Book 8: 《泰伯》 Tai Bo
《泰伯》 Passage 8.19
Legge Translation (1861)
The Master said: "Great indeed was Yao as a sovereign! How majestic was he! It is only Heaven that is grand, and only Yao corresponded to it. How vast was his virtue! The people could find no name for it.How majestic was he in the works which he accomplished! How glorious in the elegant regulations which he instituted!"
Word by word
- 子曰 zǐ yuē
the Master said
- 子 the Master, Confucius (honorific title)
- 曰 said
- 大 dà
great
- 哉 zāi
exclamatory final particle: how...!, indeed!
- 堯 yáo
Yao, legendary sage-king
- 之 zhī
subordinating particle marking a clause as subject: X's Y-ing
- 為君 wéi jūn
to be ruler, act as sovereign
- 為 to be, act as
- 君 ruler, sovereign
- 也 yě
final particle of exclamatory assertion
- 巍巍 wēi wēi
majestic, towering, lofty
- 巍 majestic, towering (reduplicated for emphasis)
- 巍 majestic, towering (reduplicated for emphasis)
- 乎 hū
exclamatory intensifier: how...!, so...!
- 唯 wéi
only, alone
- 天 tiān
Heaven
- 為大 wéi dà
to be great
- 為 to be (copula)
- 大 great
- 唯 wéi
only, alone
- 堯 yáo
Yao, legendary sage-king
- 則 zé
to model oneself on, take as one's model
則 here is the verb 'to model oneself on', not the sequential adverb 'then'.
- 之 zhī
it, referring back to Heaven
- 蕩蕩 dàng dàng
vast, expansive, boundless
- 蕩 vast, expansive (reduplicated for emphasis)
- 蕩 vast, expansive (reduplicated for emphasis)
- 乎 hū
exclamatory intensifier: how...!, so...!
- 民 mín
the people
- 無 wú
there is no one who, none
- 能 néng
to be able to
- 名 míng
to name, put a name to, describe
- 焉 yān
final particle referring back to the clause: to it, to him
- 巍巍 wēi wēi
majestic, towering, lofty
- 巍 majestic, towering (reduplicated for emphasis)
- 巍 majestic, towering (reduplicated for emphasis)
- 乎 hū
exclamatory intensifier: how...!
- 其 qí
his, referring to Yao
- 有 yǒu
to have, possess
- 成功 chéng gōng
achievements, accomplishments
- 成 accomplished, completed
- 功 achievement, merit
- 也 yě
final particle marking assertion
- 煥 huàn
brilliant, radiant, shining
- 乎 hū
exclamatory intensifier: how...!
- 其 qí
his, referring to Yao
- 有 yǒu
to have, possess
- 文章 wén zhāng
cultural refinement, cultural splendor, cultural achievements
- 文 culture, cultural refinement
- 章 pattern, splendor, adornment
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