Book 9: 《子罕》 Zi Han (Seldom Spoke)
《子罕》 Passage 9.22
Legge Translation (1861)
The Master said: "There are cases in which the blade springs, but the plant does not go on to flower! There are cases where it flowers, but no fruit is subsequently produced!"Word by word
- 子曰 zǐ yuē
the Master said
- 子 the Master, Confucius (respectful title)
- 曰 said, spoke (verb introducing direct speech)
- 苗 miáo
sprout, seedling, young grain plant
- 而 ér
adversative conjunction: but, yet
Only Legge lexicalizes this adversative here.
- 不 bù
not, fails to
- 秀 xiù
to flower, put forth blossom
- 者 zhě
nominalizing particle: that which, cases where
- 有 yǒu
there is, there are, exist
- 矣夫 yǐ fú
final particle combination marking emphatic assertion: indeed
- 矣 final particle marking an asserted or completed state
- 夫 sentence-final exclamatory particle: indeed — Not the noun 'man'; here a sentence-final exclamatory particle.
- 秀 xiù
to flower, put forth blossom
- 而 ér
adversative conjunction: but, yet
- 不 bù
not, fails to
- 實 shí
to bear fruit, become fruitful
- 者 zhě
nominalizing particle: that which, cases where
- 有 yǒu
there is, there are, exist
- 矣夫 yǐ fú
final particle combination marking emphatic assertion: indeed
- 矣 final particle marking an asserted or completed state
- 夫 sentence-final exclamatory particle: indeed — Not the noun 'man'; here a sentence-final exclamatory particle.
Only Slingerland lexicalizes the assertive force a second time; most translators let punctuation and parallel structure carry it.
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