Book 2: 《為政》 Wei Zheng (Governance)
《為政》 Passage 2.21
Legge Translation (1861)
Some one addressed Confucius, saying: "Sir, why are you not engaged in the government?"The Master said: "What does the Shujing say of filial piety? — 'You are filial, you discharge your brotherly duties. These qualities are displayed in government.' This then also constitutes the exercise of government. Why must there be THAT — making one be in the government?"
Word by word
- 或 huò
someone, a certain person
- 謂 wèi
to say to, address
- 孔子 kǒng zǐ
Confucius (Kong Fuzi)
- 孔 Kong, the surname of Confucius
- 子 honorific suffix forming a name: master, sir
- 曰 yuē
said, spoke (introduces a quotation)
- 子 zǐ
you, sir (respectful direct address)
- 奚 xī
why
- 不 bù
not
- 為政 wéi zhèng
to govern, take part in government
- 為 to engage in, practice, carry out
- 政 government, governing, political affairs
Roberts renders this concretely as holding formal office, more literal than the other translators' 'take part in government.'
- 子曰 zǐ yuē
the Master said
- 子 the Master, a respectful title for Confucius
- 曰 said, spoke (introduces direct speech)
- 書 shū
the Book of Documents, an ancient classic
Lau alone titles it the 'Book of History'; Legge transliterates as 'Shujing.'
- 云 yún
to say, to state (introduces a quotation)
- 孝 xiào
filial, devoted to one's parents (exclamatory)
- 乎 hū
exclamatory final particle: oh!, indeed!
何晏, citing 包咸, reads 孝乎惟孝 as one exclamatory phrase praising filiality, and Lau alone sets the 乎 off as 'Oh!'. 朱熹 instead punctuates 書云孝乎 as 'the Documents says of filiality', so that the quotation begins at 惟孝, and Legge follows him. The received 君陳 chapter reads 惟孝友于兄弟，克施有政.
- 惟孝 wéi xiào
only be filial, simply practice filial devotion
- 惟 only, simply, merely
- 孝 to be filial, to show filial devotion
- 友 yǒu
to be friendly to, to treat as a brother
- 于 yú
preposition: to, toward
- 兄弟 xiōng dì
brothers (elder and younger)
- 兄 elder brother
- 弟 younger brother
- 施 shī
to extend, to exert an influence
the crux verb of the passage: family conduct is said to extend outward into governing itself.
- 於 yú
preposition: to, upon, on
- 有政 yǒu zhèng
the business of government, governmental affairs
- 有 empty nominal prefix before a noun, without independent meaning
- 政 government, governmental affairs
有 here is an empty prefix before the noun, with no independent meaning.
- 是 shì
this, this very conduct
refers back to filial and fraternal conduct, asserting that it is itself already a form of governing.
- 亦 yì
also, too
- 為政 wéi zhèng
to govern, take part in government
- 為 to engage in, practice, carry out
- 政 governing, the practice of government
- 奚 xī
why
- 其 qí
emphatic particle: then, indeed (reinforces the rhetorical question)
- 為 wéi
to be, to count as
Lau and Chin read this as actively assuming an official role, rather than a bare copula.
- 為政 wéi zhèng
governing, taking part in government
- 為 to engage in, practice, carry out
- 政 government, governing, political affairs
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