Book 16: 《季氏》 Ji Shi (The Ji Clan)
《季氏》 Passage 16.2
Legge Translation (1861)
Confucius said: "When good government prevails in the empire, ceremonies, music, and punitive military expeditions proceed from the son of Heaven.When bad government prevails in the empire, ceremonies, music, and punitive military expeditions proceed from the princes. When these things proceed from the princes, as a rule, the cases will be few in which they do not lose their power in ten generations.
When they proceed from the Great officers of the princes, as a rule, the cases will be few in which they do not lose their power in five generations.
When the subsidiary ministers of the great officers hold in their grasp the orders of the state, as a rule, the cases will be few in which they do not lose their power in three generations.
When right principles prevail in the kingdom, government will not be in the hands of the Great officers.
When right principles prevail in the kingdom, there will be no discussions among the common people."
Word by word
- 孔子 kǒng zǐ
Confucius, Master Kong
- 孔 surname Kong
- 子 honorific title: master
- 曰 yuē
said, spoke
- 天下 tiān xià
the world, all under heaven
- 天 heaven
- 下 under, below
- 有道 yǒu dào
the Way prevails, is possessed of the Way
- 有 to exist, to prevail
- 道 the Way, proper moral and political order
- 則 zé
conditional connective: then, in that case
Only Roberts supplies an explicit 'then'; the other translators let the 'when...' clause imply the consequence.
- 禮樂 lǐ yuè
rites and music, ritual and musical performance
- 禮 ritual, rites, ceremony
- 樂 music
- 征伐 zhēng fá
punitive military expeditions
- 征 military campaign, expedition
- 伐 to attack, subjugate
- 自 zì
from, issuing from
- 天子 tiān zǐ
the Son of Heaven, the emperor
- 天 heaven
- 子 son
- 出 chū
to proceed from, issue forth
- 天下 tiān xià
the world, all under heaven
- 天 heaven
- 下 under, below
- 無道 wú dào
the Way does not prevail, is without the Way
- 無 to lack, be without
- 道 the Way, proper moral and political order
- 則 zé
conditional connective: then, in that case
Only Ames & Rosemont supplies an explicit 'then' here.
- 禮樂 lǐ yuè
rites and music, ritual and musical performance
- 禮 ritual, rites, ceremony
- 樂 music
Slingerland, Roberts, Ames & Rosemont, and Lau use a pronoun ('these things'/'these sacred acts'/'they') instead of repeating the noun phrase.
- 征伐 zhēng fá
punitive military expeditions
- 征 military campaign, expedition
- 伐 to attack, subjugate
- 自 zì
from, issuing from
- 諸侯 zhū hóu
the feudal lords, regional rulers
- 諸 the various, all the
- 侯 lord, feudal ruler
- 出 chū
to proceed from, issue forth
- 自 zì
from, issuing from
- 諸侯 zhū hóu
the feudal lords, regional rulers
- 諸 the various, all the
- 侯 lord, feudal ruler
- 出 chū
to proceed from, issue forth
- 蓋 gài
as a general rule, probably
- 十世 shí shì
ten generations
- 十 ten
- 世 generation
- 希不失矣 xī bù shī yǐ
rarely fails to lose it, almost inevitably loses power within this span
- 希 rare, seldom
- 不 not
- 失 to lose
- 矣 final particle marking completion or realization
- 自 zì
from, issuing from
- 大夫 dà fū
the ministers, great officers
- 大 great, high-ranking
- 夫 official, man of rank
- 出 chū
to proceed from, issue forth
- 五世 wǔ shì
five generations
- 五 five
- 世 generation
- 希不失矣 xī bù shī yǐ
rarely fails to lose it, almost inevitably loses power within this span
- 希 rare, seldom
- 不 not
- 失 to lose
- 矣 final particle marking completion or realization
- 陪臣 péi chén
household ministers, subordinate retainers
- 陪 subordinate, auxiliary
- 臣 minister, retainer
- 執 zhí
to seize, take control of, hold
- 國命 guó mìng
the mandate of the state, orders of the state
- 國 state, country
- 命 mandate, command, decree
- 三世 sān shì
three generations
- 三 three
- 世 generation
- 希不失矣 xī bù shī yǐ
rarely fails to lose it, almost inevitably loses power within this span
- 希 rare, seldom
- 不 not
- 失 to lose
- 矣 final particle marking completion or realization
- 天下 tiān xià
the world, all under heaven
- 天 heaven
- 下 under, below
- 有道 yǒu dào
the Way prevails, is possessed of the Way
- 有 to exist, to prevail
- 道 the Way, proper moral and political order
- 則 zé
conditional connective: then, in that case
- 政 zhèng
government, governing, political authority
- 不 bù
not
- 在 zài
to rest with, reside in, be in the hands of
- 大夫 dà fū
the ministers, great officers
- 大 great, high-ranking
- 夫 official, man of rank
- 天下 tiān xià
the world, all under heaven
- 天 heaven
- 下 under, below
- 有道 yǒu dào
the Way prevails, is possessed of the Way
- 有 to exist, to prevail
- 道 the Way, proper moral and political order
- 則 zé
conditional connective: then, in that case
- 庶人 shù rén
the common people, commoners
- 庶 common, numerous
- 人 people, person
- 不 bù
not
- 議 yì
to discuss, criticise (the government)
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