Book 6: 《雍也》 Yong Ye (As for Yong)
《雍也》 Passage 6.2
Legge Translation (1861)
Zhonggong asked about Zisang Bozi. The Master said: "He may pass. He does not mind small matters."Zhonggong said: "If a man cherish in himself a reverential feeling of the necessity of attention to business, though he may be easy in small matters in his government of the people, that may be allowed. But if he cherish in himself that easy feeling, and also carry it out in his practice, is not such an easy mode of procedure excessive?"
The Master said: "Yong's words are right."
Word by word
- 仲弓 zhòng gōng
Zhonggong, courtesy name of the disciple Ran Yong
- 仲 first syllable of Zhonggong, courtesy name of the disciple Ran Yong
- 弓 second syllable of Zhonggong, courtesy name of the disciple Ran Yong
- 問 wèn
to ask about, inquire concerning
- 子桑伯子 zǐ sāng bó zǐ
Zisang Bozi, a contemporary Confucius appraises here (identity uncertain; 朱熹 calls him a man of Lu)
- 子 syllable in the name Zisang Bozi, an official discussed here
- 桑 syllable in the name Zisang Bozi, an official discussed here
- 伯 syllable in the name Zisang Bozi, an official discussed here
- 子 syllable in the name Zisang Bozi, an official discussed here
- 子曰 zǐ yuē
the Master said
- 子 honorific title: the Master, i.e. Confucius
- 曰 said, spoke (narrative attribution)
- 可 kě
acceptable, passable, will do
- 也 yě
final particle marking a flat assertion
English closes the clause with a period rather than a word; the particle's assertive force is carried by sentence-final intonation, not by any translated word.
- 簡 jiǎn
simple in manner, easygoing, undemanding
Ames & Rosemont alone reads 簡 as unadorned candor rather than administrative leniency.
- 仲弓 zhòng gōng
Zhonggong, courtesy name of the disciple Ran Yong
- 仲 first syllable of Zhonggong, courtesy name of the disciple Ran Yong
- 弓 second syllable of Zhonggong, courtesy name of the disciple Ran Yong
- 曰 yuē
said, spoke
- 居 jū
to dwell in, to hold oneself in an attitude or role
- 敬 jìng
reverence, a serious respectful attitude
- 而 ér
coordinating conjunction: and, but, and yet
- 行 xíng
to act, to conduct oneself
- 簡 jiǎn
simple in manner, easygoing, undemanding
- 以 yǐ
coverb marking means: by, using, thereby
- 臨 lín
to oversee, to govern, to supervise
- 其 qí
possessive pronoun: his, their
All eight translators simply write 'the people'; English lets the definite article stand in for the possessive the Chinese states explicitly.
- 民 mín
the common people, the subjects being governed
- 不亦…乎 bù yì … hū
is it not...?, rhetorical frame seeking agreement
- 不 negates the following word: not
- 亦 adverb reinforcing a rhetorical question: indeed, really
- 乎 interrogative final particle, marks a question
- 可 kě
acceptable, all right
- 居 jū
to dwell in, to hold oneself in an attitude or role
- 簡 jiǎn
simple in manner, easygoing, undemanding
- 而 ér
conjunctive particle: and, and then, and so
- 行 xíng
to act, to conduct oneself
- 簡 jiǎn
simple in manner, easygoing, undemanding
- 無乃…乎 wú nǎi … hū
is it not indeed...?, rhetorical frame anticipating agreement
- 無 negative adverb opening a rhetorical question: is it not that...
- 乃 adverb reinforcing a rhetorical question: then, indeed
- 乎 interrogative final particle, marks a question
- 大簡 tài jiǎn
excessive simplicity, carrying simplicity too far
- 大 excessively, too much, to a great degree
- 簡 simple in manner, easygoing, untroubled by small matters
大 is here the adverb 太 and is read tài, 'too, excessively' (釋文 音泰; so 朱熹).
- 子曰 zǐ yuē
the Master said
- 子 honorific title: the Master, i.e. Confucius
- 曰 said, spoke (narrative attribution)
- 雍 yōng
Yong, personal name of the disciple styled Zhonggong
- 之 zhī
genitive particle marking possession: 's, of
- 言 yán
words, what is said
- 然 rán
correct, right, so
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