Book 6: 《雍也》 Yong Ye (As for Yong)
《雍也》 Passage 6.11
Legge Translation (1861)
The Master said: "Admirable indeed was the virtue of Hui! With a single bamboo dish of rice, a single gourd dish of drink, and living in his mean narrow lane, while others could not have endured the distress, he did not allow his joy to be affected by it. Admirable indeed was the virtue of Hui!"Word by word
- 子曰 zǐ yuē
the Master said
- 子 master, teacher (here, Confucius)
- 曰 said, spoke
- 賢 xián
worthy, admirable, of fine character
- 哉 zāi
exclamatory final particle: how...!, indeed!
- 回 huí
Hui, proper name of the disciple Yan Hui
- 也 yě
final particle of exclamatory assertion
- 一 yī
one, a (numeral marking a single humble portion)
- 簞食 dān shí
a bamboo container of rice, humble fare
- 簞 small round bamboo container for food
- 食 cooked rice, food (as a noun)
食 is here the noun and is read sì (朱熹: 食, 音嗣).
- 一 yī
one, a (numeral marking a single humble portion)
- 瓢飲 piáo yǐn
a gourd used as a drinking ladle, gourd of water
- 瓢 dried gourd used as a ladle or dipper
- 飲 drink (noun): water or other beverage
- 在 zài
to dwell in, living in
- 陋巷 lòu xiàng
mean lane, humble alley
- 陋 mean, humble, shabby
- 巷 lane, alley
- 人 rén
other people, others
- 不堪 bù kān
cannot bear, unable to endure
- 不 not
- 堪 to bear, to endure
- 其 qí
that, such (pointing back to the hardship of the life just described)
- 憂 yōu
hardship, distress, suffering
- 回 huí
Hui, proper name of the disciple Yan Hui
- 也 yě
topic-marking particle introducing contrast: yet, but
- 不 bù
not
- 改 gǎi
to change, to be affected
- 其 qí
his (possessive pronoun)
- 樂 lè
joy, contentment, happiness
Roberts renders this distinctively as "enthusiasm for our ideals," an interpretive reading rather than simple joy.
- 賢 xián
worthy, admirable, of fine character
- 哉 zāi
exclamatory final particle: how...!, indeed!
- 回 huí
Hui, proper name of the disciple Yan Hui
- 也 yě
final particle of exclamatory assertion
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