Book 6: 《雍也》 Yong Ye (As for Yong)
《雍也》 Passage 6.4
Legge Translation (1861)
Zihua being employed on a mission to Qi, the disciple Ran requested grain for his mother. The Master said: "Give her a fu."Ran requested more. "Give her an yu," said the Master.
Ran gave her five bing. The Master said: "When Chi was proceeding to Qi, he had fat horses to his carriage, and wore light furs. I have heard that a superior man helps the distressed, but does not add to the wealth of the rich."
Word by word
- 子華 zǐ huá
Zihua, courtesy name of the disciple Gongxi Chi
- 子 prefix of a courtesy name, as in 子路 and 子貢; not the title Master
- 華 flowery, illustrious; second syllable of Zihua, the courtesy name of Gongxi Chi
- 使 shǐ
to be sent on an official mission
- 於 yú
coverb marking destination: to
- 齊 qí
the state of Qi
- 冉子 rǎn zǐ
Ran Qiu (Master Ran), a disciple of Confucius
- 冉 surname of a disciple of Confucius
- 子 honorific title: master, a polite title for an accomplished person
- 為 wèi
coverb: for, on behalf of
- 其 qí
his, her (possessive pronoun)
Several translators substitute Zihua's name for the pronoun, doing the same possessive work as 其.
- 母 mǔ
mother
- 請 qǐng
to request, ask for
- 粟 sù
grain, millet
- 子曰 zǐ yuē
the Master said
- 子 honorific title: the Master (Confucius)
- 曰 said, spoke
- 與 yǔ
to give
- 之 zhī
her (object pronoun)
- 釜 fǔ
a fu, a small dry measure of grain
Translators diverge sharply on this ancient dry measure, transliterating it (fu) or converting it to a day's worth, a full measure, or a peck.
- 請 qǐng
to request, ask for
- 益 yì
more, an increase in amount
- 曰 yuē
said, spoke
- 與 yǔ
to give
- 之 zhī
her (object pronoun)
- 庾 yǔ
a yu, a dry measure of grain larger than a fu
As with fu, translators do not agree on a fixed English equivalent for this measure, transliterating it or approximating it very differently.
- 冉子 rǎn zǐ
Ran Qiu (Master Ran), a disciple of Confucius
- 冉 surname of a disciple of Confucius
- 子 honorific title: master, a polite title for an accomplished person
- 與 yǔ
to give
- 之 zhī
her (object pronoun)
- 粟 sù
grain, millet
- 五 wǔ
five
Roberts and Ames & Rosemont convert the quantity to a multiplier of ten rather than translating the numeral five, reflecting a different reading of the bing measure.
- 秉 bǐng
a bing, a large dry measure of grain, sixteen hu (about twenty-five fu)
包咸 (in 何晏) and 朱熹 give 釜 as 6 dou 4 sheng, 庾 as 16 dou and 秉 as 16 hu, so five 秉 is 80 hu, roughly 125 釜. Most translators transliterate the unit (bing/ping); Watson and Ames & Rosemont write 'measures', and Roberts folds the quantity into 'ten times that much'.
- 子曰 zǐ yuē
the Master said
- 子 honorific title: the Master (Confucius)
- 曰 said, spoke
- 赤 chì
Chi, the given name of the disciple Zihua
- 之…也 zhī … yě
marks a temporal/circumstantial subordinate clause: when...
- 之 subject-marking particle introducing a subordinate clause
- 也 particle marking the pause after the subordinate clause 赤之適齊
Lau and Chin recast the clause as a plain main clause with no subordinating word, so the frame's temporal work is done by juxtaposition rather than by an explicit 'when'.
- 適 shì
to go to, proceed to
- 齊 qí
the state of Qi
- 乘 chéng
to ride, be conveyed by (a carriage horse)
- 肥 féi
fat, well-fed
- 馬 mǎ
horse
- 衣 yì
to wear
As a verb, to wear, 衣 is read yì (去聲), not yī.
- 輕 qīng
light in weight
- 裘 qiú
fur garment, fur coat
- 吾 wú
I, me
- 聞 wén
to hear
- 之 zhī
it (object pronoun, referring to the statement that follows)
- 也 yě
particle marking a pause after 吾聞之 before the maxim it introduces
- 君子 jūn zǐ
exemplary person, gentleman
- 君 lord, ruler; 君子 is literally a lord's son
- 子 son; 君子 is literally a lord's son, one of the ruling class, which the Analects makes a term of character
- 周 zhōu
to help, come to the aid of
- 急 jí
the needy, those in urgent distress
- 不 bù
not
- 繼 jì
to add to, keep supplying, continue enriching
- 富 fù
the rich, the wealthy
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