Book 15: 《衛靈公》 Wei Ling Gong (Duke Ling of Wey)
《衛靈公》 Passage 15.33
Legge Translation (1861)
The Master said: "When a man's knowledge is sufficient to attain, and his virtue is not sufficient to enable him to hold, whatever he may have gained, he will lose again.When his knowledge is sufficient to attain, and he has virtue enough to hold fast, if he cannot govern with dignity, the people will not respect him.
When his knowledge is sufficient to attain, and he has virtue enough to hold fast; when he governs also with dignity, yet if he try to move the people contrary to the rules of propriety: — full excellence is not reached."
Word by word
- 子曰 zǐ yuē
the Master said
- 子 the Master (Confucius)
- 曰 said
- 知 zhì
knowledge, wisdom, discernment
- 及 jí
to reach, extend to, attain
- 之 zhī
object pronoun: it
- 仁 rén
benevolence, humaneness
- 不 bù
not
- 能 néng
to be able to, can
- 守 shǒu
to guard, maintain, hold on to
- 之 zhī
object pronoun: it
- 雖 suī
although, even though
- 得 dé
to obtain, gain, acquire
- 之 zhī
object pronoun: it
- 必 bì
surely, certainly
- 失 shī
to lose
- 之 zhī
object pronoun: it
- 知 zhì
knowledge, wisdom, discernment
- 及 jí
to reach, extend to, attain
- 之 zhī
object pronoun: it
- 仁 rén
benevolence, humaneness
- 能 néng
to be able to, can
- 守 shǒu
to guard, maintain, hold on to
- 之 zhī
object pronoun: it
- 不 bù
not
- 莊 zhuāng
dignified, with dignity and gravity
- 以 yǐ
by means of, with
- 涖 lì
to oversee, preside over, govern
- 之 zhī
object pronoun: it, them (the people overseen)
- 則 zé
then, in that case
- 民 mín
the people, the common people
- 不 bù
not
- 敬 jìng
to respect, revere
- 知 zhì
knowledge, wisdom, discernment
- 及 jí
to reach, extend to, attain
- 之 zhī
object pronoun: it
- 仁 rén
benevolence, humaneness
- 能 néng
to be able to, can
- 守 shǒu
to guard, maintain, hold on to
- 之 zhī
object pronoun: it
- 莊 zhuāng
dignified, with dignity and gravity
- 以 yǐ
by means of, with
- 涖 lì
to oversee, preside over, govern
- 之 zhī
object pronoun: it, them (the people overseen)
- 動 dòng
to set in motion, mobilize, direct the actions of
- 之 zhī
them, the people
- 不 bù
not
- 以 yǐ
by means of, in accordance with
- 禮 lǐ
ritual propriety, the rites
- 未 wèi
not yet
- 善 shàn
good, excellent, virtuous
- 也 yě
final particle of assertion
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