Book 15: 《衛靈公》 Wei Ling Gong (Duke Ling of Wey)
《衛靈公》 Passage 15.6
Legge Translation (1861)
Zizhang asked how a man should conduct himself, so as to be everywhere appreciated.The Master said: "Let his words be sincere and truthful, and his actions honorable and careful; — such conduct may be practiced among the rude tribes of the South or the North. If his words be not sincere and truthful and his actions not honorable and careful, will he, with such conduct, be appreciated, even in his neighborhood?
When he is standing, let him see those two things, as it were, fronting him. When he is in a carriage, let him see them attached to the yoke. Then may he subsequently carry them into practice."
Zizhang wrote these counsels on the end of his sash.
Word by word
- 子張 zǐ zhāng
Zizhang, disciple of Confucius
- 子 prefix of a courtesy name, as in 子路 and 子貢; not the title Master
- 張 personal-name syllable, no independent meaning here
- 問 wèn
to ask, inquire
- 行 xíng
to get on in the world; to have one’s conduct find acceptance
The word framing the whole passage: succeeding in one's undertakings through consistent character rather than circumstance.
- 子曰 zǐ yuē
the Master said
- 子 the Master (respectful title for Confucius)
- 曰 said, spoke
- 言 yán
words, speech
- 忠信 zhōng xìn
loyal and trustworthy, wholehearted and true to one's word
- 忠 loyal, doing one's utmost, wholehearted
- 信 trustworthy, true to one's word
- 行 xíng
conduct, actions
- 篤敬 dǔ jìng
sincere and respectful, earnest and reverent
- 篤 sincere, earnest, genuine
- 敬 respectful, reverent
- 雖 suī
even though, even if
- 蠻貊 mán mò
the Man and Mo, non-Chinese 'barbarian' peoples
- 蠻 the Man, a non-Chinese southern people; barbarian
- 貊 the Mo, a non-Chinese northern people; barbarian
Legge and Roberts render the pair by their traditional directional associations (south/north) rather than as proper names.
- 之 zhī
possessive/modifying particle: of
- 邦 bāng
state, country, land
- 行 xíng
to be current, be practicable, carry — of conduct
- 矣 yǐ
final particle marking assertion or completion
- 言 yán
words, speech
- 不 bù
not
- 忠信 zhōng xìn
loyal and trustworthy, wholehearted and true to one's word
- 忠 loyal, doing one's utmost, wholehearted
- 信 trustworthy, true to one's word
- 行 xíng
conduct, actions
- 不 bù
not
- 篤敬 dǔ jìng
sincere and respectful, earnest and reverent
- 篤 sincere, earnest, genuine
- 敬 respectful, reverent
- 雖 suī
even though, even if
- 州里 zhōu lǐ
one's own home district and village, native place
- 州 district, one's home region
- 里 village, one's home locality
- 行 xíng
to be current, be practicable, carry — of conduct
- 乎哉 hū zāi
combined rhetorical-interrogative final particles: how could...?, surely not
- 乎 interrogative final particle
- 哉 exclamatory final particle intensifying a rhetorical question
- 立 lì
to stand, when standing still
- 則 zé
correlative conjunction: then, in that case
- 見 jiàn
to see, visualize, keep in view
- 其 qí
them, these, referring to the principles just stated
- 參 cān
arrayed, ranged before one, kept constantly in view
An interpretive crux, not a textual one. 包咸 (in 何晏) takes 參 as the words standing manifest before one's eyes; 朱熹 reads it cān, 'present alongside one' (與我相參); 劉寶楠 records the reading 參 as 森, 'ranged, standing in array', which the gloss follows. Most translators fold it into 'in front of you' and supply no separate word; Chin's 'plumb lines' is a further construal.
- 於 yú
coverb marking location: in, at
- 前 qián
front, in front
- 也 yě
sentence-final particle of assertion
- 在 zài
to be in, at
- 輿 yú
carriage, cart
- 則 zé
correlative conjunction: then, in that case
- 見 jiàn
to see, visualize, keep in view
- 其 qí
them, referring to the principles just stated
- 倚 yǐ
to lean against, rest on
- 於 yú
coverb marking location: on, against
- 衡 héng
crossbar, yoke-bar of a carriage
- 也 yě
sentence-final particle of assertion
- 夫 fú
discourse particle introducing a concluding remark: now, well then
its function is absorbed into the sentence-initial position of the final clause.
- 然後 rán hòu
only then, after this
- 然 so, thus (component of 然後, only after this)
- 後 after (component of 然後, only after this)
- 行 xíng
to be current, be practicable, carry — of conduct
- 子張 zǐ zhāng
Zizhang, disciple of Confucius
- 子 prefix of a courtesy name, as in 子路 and 子貢; not the title Master
- 張 personal-name syllable, no independent meaning here
- 書 shū
to write down
- 諸 zhū
fusion of 之 (it) and 於 (on): it on, them on
- 紳 shēn
sash, the broad belt of an official's robe
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