Book 15: 《衛靈公》 Wei Ling Gong (Duke Ling of Wey)
《衛靈公》 Passage 15.10
Legge Translation (1861)
Zigong asked about the practice of virtue. The Master said: "The mechanic, who wishes to do his work well, must first sharpen his tools. When you are living in any State, take service with the most worthy among its great officers, and make friends of the most virtuous among its scholars."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 name element in Zigong, a disciple of Confucius
- 問 wèn
to ask, inquire about
- 為仁 wéi rén
to practice, cultivate humaneness
- 為 to practice, act on, cultivate
- 仁 humaneness, benevolence, the cardinal Confucian virtue
Translators render 仁 (ren) variously as virtue, Good, human-heartedness, humane action, or authoritative conduct; the underlying sense is the practice/cultivation of the cardinal virtue.
- 子曰 zǐ yuē
the Master said
- 子 the Master, i.e. Confucius
- 曰 said, spoke
- 工 gōng
craftsman, artisan, workman
- 欲 yù
to wish, want to
- 善 shàn
to do well, be skilled at, excel at
- 其 qí
his, their (referring to the craftsman)
- 事 shì
work, task, job, affair
- 必 bì
must, necessarily
- 先 xiān
first, beforehand
- 利 lì
to sharpen, hone, make keen
- 其 qí
his, their (referring to the craftsman)
- 器 qì
tools, instruments, implements
- 居 jū
to dwell, live, reside
- 是 shì
this, demonstrative pronoun
- 邦 bāng
state, country, polity
- 也 yě
final particle marking pause after a conditional/topic clause
- 事 shì
to serve, be in the service of
- 其 qí
its (referring to the state)
- 大夫 dà fū
great officer, high minister
- 大 great, component of the title 大夫 'great officer'
- 夫 officer, component of the title 大夫 'great officer'
- 之 zhī
possessive/genitive particle: of, among
- 賢者 xián zhě
the worthy ones, those who are worthy
- 賢 worthy, virtuous, able
- 者 nominalizing particle: one who, those who
- 友 yǒu
to befriend, make friends with
- 其 qí
its (referring to the state)
- 士 shì
scholar-official, gentleman-official
- 之 zhī
possessive/genitive particle: of, among
- 仁者 rén zhě
the humane ones, those who are humane/benevolent
- 仁 humane, benevolent, predicate quality of a person
- 者 nominalizing particle: one who, those who
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