《公冶長》 Passage 5.26

Yan Yuan (Yan Hui), disciple of Confucius noted for virtue

• 顏 Yan, surname of the disciple Yan Yuan (also known as Yan Hui)
• 淵 Yuan, courtesy-name element in 顏淵; Yan Hui's given name is 回, his courtesy name 子淵

Jilu, courtesy name of the disciple Zilu

• 季 Ji, first syllable of Jilu, a courtesy name of the disciple Zilu
• 路 Lu, second syllable of Jilu, a courtesy name of the disciple Zilu

to attend upon, be in attendance on a superior

the Master said

• 子 the Master, Confucius
• 曰 said, spoke

why not?, why don't (you)? — interrogative suggestion

each, every one (of you)

to speak, tell, state

your — second-person possessive

aspiration, ambition, what one intends or aims for

Zilu, disciple of Confucius

• 子 prefix of a courtesy name, as in 子路 and 子貢; not the title Master
• 路 Lu, second syllable of the disciple Zilu's name

said

to wish, would like to

carriage(s) and horses

• 車 cart, carriage
• 馬 horse

clothing, garments

朱熹 reads 衣 in the departing tone, yì, to wear, making the phrase carriages, horses and the wearing of light furs; the translators and 楊伯峻 take it as the noun clothing.

light fur coat(s)

• 輕 light, light in weight
• 裘 fur coat, fur garment

皇本 lacks 輕, and in 唐石經 it is a later side-addition, so many editors treat it as an intrusion; only Legge renders it, the others giving furs alone.

with, together with

friends

• 朋 friend, companion (originally a fellow student)
• 友 friend

Slingerland and Peimin Ni preserve the original distinction between 朋 (fellow students/associates) and 友 (friends).

to share, hold in common

to become worn out, damaged through use

• 敝 to become worn out, damaged through use
• 之 them — the shared goods just mentioned

most translators read the shared goods as simply wearing out; Ames & Rosemont's phrasing ('if they damage them') implies the friends themselves cause the damage.

concessive conjunction: even if, though

to have no regret, feel no resentment

• 無 not, without — negates the word that follows
• 憾 regret, resentment, dissatisfaction

Yan Yuan (Yan Hui), disciple of Confucius noted for virtue

• 顏 Yan, surname of the disciple Yan Yuan (also known as Yan Hui)
• 淵 Yuan, courtesy-name element in 顏淵; Yan Hui's given name is 回, his courtesy name 子淵

said

to wish, would like to

not, never — negation

to boast of, brag about one's own good qualities

• 伐 to boast of, brag about
• 善 goodness, good qualities, one's own merit

not, never — negation

to boast of, take credit for one's own effort or accomplishments

• 施 to impose, extend, apply an action toward another — translators diverge on whether the action is directed at oneself (claiming credit) or at others (imposing burdens); the recipient is not overtly marked in the Chinese.
• 勞 toil, hard work, exertion

a long-standing interpretive split: Legge, Slingerland, Roberts, Ames & Rosemont and Chin read this as self-directed (not touting one's own labors, paralleling 無伐善), while Peimin Ni, Lau and Watson read it as other-directed (not burdening other people with toil).

Zilu, disciple of Confucius

• 子 prefix of a courtesy name, as in 子路 and 子貢; not the title Master
• 路 Lu, second syllable of the disciple Zilu's name

said

to wish, would like to

to hear

you, sir — respectful address to Confucius

possessive particle: 's

aspiration, ambition, what one intends or aims for

the Master said

• 子 the Master, Confucius
• 曰 said, spoke

the old, the aged

• 老 old, aged
• 者 nominalizing particle: those who, the ones who

to bring peace, comfort, security to them (causative)

• 安 to set at ease, bring peace and security to
• 之 them — the aged just mentioned

friends

• 朋 friend, companion
• 友 friend

to be trusted by, have the trust of one's friends

• 信 to trust, have confidence in — translators diverge on the direction of trust: Confucius trusting friends, friends trusting Confucius, or mutual trust.
• 之 them — the friends just mentioned

translators split on the direction of trust: Roberts/Chin/Slingerland/Peimin Ni read friends as trusting Confucius, Legge/Watson/Ames & Rosemont read Confucius as sincere or trustworthy toward them, and Lau reads Confucius as the one trusting his friends — the unmarked subject of classical Chinese permits all three.

the young

• 少 young, few in years
• 者 nominalizing particle: those who, the ones who

to cherish, care tenderly for them (causative)

• 懷 to cherish, hold dear, care tenderly for — some translators reverse the direction, reading this as the young cherishing or drawing close to Confucius rather than the reverse.
• 之 them — the young just mentioned

Slingerland and Chin reverse the expected direction, reading 之 as pointing back to Confucius — the young come to cherish or stay close to him — rather than as the young being the object of his care.