Book 5: 《公冶長》 Gong Ye Chang
《公冶長》 Passage 5.22
Legge Translation (1861)
When the Master was in Chen, he said: "Let me return! Let me return! The little children of my school are ambitious and too hasty. They are accomplished and complete so far, but they do not know how to restrict and shape themselves."Word by word
- 子 zǐ
Confucius, referred to by the honorific title 'the Master'
- 在 zài
to be at, staying in (a place)
- 陳 chén
name of the state of Chen
- 曰 yuē
said, spoke
Slingerland alone renders this as 'sighed', capturing the wistful tone of the remark.
- 歸 guī
to return, go home
- 與 yú
exclamatory final particle (variant of 歟)
- 歸 guī
to return, go home
- 與 yú
exclamatory final particle (variant of 歟)
- 吾 wú
we, our
- 黨 dǎng
one's home community, local district, circle of followers
- 之 zhī
possessive/modifying particle: 's, of
Only Legge, Roberts, and Watson render this explicitly as 'of'.
- 小子 xiǎo zǐ
young men, disciples, followers
- 小 young, small in age
- 子 young person, disciple, follower
- 狂 kuáng
wild, unrestrained, overreaching in ambition
- 簡 jiǎn
simple, unrefined, unhewn in polish
Legge and Watson read 簡 as haste; Peimin Ni, Chin, and Ames & Rosemont read it as unpolished simplicity — the same word supports both.
- 斐然成章 fěi rán chéng zhāng
having formed a brilliant, accomplished pattern
- 斐 elegant, having a brilliant pattern
- 然 adverbial suffix marking manner: -ly
- 成 to form, complete, become accomplished
- 章 pattern, visible design, accomplished form
Often pictured as cloth finely woven into pattern; some translators read the image more critically as mere showiness.
- 不知 bù zhī
do not know (how to)
- 不 not
- 知 to know
- 所以 suǒ yǐ
the means by which, how to
- 所 nominalizing particle: that which, the means by which
- 以 by means of, with which
- 裁 cái
to cut, trim, shape into proper measure
- 之 zhī
it, the pattern/fabric of their accomplishment
Legge, Peimin Ni, Roberts, and Lau render 之 reflexively as 'themselves'; Slingerland, Ames & Rosemont, and Watson keep it as 'it', referring to the brilliant pattern itself.
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