Book 2: 《為政》 Wei Zheng (Governance)
《為政》 Passage 2.9
Legge Translation (1861)
The Master said: "I have talked with Hui for a whole day, and he has not made any objection to anything I said; — as if he were stupid. He has retired, and I have examined his conduct when away from me, and found him able to illustrate my teachings. Hui! — He is not stupid."Word by word
- 子曰 zǐ yuē
the Master said
- 子 Master, honorific title for Confucius
- 曰 said, spoke
- 吾 wú
I, me
- 與 yǔ
with, to (marks the person addressed)
- 回 huí
Hui, Confucius's disciple Yan Hui
- 言 yán
to speak, talk, converse
- 終日 zhōng rì
a whole day, all day long
- 終 whole, entire (of a span of time)
- 日 day
- 不 bù
not
- 違 wéi
to disagree, oppose, raise an objection
- 如 rú
as if, as though
- 愚 yú
stupid, dull, slow-witted (in appearance)
Describes how Hui outwardly appears, not his actual intelligence; contrasted with 不愚 at the passage's end.
- 退 tuì
to withdraw, retire (from the master's presence)
- 而 ér
and, and then (sequential)
Translators split between a plain sequential 'and' and a contrastive 'but/however' marking the shift from Hui's dull appearance to his private conduct.
- 省 xǐng
to examine, observe, reflect on
- 其 qí
his, referring to Yan Hui
- 私 sī
private conduct, what one does on one's own
- 亦足以 yì zú yǐ
indeed enough to, truly sufficient/able to
- 亦 indeed, truly (intensifying adverb)
- 足 enough, sufficient
- 以 so as to, to the point of (marks result)
- 發 fā
to bring out, illustrate, give expression to
- 回也 huí yě
Hui, as topic: as for Hui, then
也 marks a topic-comment pause after the name.
- 回 huí
Hui, Confucius's disciple Yan Hui
- 不 bù
not
- 愚 yú
stupid, dull, slow-witted
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