Book 3: 《八佾》 Ba Yi (Eight Rows)
《八佾》 Passage 3.22
Legge Translation (1861)
The Master said: "Small indeed was the capacity of Guan Zhong!"Some one said: "Was Guan Zhong parsimonious?"
"Guan," was the reply, "had the San Gui, and his officers performed no double duties; how can he be considered parsimonious?"
"Then, did Guan Zhong know the rules of propriety?"
The Master said: "The princes of States have a screen intercepting the view at their gates. Guan had likewise a screen at his gate. The princes of States on any friendly meeting between two of them, had a stand on which to place their inverted cups. Guan had also such a stand. If Guan knew the rules of propriety, who does not know them?"
Word by word
- 子曰 zǐ yuē
the Master said
- 子 the Master, Confucius (title of respect)
- 曰 said
- 管仲 guǎn zhòng
Guan Zhong, a chief minister of the state of Qi
- 管 Guan (surname of Guan Zhong)
- 仲 Zhong, the courtesy name of Guan Yiwu (管夷吾); 管 is the surname, 夷吾 the given name
- 之 zhī
possessive particle: 's, of
- 器 qì
capacity, ability (figuratively, a vessel for talent or character)
- 小 xiǎo
small, limited
- 哉 zāi
exclamatory final particle
- 或 huò
someone, one (indefinite pronoun)
- 曰 yuē
said, asked
- 管仲 guǎn zhòng
Guan Zhong, referred to by name or pronoun
- 管 Guan (surname of Guan Zhong)
- 仲 Zhong, the courtesy name of Guan Yiwu (管夷吾); 管 is the surname, 夷吾 the given name
- 儉 jiǎn
frugal, economical
- 乎 hū
interrogative final particle
乎 marks a yes/no question.
- 曰 yuē
said, replied
- 管氏 guǎn shì
Guan (Guan Zhong), referred to by clan name
- 管 Guan (surname of Guan Zhong)
- 氏 clan-name suffix, used like 'Mr.'
- 有 yǒu
to have, possess, maintain
- 三歸 sān guī
the 'Three Gui', Guan Zhong's three separate households or establishments
- 三 three
- 歸 return; a name here for Guan Zhong's household establishments
The exact referent of 三歸 is debated (three wives' residences, storehouses, or a market-tax privilege); translators diverge widely, and Roberts reads it as tax revenue rather than residences.
- 官事 guān shì
the affairs and duties of his officials, his staff
- 官 official, government officer
- 事 affairs, duties, business
- 不攝 bù shè
did not hold concurrent offices, did not double up duties
- 不 not
- 攝 to hold concurrently, to double up (duties)
- 焉 yān
how? where? (rhetorical: implies impossibility)
- 得 dé
to get to be, to manage to be (considered/called)
- 儉 jiǎn
frugal, economical, thrifty
- 然則 rán zé
that being so, in that case, then
- 然 so, thus
- 則 then, in that case
- 管仲 guǎn zhòng
Guan Zhong, referred to by name or pronoun
- 管 Guan (surname of Guan Zhong)
- 仲 Zhong, the courtesy name of Guan Yiwu (管夷吾); 管 is the surname, 夷吾 the given name
- 知 zhī
to know, understand
- 禮 lǐ
ritual, the rites, ritual propriety
- 乎 hū
interrogative final particle
乎 marks the yes/no question.
- 曰 yuē
said, replied
- 邦君 bāng jūn
the ruler of a state
- 邦 state, country
- 君 ruler, lord
- 樹 shù
to set up, erect
- 塞門 sè mén
a screen-wall at the gate blocking the view within (a ruler's ritual prerogative)
- 塞 to block, to screen off
- 門 gate, door
- 管氏 guǎn shì
Guan (Guan Zhong), referred to by clan name
- 管 Guan (surname of Guan Zhong)
- 氏 clan-name suffix, used like 'Mr.'
- 亦 yì
also, likewise, too
- 樹 shù
to set up, erect
- 塞門 sè mén
a screen-wall at the gate (a ruler's ritual prerogative)
- 塞 to block, to screen off
- 門 gate, door
- 邦君 bāng jūn
the ruler of a state
- 邦 state, country
- 君 ruler, lord
- 為 wéi
for, on the occasion of, when (introducing a hosted event)
- 兩君 liǎng jūn
the two rulers, one state's ruler and his guest
- 兩 two, both
- 君 ruler, lord
- 之 zhī
attributive particle linking modifier to head: of
Links 兩君 to 好: 'the friendly meeting of two rulers'.
- 好 hǎo
amity, good relations (between rulers)
Read hào, fourth tone, the noun amity (經典釋文 呼報反); 兩君之好 is a set diplomatic phrase for the friendly meeting of two rulers, here a state banquet.
- 有 yǒu
to have, possess
- 反坫 fǎn diàn
a stand for holding inverted wine cups after a toast (a ritual object)
- 反 inverted, turned upside down (of a drinking cup)
- 坫 a stand (for wine cups after a toast)
Roberts reinterprets 反坫 as an earthen altar-platform ('grain shrine') rather than a cup-stand, a minority reading among translators.
- 管氏 guǎn shì
Guan (Guan Zhong), referred to by clan name
- 管 Guan (surname of Guan Zhong)
- 氏 clan-name suffix, used like 'Mr.'
- 亦 yì
also, likewise, too
- 有 yǒu
to have, possess
- 反坫 fǎn diàn
a stand for holding inverted wine cups after a toast (a ritual object)
- 反 inverted, turned upside down (of a drinking cup)
- 坫 a stand (for wine cups after a toast)
- 管氏 guǎn shì
Guan (Guan Zhong), referred to by clan name
- 管 Guan (surname of Guan Zhong)
- 氏 clan-name suffix, used like 'Mr.'
- 而 ér
if (introducing a conditional clause)
而 here functions as a conditional marker ('if'), not its more common coordinating sense of 'and/but'.
- 知 zhī
to know, understand
- 禮 lǐ
ritual, the rites, ritual propriety
- 孰 shú
who? which one? (rhetorical interrogative pronoun)
- 不知 bù zhī
does not know, does not understand
- 不 not
- 知 to know, understand
- 禮 lǐ
ritual, the rites, ritual propriety
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