Book 15: 《衛靈公》 Wei Ling Gong (Duke Ling of Wey)
《衛靈公》 Passage 15.32
Legge Translation (1861)
The Master said: "The object of the superior man is truth. Food is not his object. There is plowing;— even in that there is sometimes want. So with learning;— emolument may be found in it. The superior man is anxious lest he should not get truth; he is not anxious lest poverty should come upon him."Word by word
- 子曰 zǐ yuē
the Master said
- 子 master, teacher (referring to Confucius)
- 曰 said, spoke
- 君子 jūn zǐ
exemplary person, gentleman
- 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
- 謀 móu
to seek, aim for, devote oneself to
Legge recasts the verb as a predicate noun ('the object of...') rather than translating it directly.
- 道 dào
the Way, moral path
Legge renders 道 as 'truth' and Roberts as 'ideals'; most others keep 'the Way'.
- 不 bù
not
- 謀 móu
to seek, aim for, obtain
- 食 shí
food
- 耕 gēng
to plow, till the fields, farm
- 也 yě
topic-marking particle, marks a pause after the subject
- 餒 něi
hunger, starvation
- 在其中矣 zài qí zhōng yǐ
lies therein, is inherently found in it
- 在 to lie in, be present in, consist in
- 其 it, that (referring to the preceding activity)
- 中 the midst, within
- 矣 final particle marking assertion or completed state
- 學 xué
to study, engage in learning
- 也 yě
topic-marking particle, marks a pause after the subject
- 祿 lù
official salary, stipend, emolument
- 在其中矣 zài qí zhōng yǐ
lies therein, is inherently found in it
- 在 to lie in, be present in, consist in
- 其 it, that (referring to the preceding activity)
- 中 the midst, within
- 矣 final particle marking assertion or completed state
- 君子 jūn zǐ
exemplary person, gentleman
- 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
- 憂 yōu
to worry about, be anxious about
- 道 dào
the Way, moral path
- 不 bù
not
- 憂 yōu
to worry about, be anxious about
several translators state the verb once and elide it for the second, negated clause.
- 貧 pín
poverty, being poor
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