Book 7: 《述而》 Shu Er (Transmission)
《述而》 Passage 7.33
Legge Translation (1861)
The Master said: "In letters I am perhaps equal to other men, but the character of the superior man, carrying out in his conduct what he professes, is what I have not yet attained to."Word by word
- 子曰 zǐ yuē
the Master said
- 子 master, teacher; title for Confucius
- 曰 said, spoke
- 文 wén
culture, cultural learning, literary refinement
Peimin Ni, Lau, and Chin instead read 文莫 as a single compound meaning 'diligent effort,' so their renderings have no separate word for culture here.
- 莫 mò
hedging adverb: perhaps, probably
Peimin Ni, Lau, and Chin read 文莫 together as a compound meaning 'diligent effort' rather than 莫 as a separate hedge word; Slingerland and Roberts restructure the clause without an isolable equivalent.
- 吾 wú
I, me
- 猶 yóu
to be like, equal to, comparable to
- 人 rén
other people, others
- 也 yě
final particle of assertion
- 躬行 gōng xíng
to personally practice, carry out in one's own conduct
- 躬 personally, in one's own person
- 行 to practice, carry out, put into action
- 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
- 則 zé
contrastive conjunction: but, then
- 吾 wú
I, me
- 未 wèi
not yet
- 之 zhī
object pronoun: it, that (referring back to what precedes)
- 有得 yǒu dé
to have attained, succeeded
- 有 to have, to possess
- 得 to attain, achieve, succeed
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