Book 4: 《里仁》 Li Ren (Dwelling in Ren)
《里仁》 Passage 4.18
Legge Translation (1861)
The Master said: "In serving his parents, a son may remonstrate with them, but gently; when he sees that they do not incline to follow his advice, he shows an increased degree of reverence, but does not abandon his purpose; and should they punish him, he does not allow himself to murmur."Word by word
- 子曰 zǐ yuē
the Master said
- 子 master, teacher (here referring to Confucius)
- 曰 said, spoke
- 事父母 shì fù mǔ
to serve one's parents
- 事 to serve, attend to
- 父 father
- 母 mother
- 幾 jī
gently, mildly, tactfully
幾 is read jī; 包咸 and 朱熹 gloss it as 微, subtle, so 幾諫 is to remonstrate gently and indirectly.
- 諫 jiàn
to remonstrate, admonish
- 見 jiàn
to see, observe
Peimin Ni reads 見 as 'showing' one's intention rather than 'seeing' the parents' response.
- 志 zhì
one's will, intention (the advice offered)
包咸 takes 志 as the parents' will, seeing that they are not disposed to follow one's remonstrance, and Watson follows him; 楊伯峻 and the other translators take it as the son's own advice going unheeded.
- 不從 bù cóng
to not follow, comply with, or heed
- 不 not
- 從 to follow, comply with, heed
- 又 yòu
moreover, still, continuing on
- 敬 jìng
to be respectful, reverent
- 不違 bù wéi
to not disobey, oppose, defy them
- 不 not
- 違 to disobey, oppose, go against — Legge and Peimin Ni instead read this as abandoning one's own resolve, rather than opposing the parents.
Legge and Peimin Ni read 不違 as not abandoning one's own purpose, rather than not opposing the parents.
- 勞 láo
to toil, labor, grow weary from effort
Legge's punish him follows 朱熹, who reads 勞 through the 內則 passage on a parent beating a son till blood flows; Ames & Rosemont and Chin follow 楊伯峻, who glosses 勞 as 憂, to be worried; the others keep toil or weariness.
- 而 ér
adversative/concessive conjunction: yet, but, though
- 不怨 bù yuàn
to not resent, hold no resentment, not complain
- 不 not
- 怨 to resent, feel resentment, complain
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