Book 19: 《子張》 Zi Zhang
《子張》 Passage 19.25
Legge Translation (1861)
Chen Ziqin addressing Zigong, said: "You are too modest. How can Zhongni be said to be superior to you?"Zigong said to him: "For one word a man is often deemed to be wise, and for one word he is often deemed to be foolish. We ought to be careful indeed in what we say.
Our Master cannot be attained to, just in the same way as the heavens cannot be gone up to by the steps of a stair.
Were our Master in the position of the ruler of a State or the chief of a Family, we should find verified the description which has been given of a sage's rule: — he would plant the people, and forthwith they would be established; he would lead them on, and forthwith they would follow him; he would make them happy, and forthwith multitudes would resort to his dominions; he would stimulate them, and forthwith they would be harmonious. While he lived, he would be glorious. When he died, he would be bitterly lamented. How is it possible for him to be attained to?"
Word by word
- 陳子禽 chén zǐ qín
Chen Ziqin, courtesy name of Chen Kang 陳亢 (also at 1.10 and 16.13)
- 陳 surname: Chen (proper name)
- 子 honorific prefix conventionally used in courtesy names
- 禽 Qin, courtesy-name element in 子禽, the courtesy name of Chen Kang (陳亢)
- 謂…曰 wèi … yuē
said to (someone), introducing reported speech
- 謂 to say to, address (someone)
- 曰 to say, said (introduces reported speech)
謂 introduces the addressee and 曰 introduces the quotation; most translators fuse the pair into a single English 'said to'.
- 子貢 zǐ gòng
Zigong, a disciple of Confucius
- 子 prefix of a courtesy name, as in 子路 and 子貢; not the title Master
- 貢 component of the disciple's name Zigong (子貢)
- 子 zǐ
you, second-person pronoun
- 為恭 wéi gōng
to be respectful, act deferentially
- 為 to be, to act as
- 恭 respectful, deferential
- 也 yě
final particle of assertion
- 仲尼 zhòng ní
Zhongni, Confucius's courtesy name
- 仲 component of Confucius's courtesy name Zhongni (仲尼)
- 尼 component of Confucius's courtesy name Zhongni (仲尼)
- 豈…乎 qǐ … hū
rhetorical question frame: how could...?
- 豈 rhetorical question particle: how could, surely not
- 乎 interrogative final particle
Lau recasts the rhetorical question as a declarative negation, 'Surely...not', rather than a literal question.
- 賢 xián
worthy, superior in character or ability
- 於 yú
comparative marker: than
- 子 zǐ
you, second-person pronoun
- 子貢 zǐ gòng
Zigong, a disciple of Confucius
- 子 prefix of a courtesy name, as in 子路 and 子貢; not the title Master
- 貢 component of the disciple's name Zigong (子貢)
- 曰 yuē
said, replied
- 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
- 一言 yī yán
a single word, one remark
- 一 one, a single
- 言 word, remark, statement
- 以為 yǐ wéi
to be deemed, considered as
- 以 coverb introducing what something is taken as
- 為 to consider as, deem to be
- 知 zhì
wise, knowledgeable
Read zhì, standing for 智 'wise'; 朱熹 marks 知，去聲.
- 一言 yī yán
a single word, one remark
- 一 one, a single
- 言 word, remark, statement
Second half of the parallel 一言以為知，一言以為不知: the same expression repeated for the negative outcome.
- 以為 yǐ wéi
to be deemed, considered as
- 以 coverb introducing what something is taken as
- 為 to consider as, deem to be
- 不知 bù zhì
unwise, ignorant, not knowing
- 不 not
- 知 wise, knowledgeable
- 言 yán
words, what one says, speech
- 不可不 bù kě bù
double negative: cannot but, absolutely must
- 不 not
- 可 can, may, be possible
- 不 not
- 慎 shèn
careful, cautious
- 也 yě
final particle of assertion
- 夫子 fū zǐ
the Master, Confucius
- 夫 component of the honorific title fuzi, the Master
- 子 component of the honorific title fuzi, the Master
- 之 zhī
topic-marking particle
- 不可及 bù kě jí
cannot be equalled, matched
- 不 not
- 可 can, may, be possible
- 及 to reach, equal, come up to
- 也 yě
final particle of assertion
- 猶 yóu
just as, just like
- 天 tiān
heaven, the sky
- 之 zhī
topic-marking particle
- 不可 bù kě
cannot, not able to
- 不 not
- 可 can, may, be possible
- 階而升 jiē ér shēng
to climb by steps and ascend, scale a height
- 階 to use as steps, climb by stairs
- 而 conjunctive particle: and, and then
- 升 to ascend, rise up
The image is a stairway to the sky: heaven's height pictures the Master's unmatched stature.
- 也 yě
final particle of assertion
- 夫子 fū zǐ
the Master, Confucius
- 夫 component of the honorific title fuzi, the Master
- 子 component of the honorific title fuzi, the Master
Roberts, Ames & Rosemont, and Chin refer back with the pronoun 'he' instead of repeating the title.
- 之…者 zhī … zhě
conditional frame: were X to..., if X were to...
- 之 topic-marking particle introducing a hypothetical condition
- 者 nominalizing/conditional particle: one who, if...then
- 得邦家 dé bāng jiā
to gain control of a state and (ruling) clan
- 得 to obtain, come to hold, gain control of
- 邦 state, country
- 家 ruling house, noble family, clan
- 所謂 suǒ wèi
what is called, as the saying goes
- 所 nominalizing particle before a verb: that which
- 謂 to say, call; what is said
- 立 lì
to raise up, set on their feet, establish
First of four parallel clauses (立之斯立，道之斯行，綏之斯來，動之斯和), each sharing the frame X之斯Y: act on the people, and Y follows at once.
- 之 zhī
them, object pronoun referring to the people
- 斯 sī
then, thereupon
Marks the immediate result in the X之斯Y frame.
- 立 lì
to stand, take a stand, be established
- 道 dǎo
to guide, lead
- 之 zhī
them, object pronoun referring to the people
- 斯 sī
then, thereupon
- 行 xíng
to advance, go forward, proceed
- 綏 suí
to pacify, soothe, bring peace to
- 之 zhī
them, object pronoun referring to the people
- 斯 sī
then, thereupon
- 來 lái
to come
- 動 dòng
to move, stir, set in motion
- 之 zhī
them, object pronoun referring to the people
- 斯 sī
then, thereupon
- 和 hé
to be harmonious, in harmony
- 其生 qí shēng
his life, while alive
- 其 his (possessive pronoun, referring to the Master)
- 生 life, being alive
Opens the closing couplet 其生也榮，其死也哀: honored in life, mourned in death.
- 也 yě
topic-marking pause particle
- 榮 róng
glorious, held in honor, flourishing
- 其死 qí sǐ
his death, when he died
- 其 his (possessive pronoun, referring to the Master)
- 死 death, dying
- 也 yě
topic-marking pause particle
- 哀 āi
mourned, grieved for
- 如之何其 rú zhī hé qí
rhetorical: how could...possibly...?
- 如 component of the interrogative expression ruzhihe, how
- 之 component of the interrogative expression ruzhihe, how
- 何 component of the interrogative expression ruzhihe, how
- 其 rhetorical intensifier in a question: possibly, could it be
如之何 is itself a fixed classical interrogative, 'how'; 其 adds rhetorical force, echoing the opening 夫子之不可及也 to close the passage.
- 可及 kě jí
can be equalled, matched
- 可 can, may, be possible
- 及 to reach, equal, come up to
- 也 yě
final particle of rhetorical assertion
English closes the rhetorical question with a question mark rather than a discrete word for 也.
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