Book 17: 《陽貨》 Yang Huo
《陽貨》 Passage 17.21
Legge Translation (1861)
Zai Wo asked about the three years' mourning for parents, saying that one year was long enough."If the superior man," said he, "abstains for three years from the observances of propriety, those observances will be quite lost. If for three years he abstains from music, music will be ruined.
Within a year the old grain is exhausted, and the new grain has sprung up, and, in procuring fire by friction, we go through all the changes of wood for that purpose. After a complete year, the mourning may stop."
The Master said: "If you were, after a year, to eat good rice, and wear embroidered clothes, would you feel at ease?" "I should," replied Wo.
The Master said: "If you can feel at ease, do it. But a superior man, during the whole period of mourning, does not enjoy pleasant food which he may eat, nor derive pleasure from music which he may hear. He also does not feel at ease, if he is comfortably lodged. Therefore he does not do what you propose. But now you feel at ease and may do it."
Zai Wo then went out, and the Master said: "This shows Yu's want of virtue. It is not till a child is three years old that it is allowed to leave the arms of its parents. And the three years' mourning is universally observed throughout the empire. Did Yu enjoy the three years' love of his parents?"
Word by word
- 宰我 zǎi wǒ
Zai Wo, disciple of Confucius
- 宰 surname Zai, of the disciple Zai Wo
- 我 second element of the disciple's name, Zai Wo
- 問 wèn
to ask
- 三年之喪 sān nián zhī sāng
the three-year mourning period observed for a parent's death
- 三 three
- 年 year
- 之 possessive particle: of
- 喪 mourning period observed for a deceased parent
- 期已久矣 jī yǐ jiǔ yǐ
a full year is already long enough
- 期 a full year, one year's cycle
- 已 already
- 久 long in duration
- 矣 final particle marking assertion
期 is read jī, a full year (朱熹: 期，周年也), as in 期可已矣 below; Peimin Ni and Ames & Rosemont instead take 期 as the mourning period and render 'is already too long'.
- 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
- 三年 sān nián
three years
- 三 three
- 年 year
- 不為 bù wéi
does not perform, fails to carry out
- 不 not
- 為 to perform, carry out
- 禮 lǐ
ritual, the rites
- 禮 lǐ
ritual, the rites
- 必 bì
surely, certainly
- 壞 huài
to fall into ruin, be spoiled
- 三年 sān nián
three years
- 三 three
- 年 year
- 不為 bù wéi
does not perform, fails to carry out
- 不 not
- 為 to perform, carry out
- 樂 yuè
music, musical performance
- 樂 yuè
music, musical performance (resumed as subject)
- 必 bì
surely, certainly
- 崩 bēng
to collapse, fall into disarray
- 舊穀 jiù gǔ
the old grain, from the previous harvest
- 舊 old, previous
- 穀 grain
- 既 jì
adverb marking completed action: already
- 沒 mò
used up, exhausted, gone
- 新穀 xīn gǔ
the new grain, from the current harvest
- 新 new
- 穀 grain
- 既 jì
adverb marking completed action: already
- 升 shēng
to rise, ripen, become ready
- 鑽燧 zuān suì
to drill for fire using tinder-wood
- 鑽 to drill, bore
- 燧 fire-drill, tinder for kindling fire
- 改火 gǎi huǒ
to renew the fire (a seasonal ritual, changing to a different wood each season)
- 改 to change, alter, renew
- 火 fire
- 期 jī
a full year, a year's cycle
- 可已矣 kě yǐ yǐ
that would already suffice, that will do
- 可 may, would be acceptable
- 已 stop, be enough, end
- 矣 final particle marking assertion
- 子曰 zǐ yuē
the Master said
- 子 the Master, honorific title for Confucius
- 曰 said, spoke (introduces a quotation)
- 食 shí
to eat
- 夫 fú
that, those — demonstrative determiner
- 稻 dào
rice, cooked grain
- 衣 yì
to wear (clothing)
read yì, the verb to wear (釋文: 於既反), not yī, clothing.
- 夫 fú
that, those — demonstrative determiner
- 錦 jǐn
brocade, fine embroidered cloth
- 於 yú
preposition marking the person affected: to, for
English folds the dative sense into the subject 'you' rather than using a separate preposition.
- 女 rǔ
you (addressing Zai Wo)
- 安 ān
to be at ease, feel comfortable
- 乎 hū
interrogative final particle
- 曰 yuē
said, replied
- 安 ān
at ease, comfortable — Zai Wo's affirmative reply
- 女 rǔ
you (addressing Zai Wo)
- 安 ān
to be at ease, feel comfortable
- 則 zé
then, in that case
- 為之 wéi zhī
do it, act on it
- 為 to do, act on
- 之 it — object pronoun referring to eating rice and wearing brocade
- 夫 fú
topic-shifting particle: now, as for
- 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
- 之 zhī
possessive particle: of
English restructures this as 'when the gentleman is in mourning' rather than 'the gentleman's mourning', so no word marks the possessive.
- 居喪 jū sāng
to be in mourning, observe mourning
- 居 to dwell in, be in (a state)
- 喪 mourning period observed for a deceased parent
- 食 shí
to eat
- 旨 zhǐ
savory, fine-tasting food
- 不甘 bù gān
to find no savor or relish in, take no pleasure from
- 不 not
- 甘 sweet, pleasant to the taste
- 聞 wén
to hear
- 樂 yuè
music
- 不樂 bù lè
to find no joy or pleasure in, be displeased by
- 不 not
- 樂 joyful, pleased
this 樂 is read lè, to take pleasure, in contrast with the 樂 just before it (yuè, music).
- 居處 jū chǔ
dwelling, place of residence, home life
- 居 to dwell, reside
- 處 place, dwelling
- 不安 bù ān
not at ease, uncomfortable
- 不 not
- 安 at ease, comfortable
- 故 gù
therefore, for this reason
- 不為 bù wéi
does not do (it)
- 不 not
- 為 to do, act on
- 也 yě
final particle of assertion
English closes the sentence with a period rather than a separate word.
- 今 jīn
now, at present
- 女 rǔ
you (addressing Zai Wo)
- 安 ān
to be at ease, feel comfortable
- 則 zé
then, in that case
- 為之 wéi zhī
do it, act on it
- 為 to do, act on
- 之 it — object pronoun referring to eating rice and wearing brocade
- 宰我 zǎi wǒ
Zai Wo, disciple of Confucius
- 宰 surname Zai, of the disciple Zai Wo
- 我 second element of the disciple's name, Zai Wo
- 出 chū
to go out, leave
- 子曰 zǐ yuē
the Master said
- 子 the Master, honorific title for Confucius
- 曰 said, spoke (introduces a quotation)
- 予 yú
Yu, personal name of the disciple Zai Wo
- 之 zhī
possessive particle: 's
English recasts this as a predicate ('Yu lacks humaneness') rather than a possessive noun phrase, so no word marks the particle.
- 不仁 bù rén
lacking in humaneness, without benevolent feeling
- 不 not
- 仁 humaneness, benevolent feeling
- 也 yě
final particle of assertion
English closes the exclamation with punctuation rather than a separate word.
- 子 zǐ
child, infant
- 生三年 shēng sān nián
to live for the first three years of life, infancy
- 生 to be born, to live
- 三 three
- 年 year
- 然後 rán hòu
only then, only after that
- 然 so, thus — combines with 後 for 'only then'
- 後 after, afterward
- 免於 miǎn yú
to leave, escape from
- 免 to be released from, escape
- 於 preposition marking the source: from
- 父母 fù mǔ
parents
- 父 father
- 母 mother
- 之 zhī
possessive particle: of
- 懷 huái
bosom, embrace
- 夫 fú
topic-shifting particle: now, as for
- 三年之喪 sān nián zhī sāng
the three-year mourning period
- 三 three
- 年 year
- 之 possessive particle: of
- 喪 mourning period observed for a deceased parent
- 天下 tiān xià
all under heaven, the world
- 天 heaven, sky
- 下 below, under (paired with 天 for 'the world')
- 之 zhī
possessive particle: of
English uses an adjective plus 'throughout X' ('universally observed throughout the empire') rather than a possessive noun phrase, so no word marks the particle.
- 通 tōng
common to all, universally shared
- 喪 sāng
mourning (resumed as predicate)
- 也 yě
final particle of assertion
English closes the sentence with a period rather than a separate word.
- 予 yú
Yu, personal name of the disciple Zai Wo
- 也 yě
topic-marking pause particle
- 有 yǒu
to have, receive, enjoy
- 三年 sān nián
three years
- 三 three
- 年 year
- 之 zhī
possessive particle: of
- 愛 ài
love, loving care
- 於 yú
preposition marking the source: from
- 其 qí
his — third-person possessive pronoun
- 父母 fù mǔ
parents
- 父 father
- 母 mother
- 乎 hū
interrogative final particle
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