Book 19: 《子張》 Zi Zhang
《子張》 Passage 19.24
Legge Translation (1861)
Shusun Wushu having spoken revilingly of Zhongni, Zigong said: "It is of no use doing so. Zhongni cannot be reviled. The talents and virtue of other men are hillocks and mounds which may be stepped over. Zhongni is the sun or moon, which it is not possible to step over. Although a man may wish to cut himself off from the sage, what harm can he do to the sun or moon? He only shows that he does not know his own capacity."Word by word
- 叔孫武叔 shū sūn wǔ shū
Shusun Wushu, a Lu grandee who disparaged Confucius
- 叔 surname syllable, identifying a Lu official
- 孫 surname syllable, literally grandson/descendant
- 武 Wu, posthumous epithet in 武叔; Shusun Zhouchou's (叔孫州仇) appellation, not a given name
- 叔 Shu, birth-order element in 武叔, the appellation of Shusun Zhouchou (叔孫州仇); 武 is his posthumous epithet
- 毀 huǐ
to disparage, speak ill of
- 仲尼 zhòng ní
Zhongni, courtesy name of Confucius
- 仲 courtesy-name syllable, originally 'middle brother'
- 尼 courtesy-name syllable of Confucius
- 子貢 zǐ gòng
Zigong, disciple of Confucius
- 子 prefix of a courtesy name, as in 子路 and 子貢; not the title Master
- 貢 name syllable meaning tribute, offering
- 曰 yuē
said, spoke
- 無以為也 wú yǐ wéi yě
it is useless, there is no point in this
- 無 there is no, there's no need to
- 以 by which, with which (in 無以為, 'no reason to do so')
- 為 to do, to act like this
- 也 final particle of assertion
- 仲尼 zhòng ní
Zhongni, courtesy name of Confucius
- 仲 courtesy-name syllable, originally 'middle brother'
- 尼 courtesy-name syllable of Confucius
- 不可 bù kě
cannot, may not
- 不 not
- 可 can, may be (possible)
- 毀 huǐ
to disparage, speak ill of
- 也 yě
final particle of assertion
- 他人 tā rén
other people, other men
- 他 other
- 人 people, persons
- 之 zhī
possessive/modifying particle: of, 's
- 賢者 xián zhě
worthiness, worthy quality
- 賢 worthy, of superior character
- 者 nominalizing particle: one who is, that which is
者 nominalizes the adjective 賢 into an abstract quality or the persons possessing it; translators split between the two.
- 丘陵 qiū líng
hills and mounds, low rises
- 丘 hill
- 陵 mound, hillock
- 也 yě
final particle marking identity or predication: X is Y
- 猶 yóu
still, yet
- 可 kě
can, may be
- 踰 yú
to step over, cross, surmount
- 也 yě
final particle of assertion
- 仲尼 zhòng ní
Zhongni, courtesy name of Confucius
- 仲 courtesy-name syllable, originally 'middle brother'
- 尼 courtesy-name syllable of Confucius
- 日月 rì yuè
sun and moon, symbol of unattainable greatness
- 日 sun (in 日月, 'sun and moon')
- 月 moon (in 日月, 'sun and moon')
- 也 yě
final particle marking identity or predication: X is Y
- 無得而 wú dé ér
there is no way to, it is impossible to
- 無 there is no way to, cannot
- 得 to be able to, have the means to
- 而 conjunctive particle linking clauses: and, so as to
- 踰 yú
to step over, cross, surmount
- 焉 yān
final particle functioning as a fused pronoun: it, him, them
- 人 rén
a person, someone
- 雖 suī
although, even if
- 欲 yù
to wish, want to
- 自絕 zì jué
to cut oneself off, sever ties
- 自 oneself, reflexive: himself
- 絕 to cut off, sever ties
- 其 qí
it, that (referring back to the preceding action)
- 何 hé
what, how
- 傷 shāng
to harm, damage
- 於 yú
to, toward
- 日月 rì yuè
sun and moon, symbol of unattainable greatness
- 日 sun (in 日月, 'sun and moon')
- 月 moon (in 日月, 'sun and moon')
- 乎 hū
interrogative final particle
- 多 duō
only, merely
多 is read here as the loangraph 祗/秖 ('merely'), not its usual sense 'many, much'.
- 見 jiàn
to show, reveal, become evident
- 其 qí
his, their, himself (possessive/reflexive)
- 不知 bù zhī
to not know, be unaware of
- 不 not
- 知 to know
- 量 liàng
measure, one's own limits or capacity
- 也 yě
final particle of assertion
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