Book 7: 《述而》 Shu Er (Transmission)
《述而》 Passage 7.34
Legge Translation (1861)
The Master said: "The sage and the man of perfect virtue;— how dare I rank myself with them? It may simply be said of me, that I strive to become such without satiety, and teach others without weariness." Gongxi Hua said: "This is just what we, the disciples, cannot imitate you in."Word by word
- 子曰 zǐ yuē
the Master said
- 子 the Master (title of respect for Confucius)
- 曰 said, says (introduces direct speech)
- 若…則 ruò … zé
conditional/topical frame: if it comes to..., then... (premise and consequence)
- 若 if, supposing; as for (introduces a hypothetical topic)
- 則 then, in that case (marks the consequent of a condition)
- 聖 shèng
sage, one of consummate wisdom and virtue
- 與 yǔ
coordinating conjunction: and, or
- 仁 rén
humaneness, benevolence (a person of ren)
- 吾 wú
I, me
- 豈 qǐ
rhetorical interrogative: how could, how would
- 敢 gǎn
to dare, presume to
- 抑 yì
adversative transition: but rather, however
- 為 wéi
to do, work at, pursue
- 之 zhī
it, that (object pronoun referring to the pursuit)
- 不 bù
not, without
- 厭 yàn
to tire of, be weary of
Translators split between a fatigue image (tire, flag) and a satiation image (satiety, sated), both native senses of 厭.
- 誨 huì
to teach, instruct
- 人 rén
other people, others
- 不 bù
not, never
- 倦 juàn
weary, tired
- 則 zé
resultative connective: then, in that case
- 可謂 kě wèi
can be said to be, may be called
- 可 can, may (expresses possibility)
- 謂 to say, to call, to term
- 云爾已 yún ěr yǐ
closing phrase of assertion: that is all, and nothing more
- 云 thus, so (in the fixed closing phrase 云爾, 'so it is')
- 爾 thus, so, in this way (demonstrative in the closing phrase)
- 已 stop, cease; only, merely (in the closing phrase, 'that is all')
- 矣 yǐ
final particle marking completed assertion
- 公西華 gōng xī huá
Gongxi Hua, proper name of a disciple of Confucius
- 公 duke, nobleman (element of a two-character surname)
- 西 west, western (element of a two-character surname)
- 華 Hua, courtesy-name element in 子華, the courtesy name of Gongxi Chi (公西赤); his given name is 赤
- 曰 yuē
said
- 正唯 zhèng wéi
emphatic adverb: precisely, just, exactly
- 正 precisely, exactly (emphatic adverb)
- 唯 only, just (emphatic adverb)
- 弟子 dì zǐ
disciple, student
- 弟 younger brother (in the compound 弟子, disciple)
- 子 child, disciple (in the compound 弟子, disciple)
- 不 bù
not
- 能 néng
to be able to, can
- 學 xué
to learn, study
Legge, Watson, and Chin read 學 here as matching the Master's example rather than abstract study.
- 也 yě
final particle of assertion
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