Book 2: 《為政》 Wei Zheng (Governance)
《為政》 Passage 2.23
Legge Translation (1861)
Zizhang asked whether the affairs of ten ages after could be known.Confucius said: "The Yin dynasty followed the regulations of the Xia: wherein it took from or added to them may be known. The Zhou dynasty has followed the regulations of Yin: wherein it took from or added to them may be known. Some other may follow the Zhou, but though it should be at the distance of a hundred ages, its affairs may be known."
Word by word
- 子張 zǐ zhāng
Zizhang, a disciple of Confucius
- 子 prefix of a courtesy name, as in 子路 and 子貢; not the title Master
- 張 component of the personal name Zizhang, a disciple of Confucius
- 問 wèn
to ask
- 十世 shí shì
ten generations
- 十 ten
- 世 generation, era
- 可知也 kě zhī yě
can it be known?, direct question about foreknowability
- 可 can, be able to (marks possibility)
- 知 to know, be known
- 也 interrogative final particle marking a yes/no question
- 子曰 zǐ yuē
the Master said
- 子 the Master, honorific title for Confucius
- 曰 said, spoke
- 殷 yīn
the Yin (Shang) dynasty
Peimin Ni's text reads "Yin [Shang] dynasty"; the bracketed gloss is dropped from the quoted span.
- 因於 yīn yú
to follow, base itself on, build upon
- 因 to follow, base itself on, build upon
- 於 preposition marking source: from, on the basis of
因 names the doctrine of dynastic continuity: each house builds on its predecessor's rites rather than starting anew.
- 夏禮 xià lǐ
the ritual code of the Xia dynasty
- 夏 the Xia dynasty
- 禮 rites, ritual system, ceremonial code
- 所 suǒ
nominalizing particle: that which, what, the way in which
- 損益 sǔn yì
additions and subtractions, adjustments made to inherited rites
- 損 to diminish, subtract, decrease
- 益 to increase, add, augment
損益 is the classical pair for ritual adjustment: what a dynasty trims away and adds when inheriting rites from its predecessor.
- 可知也 kě zhī yě
can be known, may be known
- 可 can, be able to
- 知 to know, be known
- 也 assertive final particle marking a statement
- 周 zhōu
the Zhou dynasty
- 因於 yīn yú
to follow, base itself on, build upon
- 因 to follow, base itself on, build upon
- 於 preposition marking source: from, on the basis of
- 殷禮 yīn lǐ
the ritual code of the Yin (Shang) dynasty
- 殷 the Yin (Shang) dynasty
- 禮 rites, ritual system, ceremonial code
- 所 suǒ
nominalizing particle: that which, what, the way in which
- 損益 sǔn yì
additions and subtractions, adjustments made to inherited rites
- 損 to diminish, subtract, decrease
- 益 to increase, add, augment
- 可知也 kě zhī yě
can be known, may be known
- 可 can, be able to
- 知 to know, be known
- 也 assertive final particle marking a statement
- 其或…者 qí huò … zhě
conditional frame: if there is one who, should there be one who
- 其 conditional/topical marker: if there is one who, should there be
- 或 indefinite pronoun: someone, some, perhaps
- 者 nominalizing particle: the one who, that which
其...者 is a common classical frame marking a hypothetical or indefinite subject: "if there is one who...".
- 繼 jì
to succeed, carry on from, continue after
- 周 zhōu
the Zhou dynasty
- 雖 suī
although, even if
- 百世 bǎi shì
a hundred generations
- 百 hundred
- 世 generation, era
- 可知也 kě zhī yě
can still be known, may nonetheless be known
- 可 can, be able to
- 知 to know, be known
- 也 assertive final particle marking a statement
Caps the passage's rhetorical climax: continuity of ritual principle remains knowable even after many dynastic changes.
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