Book 4: 《里仁》 Li Ren (Dwelling in Ren)
《里仁》 Passage 4.20
Legge Translation (1861)
The Master said: "If the son for three years does not alter from the way of his father, he may be called filial."Word by word
- 子曰 zǐ yuē
the Master said
- 子 the Master, honorific title for Confucius
- 曰 said, spoke
- 三年 sān nián
three years
- 三 three
- 年 year
- 無改 wú gǎi
to not change, to not alter
- 無 negation particle: not, without
- 改 to change, to alter
- 於 yú
from, out of (marking the father's way as what is departed from)
Legge and Peimin Ni read 於 as marking the father's way as the source not deviated from; Slingerland and Lau read it as the target no change is made to. Roberts, Ames & Rosemont, Watson, and Chin absorb the preposition into the verb phrase without a distinct word.
- 父 fù
father
- 之 zhī
possessive particle: 's, of
- 道 dào
way, course of conduct
Roberts alone renders 道 as teaching rather than way/ways.
- 可謂…矣 kě wèi … yǐ
can be said to be, may be called
- 可 can, may, expressing possibility
- 謂 to call, to term
- 矣 sentence-final particle marking a completed or asserted state
矣 marks the judgment as settled; Watson's resumptive then reflects this assertive force.
- 孝 xiào
filial, dutifully devoted to one's parents
Lau alone renders 孝 as good rather than filial.
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