Book 6: 《雍也》 Yong Ye (As for Yong)
《雍也》 Passage 6.8
Legge Translation (1861)
Ji Kang asked about Zhongyou, whether he was fit to be employed as an officer of government. The Master said: "You is a man of decision; what difficulty would he find in being an officer of government?"Kang asked: "Is Ci fit to be employed as an officer of government?" and was answered: "Ci is a man of intelligence; what difficulty would he find in being an officer of government?"
And to the same question about Qiu the Master gave the same reply, saying: "Qiu is a man of various ability."
Word by word
- 季康子 jì kāng zǐ
Ji Kangzi, head of the Ji family, most powerful minister of Lu
- 季 surname element: Ji, in the name Ji Kangzi
- 康 Kang, posthumous epithet in 季康子 (Ji Kangzi, i.e. Jisun Fei 季孫肥)
- 子 honorific suffix on a grandee's name: Master
- 問 wèn
to ask
- 仲由 zhòng yóu
Zhongyou, courtesy name Zilu, a disciple of Confucius
- 仲 Zhong, the surname of the disciple Zilu (仲由, Zhong You); his given name is 由
- 由 name element: You, in Zhongyou (Zilu's given name)
- 可使 kě shǐ
fit to be employed, qualified to serve
- 可 can, may, be permitted to
- 使 causative marker: to be sent to, employed to do something
- 從政 cóng zhèng
to engage in government, hold office
- 從 to engage in, be occupied with
- 政 government affairs, administration
- 也與 yě yú
forms a yes-or-no question: is it so that...?
- 也 final particle of assertion, used here in a yes/no question
- 與 interrogative final particle, equivalent to 歟
- 子曰 zǐ yuē
the Master said
- 子 Master, honorific title for Confucius
- 曰 said, spoke
- 由 yóu
You (Zilu), referred to by his given name
- 也 yě
topic-marking particle: marks the preceding word as topic of the clause
- 果 guǒ
resolute, decisive
- 於…乎 yú … hū
topic-marking frame introducing a rhetorical question: as for..., would there be any...?
- 於 in, with regard to; oblique-marking preposition
- 乎 medial particle marking a pause after the fronted phrase 於從政
乎 marks the interrogative pause here.
- 從政 cóng zhèng
to engage in government, hold office
- 從 to engage in, be occupied with
- 政 government affairs, administration
- 何有 hé yǒu
what difficulty could there be?, idiom for no problem at all
- 何 what
- 有 to exist, be present
- 曰 yuē
said, asked
- 賜 cì
Ci (Si), courtesy name Zigong, a disciple of Confucius
- 也 yě
topic-marking particle: marks the preceding word as topic of the clause
- 可使 kě shǐ
fit to be employed, qualified to serve
- 可 can, may, be permitted to
- 使 causative marker: to be sent to, employed to do something
- 從政 cóng zhèng
to engage in government, hold office
- 從 to engage in, be occupied with
- 政 government affairs, administration
- 也與 yě yú
forms a yes-or-no question: is it so that...?
- 也 final particle of assertion, used here in a yes/no question
- 與 interrogative final particle, equivalent to 歟
- 曰 yuē
said, answered
- 賜 cì
Ci (Si), courtesy name Zigong, a disciple of Confucius
- 也 yě
topic-marking particle: marks the preceding word as topic of the clause
- 達 dá
perceptive, penetrating in understanding
Roberts reads 達 as worldly success rather than intellectual penetration, a genuine interpretive divergence from the other seven.
- 於…乎 yú … hū
topic-marking frame introducing a rhetorical question: as for..., would there be any...?
- 於 in, with regard to; oblique-marking preposition
- 乎 medial particle marking a pause after the fronted phrase 於從政
乎 marks the interrogative pause here.
- 從政 cóng zhèng
to engage in government, hold office
- 從 to engage in, be occupied with
- 政 government affairs, administration
- 何有 hé yǒu
what difficulty could there be?, idiom for no problem at all
- 何 what
- 有 to exist, be present
- 曰 yuē
said, asked
Legge does not quote the Qiu exchange directly; he paraphrases it in third-person narration ('the same question about Qiu').
- 求 qiú
Qiu, given name of the disciple Ran Qiu (冉求); his courtesy name is 子有 (Ran You)
- 也 yě
topic-marking particle: marks the preceding word as topic of the clause
- 可使 kě shǐ
fit to be employed, qualified to serve
- 可 can, may, be permitted to
- 使 causative marker: to be sent to, employed to do something
- 從政 cóng zhèng
to engage in government, hold office
- 從 to engage in, be occupied with
- 政 government affairs, administration
- 也與 yě yú
forms a yes-or-no question: is it so that...?
- 也 final particle of assertion, used here in a yes/no question
- 與 interrogative final particle, equivalent to 歟
Legge does not quote this question at all.
- 曰 yuē
said, answered
- 求 qiú
Qiu, given name of the disciple Ran Qiu (冉求); his courtesy name is 子有 (Ran You)
- 也 yě
topic-marking particle: marks the preceding word as topic of the clause
- 藝 yì
accomplished, skilled in many arts
translators split between reading 藝 as technical/artistic skill and as general versatile cultivation.
- 於…乎 yú … hū
topic-marking frame introducing a rhetorical question: as for..., would there be any...?
- 於 in, with regard to; oblique-marking preposition
- 乎 medial particle marking a pause after the fronted phrase 於從政
乎 marks the interrogative pause here.
- 從政 cóng zhèng
to engage in government, hold office
- 從 to engage in, be occupied with
- 政 government affairs, administration
- 何有 hé yǒu
what difficulty could there be?, idiom for no problem at all
- 何 what
- 有 to exist, be present
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