme difficulty, adversity, privation
- 乎 hū
interrogative final particle
English forms the question through subject-auxiliary inversion (Does/Has/Must...) and a question mark rather than a distinct word.
- 子曰 zǐ yuē
the Master said
- 子 the Master, honorific title for Confucius
- 曰 to say, said
- 君子 jūn zǐ
exemplary person, gentleman, superior man
- 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
- 固 gù
certainly, indeed, of course
A real commentarial split. 孔安國 (in 何晏) reads 固 as 'certainly': the gentleman too has his times of want (君子固亦有窮時); 程頤 reads 固窮 as 'holds firm in want' (固守其窮), and 朱熹 records both readings as admissible. Legge, Slingerland, Peimin Ni, Lau and Chin follow the first, Ames & Rosemont and Watson the second.
- 窮 qióng
hardship, extreme difficulty, adversity, privation
- 小人 xiǎo rén
petty person, small-minded person, commoner
- 小 small, lesser, petty (of moral character, not size)
- 人 person, man
- 窮 qióng
hardship, extreme difficulty, dire straits
- 斯 sī
resumptive particle: then, in that case
- 濫 làn
excessive, unrestrained, dissolute
- 矣 yǐ
final particle of assertion
Marked in English by the declarative sentence and full stop rather than a distinct word.
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