Book 20: 《堯曰》 Yao Yue (Yao Spoke)
《堯曰》 Passage 20.3
Legge Translation (1861)
The Master said: "Without recognizing the ordinances of Heaven, it is impossible to be a superior man.Without an acquaintance with the rules of Propriety, it is impossible for the character to be established.
Without knowing the force of words, it is impossible to know men."
Word by word
- 子曰 zǐ yuē
the Master said
- 子 Master, honorific title for Confucius
- 曰 said, spoke
- 不知 bù zhī
to not know, to fail to understand
- 不 not
- 知 to understand, to recognize (one's fate)
- 命 mìng
fate, destiny
Ames & Rosemont render ming as 'the propensity of circumstances,' a distinctively process-oriented reading rather than a fixed decree.
- 無以 wú yǐ
to have no way, to lack the means (to do something)
- 無 there is not, without
- 以 means, way (to do something)
- 為 wéi
to become, to be
- 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
Roberts renders it 'a true prince,' foregrounding the term's older aristocratic sense.
- 也 yě
final particle of assertion
- 不知 bù zhī
to not know, to lack acquaintance with
- 不 not
- 知 to understand, to be versed in (ritual)
- 禮 lǐ
ritual, the rites
- 無以 wú yǐ
to have no way, to lack the means (to do something)
- 無 there is not, without
- 以 means, way (to do something)
- 立 lì
to stand firm, to take one's place in society
Chin's 'find his balance' is a freer rendering than the others' 'take one's stand.'
- 也 yě
final particle of assertion
- 不知 bù zhī
to not know, to fail to understand or discern
- 不 not
- 知 to understand, to discern (the meaning of words)
- 言 yán
words, speech
- 無以 wú yǐ
to have no way, to lack the means (to do something)
- 無 there is not, without
- 以 means, way (to do something)
- 知人 zhī rén
to know, to understand other people
- 知 to know, to judge the character of (others)
- 人 other people, others
- 也 yě
final particle of assertion
A text file for Anki 2.1.55 or later: File → Import. The cards go to the deck “Analects”, tagged by passage, and importing again updates them instead of adding copies.
Discussion
No one has started on this passage yet.
Start the discussion in r/analects