Book 5: 《公冶長》 Gong Ye Chang
《公冶長》 Passage 5.19
Legge Translation (1861)
Zizhang asked, saying: "The minister Ziwen thrice took office, and manifested no joy in his countenance. Thrice he retired from office, and manifested no displeasure. He made it a point to inform the new minister of the way in which he had conducted the government; — what do you say of him?"The Master replied: "He was loyal."
"Was he perfectly virtuous?"
"I do not know. How can he be pronounced perfectly virtuous?"
Zizhang proceeded: "When the officer Cui killed the prince of Qi, Chen Wen, though he was the owner of forty horses, abandoned them and left the country. Coming to another State, he said, 'They are here like our great officer, Cui,' and left it. He came to a second State, and with the same observation left it also; — what do you say of him?"
The Master replied: "He was pure."
"Was he perfectly virtuous?"
"I do not know. How can he be pronounced perfectly virtuous?"
Word by word
- 子張 zǐ zhāng
Zizhang, a disciple of Confucius (courtesy name of Zhuansun Shi 顓孫師)
- 子 prefix of a courtesy name, as in 子路 and 子貢; not the title Master
- 張 Zhang, courtesy-name element in 子張, the courtesy name of the disciple Zhuansun Shi (顓孫師)
- 問曰 wèn yuē
asked, saying
- 問 to ask, inquire
- 曰 to say (introduces direct speech)
- 令尹 lìng yǐn
chief minister, prime minister (title of the highest official of Chu)
- 令 an order, decree, directive
- 尹 a director, governor, minister
- 子文 zǐ wén
Ziwen, courtesy name of Dou Gouwutu 鬬穀於菟, chief minister of Chu
- 子 prefix of a courtesy name, as in 子路 and 子貢; not the title Master
- 文 Wen, element of the courtesy name Ziwen, by which the Chu chief minister Dou Gouwutu (鬬穀於菟) was known
- 三 sān
three times
- 仕 shì
to serve in office, hold an official post
- 為 wéi
to become, be made, act as
- 令尹 lìng yǐn
chief minister, prime minister (title of the highest official of Chu)
- 令 an order, decree, directive
- 尹 a director, governor, minister
- 無 wú
without, showed no
- 喜色 xǐ sè
a look or sign of joy, a pleased expression
- 喜 joy, pleasure, delight
- 色 countenance, facial expression
- 三 sān
three times
- 已 yǐ
to stop, cease, be relieved of a post
- 之 zhī
it, referring back to the office just mentioned
- 無 wú
without, showed no
- 慍色 yùn sè
a look or sign of resentment, a displeased expression
- 慍 anger, resentment, indignation
- 色 countenance, facial expression
- 舊 jiù
former, outgoing
- 令尹 lìng yǐn
chief minister, prime minister (title of the highest official of Chu)
- 令 an order, decree, directive
- 尹 a director, governor, minister
- 之 zhī
possessive particle: 's, of
- 政 zhèng
governance, administration, affairs of state
- 必 bì
surely, invariably, without fail
- 以告 yǐ gào
to duly inform, report on the basis of it
- 以 by means of, with it (introduces what is thereby done)
- 告 to tell, inform, report
- 新 xīn
new, incoming
- 令尹 lìng yǐn
chief minister, prime minister (title of the highest official of Chu)
- 令 an order, decree, directive
- 尹 a director, governor, minister
- 何如 hé rú
what about?, what do you think?
- 何 what, how
- 如 to be like, resemble
- 子曰 zǐ yuē
the Master said
- 子 honorific title: Master (i.e., Confucius)
- 曰 to say (introduces direct speech)
- 忠 zhōng
loyal, faithful
- 矣 yǐ
final particle of assertion: indeed, certainly
- 曰 yuē
said, asked (marks a turn in dialogue)
- 仁 rén
humaneness, benevolence
- 矣乎 yǐ hū
interrogative confirming frame: was he indeed...?
- 矣 final particle marking an assertion: indeed, certainly
- 乎 interrogative final particle
- 曰 yuē
said, asked (marks a turn in dialogue)
- 未知 wèi zhī
I do not know, it is not known
- 未 not yet
- 知 to know
孔安國 in 何晏 and 朱熹 take 未知 as 'I do not know (whether he was humane)', the reading of Legge, Slingerland, Peimin Ni, Watson and Chin; Lau instead reads 知 as 智, 'he cannot even be said to be wise', a construal some Qing scholars defended.
- 焉 yān
how, why (rhetorical interrogative expecting a negative answer)
- 得 dé
to deserve, merit, be worthy of being considered
- 仁 rén
humaneness, benevolence
- 崔子 cuī zǐ
Cui Zi (Cui Zhu 崔杼), a grandee of Qi who assassinated Duke Zhuang in 548 BCE
- 崔 surname Cui, in the name Cui Zi
- 子 honorific suffix appended to a personal name
- 弒 shì
to assassinate a ruler or superior
- 齊君 qí jūn
the ruler of Qi
- 齊 the state of Qi
- 君 ruler, lord, sovereign
- 陳文子 chén wén zǐ
Chen Wenzi (Chen Xuwu 陳須無), a grandee of Qi; Wen is his posthumous title
- 陳 surname Chen, in the name Chen Wenzi
- 文 Wen, posthumous epithet in 陳文子 (Chen Wenzi, i.e. Chen Xuwu 陳須無)
- 子 honorific suffix appended to a personal name
- 有 yǒu
to have, possess, own
- 馬十乘 mǎ shí shèng
ten four-horse chariot teams (a mark of noble wealth and rank)
- 馬 horse
- 十 ten
- 乘 measure word for a team of four chariot-horses
- 棄 qì
to abandon, discard, give up
- 而 ér
conjunctive particle: and, and then
- 違 wéi
to leave, depart from, turn away from
- 之 zhī
it, referring to the state being left
- 至於 zhì yú
to arrive at, come to, reach
- 至 to arrive, reach
- 於 at, in (preposition marking place)
- 他邦 tā bāng
another state, another country
- 他 other, another
- 邦 a state, country
- 則 zé
sequential connective: then, thereupon
- 曰 yuē
said, asked (marks a turn in dialogue)
- 猶 yóu
to be like, resemble, be just as bad as
- 吾 wú
I, my, our
- 大夫 dà fū
grand officer, high minister, counsellor
- 大 great, high-ranking (element of an official title)
- 夫 man, officer (element of an official title)
- 崔子 cuī zǐ
Cui Zi (personal name, an official of Qi who assassinated his ruler)
- 崔 surname Cui, in the name Cui Zi
- 子 honorific suffix appended to a personal name
- 也 yě
final particle of strong assertion or identity
English closes the quoted assertion with a period or exclamation mark rather than a word for 也.
- 違 wéi
to leave, depart from, turn away from
- 之 zhī
it, referring to the state just criticized
- 之 zhī
to go to, proceed to
- 一邦 yī bāng
another state, one more state
- 一 one, another, a single
- 邦 a state, country
- 則 zé
sequential connective: then, thereupon
- 又 yòu
again, once more
- 曰 yuē
said, asked (marks a turn in dialogue)
- 猶 yóu
to be like, resemble, be just as bad as
- 吾 wú
I, my, our
- 大夫 dà fū
grand officer, high minister, counsellor
- 大 great, high-ranking (element of an official title)
- 夫 man, officer (element of an official title)
- 崔子 cuī zǐ
Cui Zi (personal name, an official of Qi who assassinated his ruler)
- 崔 surname Cui, in the name Cui Zi
- 子 honorific suffix appended to a personal name
- 也 yě
final particle of strong assertion or identity
English closes the quoted assertion with a period or exclamation mark rather than a word for 也.
- 違 wéi
to leave, depart from, turn away from
- 之 zhī
it, referring to the state just criticized
- 何如 hé rú
what about?, what do you think?
- 何 what, how
- 如 to be like, resemble
- 子曰 zǐ yuē
the Master said
- 子 honorific title: Master (i.e., Confucius)
- 曰 to say (introduces direct speech)
- 清 qīng
pure, unsullied
- 矣 yǐ
final particle of assertion: indeed, certainly
- 曰 yuē
said, asked (marks a turn in dialogue)
- 仁 rén
humaneness, benevolence
- 矣乎 yǐ hū
interrogative confirming frame: was he indeed...?
- 矣 final particle marking an assertion: indeed, certainly
- 乎 interrogative final particle
- 曰 yuē
said, asked (marks a turn in dialogue)
- 未知 wèi zhī
I do not know, it is not known
- 未 not yet
- 知 to know
- 焉 yān
how, why (rhetorical interrogative expecting a negative answer)
- 得 dé
to deserve, merit, be worthy of being considered
- 仁 rén
humaneness, benevolence
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