Analects 10.8

Original Text:

食不厌精脍不厌细食饐而餲鱼馁而肉败不食色恶不食臭恶不食失饪不食不时不食割不正不食不得其酱不食肉虽多不使胜食气唯酒无量不及乱沽酒市脯不食不撤姜食不多食

Translation:

Other Translations:

He would not eat in excess, even when presented with refined grain or finely minced meat.

He would not eat grain that was damp or musty, fish that had gone bad, or meat that had spoiled. He would eat nothing that was discolored or foul smelling, nor anything that was improperly cooked or gathered out of season. He would not eat any meat that had been improperly butchered or anything that had not been properly seasoned.

Even when meat was plentiful, he would not eat so much that it would overpower the grain. He would only enjoy wine without limit, though never to the point of disorderliness.

He would not drink wine bought from a shop or dried meat purchased from the market.

Although he would not remove the ginger dish from the table, he would not consume it in excess.

Confucius, & Slingerland, E. (2003). Analects: With selections from traditional commentaries. Hackett Publishing.

He had no objection to polished rice or meat or fish finely cut up. But if the rice was moldy or rancid, the fish putrid or the meat spoiled, he would not eat it. If food had a bad color, he would not eat it; if it smelled bad, he would not eat it; if it was improperly cooked, he would not eat it; if it was out of season, he would not eat it; if it was not properly sliced, he would not eat it; if it did not have the proper sauce, he would not eat it.

Although he might eat a large helping of meat, he did not allow it to overwhelm the vital nourishment of the rice. Only in the case of wine did he have no fixed limit, but he never drank to the point of confusion.

He would not drink wine or eat foods bought from the market. He did not refuse ginger, but did not eat much of it.

Confucius, & Watson, B. (2007). The Analects of Confucius. Columbia University Press.

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