Book 7: 《述而》 Shu Er (Transmission)
《述而》 Passage 7.16
Legge Translation (1861)
The Master said: "With coarse rice to eat, with water to drink, and my bended arm for a pillow; — I have still joy in the midst of these things. Riches and honors acquired by unrighteousness, are to me as a floating cloud."Word by word
- 子曰 zǐ yuē
the Master said
- 子 the Master, a respectful title for Confucius
- 曰 said, spoke
- 飯 fàn
to eat, to feed on
- 疏食 shū shí
coarse food, plain fare
- 疏 coarse, plain, simple
- 食 food, grain, rice — read sì, cooked grain, food (朱熹: 食音嗣), not the verb shí.
- 飲 yǐn
to drink
- 水 shuǐ
water
- 曲 qū
bent, crooked
- 肱 gōng
upper arm, arm
- 而 ér
conjunctive particle linking successive actions: and, and then
- 枕 zhěn
to pillow, to rest one's head on
- 之 zhī
object pronoun: it, referring back to the bent arm
- 樂 lè
joy, pleasure, contentment
- 亦 yì
also, too
- 在…中 zài … zhōng
to be located within, to exist in the midst of
- 在 to be present in, to exist within
- 中 the midst, the middle of
- 其 qí
demonstrative pronoun: these, this, referring to the circumstances just described
- 矣 yǐ
final particle marking assertion of a realized state
- 不義 bù yì
unrighteous, without moral rightness
- 不 not
- 義 righteous, morally right
- 而 ér
conjunctive particle linking cause to result: and thereby
- 富 fù
wealthy, rich
- 且 qiě
coordinating conjunction: and, as well as
- 貴 guì
eminence, high social rank, honored position
Chin renders this as "power" rather than social rank or prestige, a divergent but related reading.
- 於 yú
preposition: to, in relation to
- 我 wǒ
me, I
- 如 rú
to be like, to resemble, no different from
- 浮雲 fú yún
floating clouds, something insubstantial and fleeting
- 浮 floating, drifting
- 雲 cloud, clouds
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