Book 15: 《衛靈公》 Wei Ling Gong (Duke Ling of Wey)
《衛靈公》 Passage 15.14
Legge Translation (1861)
The Master said: "Was not Zang Wen like one who had stolen his situation? He knew the virtue and the talents of Hui of Liuxia, and yet did not procure that he should stand with him in court."Word by word
- 子曰 zǐ yuē
the Master said
- 子 master, teacher (referring to Confucius)
- 曰 said, spoke
- 臧文仲 zāng wén zhòng
Zang Wenzhong, proper name (a grand minister of Lu)
- 臧 surname
- 文 personal-name syllable: accomplished, cultured
- 仲 personal-name syllable: second-born
- 其…與 qí … yú
was he not...?, rhetorical/conjectural question frame
- 其 modal particle marking a conjectural, rhetorical question: surely...?
- 與 interrogative final particle (equivalent to 歟)
- 竊位者 qiè wèi zhě
one who usurps a position, one who illegitimately holds office
- 竊 to usurp, hold wrongfully, illegitimately occupy
- 位 position, official post
- 者 nominalizing particle: one who, that which
- 知 zhī
to know, be aware of
- 柳下惠 liǔ xià huì
Liuxia Hui, proper name (a worthy official of Lu)
- 柳 willow tree; proper-name syllable
- 下 under, below; proper-name syllable
- 惠 kindness, favor; proper-name syllable
柳下 is his fief or dwelling and 惠 his posthumous title; his surname was 展, given name 獲, courtesy name 禽 (Zhan Qin). Ames & Rosemont's 'the kind man under the willow tree' unpacks the name literally.
- 之 zhī
possessive/attributive particle: 's, of
- 賢 xián
worth, moral excellence, ability
- 而 ér
contrastive conjunction: yet, but
- 不 bù
not
- 與 yǔ
to grant, give a position to
Commentators split. 朱熹 reads 與立 as 與之並立於朝, to stand alongside him at court, making 與 the coverb 'with' (Legge, Peimin Ni, Slingerland); 孔安國 (in 何晏) paraphrases the fault as 不舉, failing to raise him up, and 楊伯峻 takes 與 as giving him office (Roberts, Ames & Rosemont, Lau, Watson, Chin).
- 立 lì
position, post (as what is granted or held)
- 也 yě
final particle of assertion
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