Book 19: 《子張》 Zi Zhang
《子張》 Passage 19.19
Legge Translation (1861)
The chief of the Meng family having appointed Yang Fu to be chief criminal judge, the latter consulted the philosopher Zeng.Zeng said: "The rulers have failed in their duties, and the people consequently have been disorganized, for a long time. When you have found out the truth of any accusation, be grieved for and pity them, and do not feel joy at your own ability."
Word by word
- 孟氏 mèng shì
the Meng clan/family (proper name)
- 孟 Meng, surname of a noble clan
- 氏 clan, lineage-name suffix
- 使 shǐ
to cause, appoint (someone to a post)
- 陽膚 yáng fū
Yang Fu, a disciple of Zengzi
- 陽 Yang, surname element of a personal name
- 膚 Fu, given-name element of a personal name
- 為 wéi
to be, to act as
- 士師 shì shī
chief criminal judge; senior judicial officer for prisons and penal cases, ranked under the 司寇
- 士 officer, official of gentry rank
- 師 one in charge, head official of an office
- 問 wèn
to ask, to seek advice from
- 於 yú
coverb marking the person addressed: from, of
- 曾子 zēng zǐ
Master Zeng (proper name, the disciple Zengzi)
- 曾 Zeng, surname
- 子 Master, honorific suffix for a teacher
- 曾子 zēng zǐ
Master Zeng (proper name, the disciple Zengzi)
- 曾 Zeng, surname
- 子 Master, honorific suffix for a teacher
Roberts substitutes the relative pronoun 'who' rather than repeating the name
- 曰 yuē
said
- 上 shàng
those above, the rulers, those in power
- 失 shī
to lose, to depart from
- 其 qí
their (referring to those above)
most translators use the definite article 'the' instead of an explicit possessive
- 道 dào
the Way, proper moral governance
- 民 mín
the common people
- 散 sàn
scattered, dispersed, without guidance
- 久 jiǔ
for a long time
- 矣 yǐ
perfective particle marking a completed change of state
- 如 rú
if, when (introduces a condition)
- 得 dé
to obtain, get at, ascertain
- 其 qí
its, their (referring to the case/offense)
most translators use 'the' rather than an explicit possessive here
- 情 qíng
the true circumstances, the actual facts of a case
情 here means the objective facts of a case, not subjective feelings
- 則 zé
then, in that case
English leaves this asyndetic (a new clause or comma) rather than supplying 'then'; Chin's 'will' marks future tense, not this word
- 哀矜 āi jīn
to be sorrowful and compassionate, to pity
- 哀 to grieve for, be sorrowful over
- 矜 to pity, feel compassion for
a fixed compound expressing grief and compassion together, not two separable senses
- 而 ér
contrastive conjunction: but, and yet
- 勿 wù
prohibitive negator: do not, must not
- 喜 xǐ
to be pleased, take satisfaction in
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