Book 7: 《述而》 Shu Er (Transmission)
《述而》 Passage 7.26
Legge Translation (1861)
The Master said: "A sage it is not mine to see; could I see a man of real talent and virtue, that would satisfy me."The Master said: "A good man it is not mine to see; could I see a man possessed of constancy, that would satisfy me.
Having not and yet affecting to have, empty and yet affecting to be full, straitened and yet affecting to be at ease: — it is difficult with such characteristics to have constancy."
Word by word
- 子曰 zǐ yuē
the Master said
- 子 master, teacher (title for Confucius)
- 曰 said, spoke
- 聖人 shèng rén
sage
- 聖 sage, of consummate wisdom and virtue
- 人 person
- 吾 wú
I, me
- 不得而 bù dé ér
unable to, cannot manage to
- 不 not
- 得 to be able to, to manage to
- 而 conjunctive particle: and, and yet
- 見 jiàn
to see, to meet
- 之 zhī
third-person object pronoun: him, it
- 矣 yǐ
final particle of assertion
- 得 dé
to manage to, to be able to, to get to
- 見 jiàn
to see, to meet
- 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
- 者 zhě
topic-marking particle introducing a conditional clause: if, as for
Here 者 turns the preceding verb phrase into a conditional topic rather than nominalizing a noun phrase.
- 斯 sī
resumptive demonstrative: then, in that case
- 可 kě
acceptable, sufficient, satisfactory
- 矣 yǐ
final particle of assertion
- 子曰 zǐ yuē
the Master said
- 子 master, teacher (title for Confucius)
- 曰 said, spoke
- 善人 shàn rén
good person, virtuous person
- 善 good, virtuous
- 人 person
- 吾 wú
I, me
- 不得而 bù dé ér
unable to, cannot manage to
- 不 not
- 得 to be able to, to manage to
- 而 conjunctive particle: and, and yet
- 見 jiàn
to see, to meet
- 之 zhī
third-person object pronoun: him, it
- 矣 yǐ
final particle of assertion
- 得 dé
to manage to, to be able to
- 見 jiàn
to see, to meet
- 有恆 yǒu héng
constancy, having constancy
- 有 to have, to possess
- 恆 constancy, steadfastness
- 者 zhě
nominalizing particle: one who, a person who
- 斯 sī
resumptive demonstrative: then, in that case
- 可 kě
acceptable, sufficient, satisfactory
- 矣 yǐ
final particle of assertion
- 亡 wú
to lack, to be without, to have nothing
- 而 ér
contrastive conjunction: yet, though
- 為 wéi
to act as, to pretend to be, to pass oneself off as
- 有 yǒu
to have, to possess
- 虛 xū
empty, void
- 而 ér
contrastive conjunction: yet, though
- 為 wéi
to act as, to pretend to be, to pass oneself off as
- 盈 yíng
full, overflowing
- 約 yuē
impoverished, restricted, in reduced circumstances
- 而 ér
contrastive conjunction: yet, though
- 為 wéi
to act as, to pretend to be, to pass oneself off as
- 泰 tài
lavish, living in comfort and abundance
朱熹 glosses 泰 as 侈, lavish display, and 楊伯峻 as 豪華, so Slingerland 'grandness', Roberts 'opulence' and Watson 'affluence'; Legge, Peimin Ni, Lau and Chin read it as being at ease.
- 難 nán
difficult, hard
- 乎 hū
coverb equivalent to 於: hard in the matter of, difficult for one to
- 有恆 yǒu héng
constancy, having constancy
- 有 to have, to possess
- 恆 constancy, steadfastness
- 矣 yǐ
final particle of assertion
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