Book 17: 《陽貨》 Yang Huo
《陽貨》 Passage 17.23
Legge Translation (1861)
Zilu said: "Does the superior man esteem valor?"The Master said: "The superior man holds righteousness to be of highest importance. A man in a superior situation, having valor without righteousness, will be guilty of insubordination; one of the lower people having valor without righteousness, will commit robbery."
Word by word
- 子路 zǐ lù
Zilu, a disciple of Confucius
- 子 prefix of a courtesy name, as in 子路 and 子貢; not the title Master
- 路 literally 'road, path'; used as a personal-name element here
- 曰 yuē
said, spoke (introduces direct speech)
- 君子 jūn zǐ
gentleman, exemplary person
- 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
- 尚 shàng
esteem, prize above all, put first
- 勇 yǒng
courage, bravery
- 乎 hū
interrogative final particle
- 子曰 zǐ yuē
the Master said
- 子 Master; here refers to Confucius
- 曰 said, spoke
- 君子 jūn zǐ
gentleman, exemplary person
- 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
- 義 yì
rightness, righteousness
- 以 yǐ
the 以⋯為 'take as' frame with its object moved forward: takes (righteousness) as highest
resumptive coverb referring back to the fronted 義.
- 為上 wéi shàng
hold as supreme, put above all, prize most highly
- 為 to regard as, take to be, deem
- 上 top, highest, supreme
- 君子 jūn zǐ
here by rank: a man in a superior position (against 小人, the common people)
- 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
- 有 yǒu
have, possess
- 勇 yǒng
courage, bravery
- 而 ér
contrastive conjunction: but, yet
- 無 wú
lack, be without
- 義 yì
rightness, righteousness
- 為 wéi
become, result in, bring about
- 亂 luàn
disorder, chaos, rebellion
- 小人 xiǎo rén
here by rank: one of the common people, the lower orders (against 君子, a man in a superior position)
- 小 small; of low or common status
- 人 person
- 有 yǒu
have, possess
- 勇 yǒng
courage, bravery
- 而 ér
contrastive conjunction: but, yet
Roberts here uses the plain coordinator 'and' rather than a contrastive word, unlike his 'but' at the parallel first occurrence.
- 無 wú
lack, be without
- 義 yì
rightness, righteousness
- 為 wéi
become, result in, bring about
- 盜 dào
thief, robber
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