Original Text:
子贡问曰乡人皆好之何如子曰未可也乡人皆恶之何如子曰未可也不如乡人之善者好之其不善者恶之
Translation:
Other Translations:
Zigong asked, “What would you make of a person whom everyone in the village likes?”
The Master said, “I would not know what to make of him.”
“What about someone whom everyone in the village hates?”
“I would still not know. Better this way: those in the village who are good like him, and those who are not good hate him.”
Confucius, & Slingerland, E. (2003). Analects: With selections from traditional commentaries. Hackett Publishing.
Zigong asked, If everyone in the village liked him, how would that do?
The Master said, Not good enough.
If everyone in the village hated him, how would that do?
The Master said, Not good enough. Better if the good people in the village liked him, and the not-good people hated him
Confucius, & Watson, B. (2007). The Analects of Confucius. Columbia University Press.