Book 5: 《公冶長》 Gong Ye Chang
《公冶長》 Passage 5.8
Legge Translation (1861)
Meng Wubo asked about Zilu, whether he was perfectly virtuous. The Master said: "I do not know."He asked again, when the Master replied: "In a kingdom of a thousand chariots, You might be employed to manage the military levies, but I do not know whether he be perfectly virtuous."
"And what do you say of Qiu?" The Master replied: "In a city of a thousand families, or a clan of a hundred chariots, Qiu might be employed as governor, but I do not know whether he is perfectly virtuous."
"What do you say of Chi?" The Master replied: "With his sash girt and standing in a court, Chi might be employed to converse with the visitors and guests, but I do not know whether he is perfectly virtuous."
Word by word
- 孟武伯 mèng wǔ bó
Meng Wubo, a grandee of the state of Lu
- 孟 eldest; a surname character
- 武 Wu, posthumous epithet in 孟武伯 (Meng Wubo, i.e. Zhongsun Zhi 仲孫彘)
- 伯 eldest brother; a hereditary rank, here a name character
- 問 wèn
to ask, inquire
- 子路 zǐ lù
Zilu, disciple of Confucius
- 子 prefix of a courtesy name, as in 子路 and 子貢; not the title Master
- 路 Lu, courtesy-name element in 子路, the courtesy name of Zhong You (仲由); his given name is 由
- 仁 rén
humane, benevolent, possessing ren
Translators split sharply on 仁: benevolent/humane (the majority) versus Ames & Rosemont's 'authoritative person'.
- 乎 hū
interrogative final particle
Most translators mark the question by inversion and a question mark alone; only three supply an explicit 'whether'.
- 子曰 zǐ yuē
the Master said
- 子 Master, honorific title for a teacher
- 曰 said, spoke (introduces reported speech)
- 不知 bù zhī
do not know, am not sure
- 不 not
- 知 to know
- 也 yě
final particle of assertion
English closes the sentence with a full stop.
- 又 yòu
again, once more
- 問 wèn
to ask, inquire
- 子曰 zǐ yuē
the Master said
- 子 Master, honorific title for a teacher
- 曰 said, spoke (introduces reported speech)
- 由 yóu
You, Zilu's given name
- 也 yě
topic-marking particle: as for...
- 千乘之國 qiān shèng zhī guó
a state of a thousand chariots, a major power
- 千 thousand
- 乘 chariot, a war-chariot used as a unit of military strength
- 之 possessive/attributive particle: 's, of
- 國 state, country
- 可使 kě shǐ
can be sent to, could be employed to
- 可 can, may (marks permission or possibility)
- 使 to cause, have (someone) do something; to employ
- 治 zhì
to govern, administer, manage
- 其 qí
its (referring to the state)
- 賦 fù
military tax, levy
- 也 yě
final particle of assertion
- 不知 bù zhī
do not know, am not sure
- 不 not
- 知 to know
- 其 qí
he, his (referring back to the person just named)
- 仁 rén
ren: true moral goodness, benevolence
- 也 yě
final particle of assertion
- 求 qiú
Qiu, Ran Qiu's given name
- 也 yě
topic-marking particle: as for...
- 何如 hé rú
what about, how is it with
- 何 what
- 如 be like, compare to (in 何如: what about, how is it)
- 子曰 zǐ yuē
the Master said
- 子 Master, honorific title for a teacher
- 曰 said, spoke (introduces reported speech)
- 求 qiú
Qiu, Ran Qiu's given name
- 也 yě
topic-marking particle: as for...
- 千室之邑 qiān shì zhī yì
a town of a thousand households
- 千 thousand
- 室 household
- 之 possessive/attributive particle: 's, of
- 邑 town, settlement
- 百乘之家 bǎi shèng zhī jiā
a family estate of a hundred chariots
- 百 hundred
- 乘 chariot, a war-chariot used as a unit of aristocratic strength
- 之 possessive/attributive particle: 's, of
- 家 household, family estate
- 可使 kě shǐ
can be sent to, could be employed to
- 可 can, may (marks permission or possibility)
- 使 to cause, have (someone) do something; to employ
- 為 wéi
to act as, serve as
- 之 zhī
it, its (referring back to the town/estate)
English leaves the object of 'steward' implicit rather than translating 之 as a separate pronoun.
- 宰 zǎi
steward, chief administrator
- 也 yě
final particle of assertion
- 不知 bù zhī
do not know, am not sure
- 不 not
- 知 to know
- 其 qí
he, his (referring back to the person just named)
- 仁 rén
ren: true moral goodness, benevolence
- 也 yě
final particle of assertion
- 赤 chì
Chi, Gongxi Chi's (Zihua's) given name
- 也 yě
topic-marking particle: as for...
- 何如 hé rú
what about, how is it with
- 何 what
- 如 be like, compare to (in 何如: what about, how is it)
- 子曰 zǐ yuē
the Master said
- 子 Master, honorific title for a teacher
- 曰 said, spoke (introduces reported speech)
- 赤 chì
Chi, Gongxi Chi's (Zihua's) given name
- 也 yě
topic-marking particle: as for...
- 束帶 shù dài
to bind on one's sash, don formal dress
- 束 to bind, fasten
- 帶 sash, girdle
- 立 lì
to stand, take one's place
- 於朝 yú cháo
at court
- 於 at, in (locative preposition)
- 朝 the (ducal) court
- 可使 kě shǐ
can be sent to, could be employed to
- 可 can, may (marks permission or possibility)
- 使 to cause, have (someone) do something; to employ
- 與 yǔ
with, to
- 賓客 bīn kè
guests, visitors
- 賓 guest
- 客 guest, visitor
- 言 yán
to speak, converse
- 也 yě
final particle of assertion
- 不知 bù zhī
do not know, am not sure
- 不 not
- 知 to know
- 其 qí
he, his (referring back to the person just named)
- 仁 rén
ren: true moral goodness, benevolence
- 也 yě
final particle of assertion
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