Book 17: 《陽貨》 Yang Huo
《陽貨》 Passage 17.3
子曰：「唯上知與下愚不移。」
Legge Translation (1861)
The Master said: "There are only the wise of the highest class, and the stupid of the lowest class, who cannot be changed."Word by word
- 子曰 zǐ yuē
the Master said
- 子 Master, honorific title for Confucius
- 曰 said, spoke
- 唯 wéi
only, solely
- 上知 shàng zhì
the very wise, those of highest wisdom
- 上 highest, top-ranking, superior
- 知 wisdom, wise — read as 智 (zhì) 'wisdom', a loangraph, not the verb 知 'to know'
matched with 下愚 below; 知 here read as 智, 'wisdom'
- 與 yǔ
and, coordinating conjunction
- 下愚 xià yú
the very stupid, those of basest folly
- 下 lowest, bottom-ranking, inferior
- 愚 stupid, foolish, benighted
matched with 上知 above as the opposite pole
- 不 bù
not
- 移 yí
to change, shift, waver
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