Original Text:
子曰孟之反不伐奔而殿将入门策其马曰非敢后也马不进也
Translation:
Other Translations:
The Master said, “Meng Zhifan is not given to boasting. When his forces were retreating he stayed behind to defend the rear, but as they were about to enter the city gates he spurred his horses ahead, saying, ‘It was not my courage that kept me back, but merely that my horses would not advance.’ ”
Confucius, & Slingerland, E. (2003). Analects: With selections from traditional commentaries. Hackett Publishing.
The Master said, Meng Zhifan never boasted. When our forces fled in defeat, he guarded the rear. But when he was about to enter the city gates, he whipped up his horses, saying, I wasn’t deliberately lagging behind—my horses wouldn’t go any faster.
Confucius, & Watson, B. (2007). The Analects of Confucius. Columbia University Press.