Book 8: 《泰伯》 Tai Bo
《泰伯》 Passage 8.7
Legge Translation (1861)
The philosopher Zeng said: "The officer may not be without breadth of mind and vigorous endurance. His burden is heavy and his course is long.Perfect virtue is the burden which he considers it is his to sustain; — is it not heavy? Only with death does his course stop; — is it not long?"
Word by word
- 曾子 zēng zǐ
proper name: Master Zeng, disciple of Confucius
- 曾 surname: Zeng
- 子 honorific suffix: Master, teacher
- 曰 yuē
to say, said
- 士 shì
scholar-official, a man of service and learning
Lau's 'Gentleman' is atypical for 士, which usually denotes the service class rather than 君子's moral exemplar.
- 不可以不 bù kě yǐ bù
cannot but, must (double negation expressing strong obligation)
- 不 not
- 可 can, be permitted to
- 以 modal particle expressing ability or permission: can, may
- 不 not
- 弘 hóng
broad-minded, magnanimous
弘毅 is sometimes read as a single binome for strength of character; most translators split it into two coordinate qualities, breadth/strength and resolve.
- 毅 yì
resolute, firm of purpose
- 任 rèn
burden, responsibility, duty one bears
- 重 zhòng
heavy, weighty
- 而 ér
coordinating conjunction: and
- 道 dào
road, path
- 遠 yuǎn
far, long (of distance or duration)
- 仁 rén
benevolence, humaneness
仁 is among the most contested terms in the Analects; translators split between benevolence/humaneness, Goodness, and authoritative conduct.
- 以為 yǐ wéi
to take as, to regard as
- 以 coverb: to take, to use (introduces what is treated as something)
- 為 to regard as, to take as; to serve as
- 己 jǐ
one's own, oneself (possessive)
- 任 rèn
burden, responsibility, duty one bears
- 不亦…乎 bù yì … hū
rhetorical question frame: is it not...?
- 不 not
- 亦 adverb: also, too
- 乎 interrogative final particle
- 重 zhòng
heavy, weighty
- 死 sǐ
to die, death
- 而後已 ér hòu yǐ
only then does it cease, comes to an end only at that point
- 而 conjunctive particle: and, and then
- 後 after, afterward
- 已 to stop, cease, come to an end
死而後已 is a set phrase: 而後 marks 'only after that,' and 已 supplies the verb 'stop, cease' — together, 'ceases only with death.'
- 不亦…乎 bù yì … hū
rhetorical question frame: is it not...?
- 不 not
- 亦 adverb: also, too
- 乎 interrogative final particle
- 遠 yuǎn
far, long (of distance or duration)
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