Book 19: 《子張》 Zi Zhang
《子張》 Passage 19.4
Legge Translation (1861)
Zixia said: "Even in inferior studies and employments there is something worth being looked at; but if it be attempted to carry them out to what is remote, there is a danger of their proving inapplicable. Therefore, the superior man does not practice them."Word by word
- 子夏 zǐ xià
Zixia, a disciple of Confucius (Bu Shang)
- 子 prefix of a courtesy name, as in 子路 and 子貢; not the title Master
- 夏 personal-name element; literal sense summer
- 曰 yuē
said
- 雖 suī
although, even though
- 小道 xiǎo dào
minor arts; lesser studies and occupations
- 小 small, minor
- 道 a way, art, discipline, or branch of study or skill
Translators split between an abstract sense (minor arts, lesser studies) and a literal path metaphor (byways), both readings of 道 as 'way'.
- 必 bì
surely, certainly
- 有 yǒu
there is, to exist
- 可觀 kě guān
worth seeing, worth observing
- 可 worthy of being, able to be
- 觀 to observe, view, look at
- 者 zhě
nominalizing particle: that which, something
- 焉 yān
fused particle 於之: in them, in the minor arts
English closes the assertion with the sentence's syntax and a period rather than a discrete term.
- 致遠 zhì yuǎn
to extend far, go the distance, carry something to a great length
- 致 to carry to, extend to, press on toward
- 遠 far, a great distance
- 恐 kǒng
to fear, be afraid that
- 泥 nì
mired, bogged down, stuck as if in mud
Read nì (falling tone), 'to be stuck, mired', as 朱熹 marks (泥，去聲); not ní 'mud'. Most translators keep the mud metaphor (mired, bogged down); Legge instead names the outcome (inapplicable) and Peimin Ni softens it to being 'attached'.
- 是以 shì yǐ
therefore, this is why
- 是 this, this being so (demonstrative)
- 以 therefore, thereby, by means of
- 君子 jūn zǐ
exemplary person, gentleman
- 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
- 不 bù
not
- 為 wéi
to do, practice, take up, engage in
- 也 yě
final particle of assertion
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