子谓颜渊曰惜乎吾见其进也未见其止也
The Master said of Yan Hui, “Alas! I watched his advance, and never once saw him stop.”
Confucius, & Slingerland, E. (2003). Analects: With selections from traditional commentaries. Hackett Publishing.
Speaking of Yan Yuan, the Master said, What a pity! I saw him move forward. I never saw him come to a stop.
Confucius, & Watson, B. (2007). The Analects of Confucius. Columbia University Press.
子曰语之而不惰者其回也与
The Master said, “One with whom I could discourse without his growing weary—was this not Yan Hui?”
Confucius, & Slingerland, E. (2003). Analects: With selections from traditional commentaries. Hackett Publishing.
The Master said, Someone I could talk to and he never got tired—that was Hui, wasn’t it?
Confucius, & Watson, B. (2007). The Analects of Confucius. Columbia University Press.
子曰譬如为山未成一篑止吾止也譬如平地虽覆一篑进吾往也
The Master said, “[The task of self-cultivation] might be compared to the task of building up a mountain: if I stop even one basketful of earth short of completion, then I have stopped completely. It might also be compared to the task of leveling ground: even if I have only dumped a single basketful of earth, at least I am moving forward.”
Confucius, & Slingerland, E. (2003). Analects: With selections from traditional commentaries. Hackett Publishing.
The Master said, It’s like building a mound. If the mound needs one more basketful of dirt for completion and I stop work, then the stopping is mine. Or it’s like the case of level ground. Although it may be only one basketful of dirt, if I heap it up, then the progress is mine.
[Or, according to an older interpretation:]
The Master said, It’s like someone building a mound. If the mound needs one more basketful of dirt for completion but the person stops work, then I stop [helping him]. Or it’s like the case of level ground. Although the person may have heaped up only one basketful of dirt, if he keeps working, then I follow along.
Confucius, & Watson, B. (2007). The Analects of Confucius. Columbia University Press.
子曰吾未见好德如好色者也
The Master said, “I have yet to meet a man who loves Virtue as much as he loves female beauty.”
Confucius, & Slingerland, E. (2003). Analects: With selections from traditional commentaries. Hackett Publishing.
The Master said, I have never seen the person who loved virtue the way he loved physical beauty.
Confucius, & Watson, B. (2007). The Analects of Confucius. Columbia University Press.
子在川上曰逝者如斯夫不舍昼夜
Standing on the bank of a river, the Master said, “Look at how it flows on like this, never stopping day or night!”
Confucius, & Slingerland, E. (2003). Analects: With selections from traditional commentaries. Hackett Publishing.
Standing by a stream, the Master said, It flows on like this—does it not?—never ceasing, day or night.
Confucius, & Watson, B. (2007). The Analects of Confucius. Columbia University Press.
子曰出则事公卿入则事父兄丧事不敢不勉不为酒困何有于我哉
The Master said, “When in public, serving the Duke and his ministers; when at home, serving my father and elders; not daring to not exert myself to the utmost in performing funerary tasks; and not allowing myself to be befuddled by wine—these sorts of things present me with no trouble.”
Confucius, & Slingerland, E. (2003). Analects: With selections from traditional commentaries. Hackett Publishing.
The Master said, In public life serving lords and high ministers; at home serving father and elder brothers; when there is a funeral, never daring to be remiss; never getting drunk and unruly—this much I can manage.
Confucius, & Watson, B. (2007). The Analects of Confucius. Columbia University Press.
子曰吾自卫反鲁然后乐正雅颂各得其所
The Master said, “Only after I returned to Lu from Wei was music rectified, with both the Ya and Song put into proper order.”
Confucius, & Slingerland, E. (2003). Analects: With selections from traditional commentaries. Hackett Publishing.
The Master said, When I returned from Wei to Lu, only then was the music put in order, and the “Ya” and “Song” found their proper places.
Confucius, & Watson, B. (2007). The Analects of Confucius. Columbia University Press.
子欲居九夷或曰陋如之何子曰君子居之何陋之有
The Master expressed a desire to go and live among the Nine Yi Barbarian tribes. Someone asked him, “How could you bear their uncouthness?”
The Master replied, “If a gentleman were to dwell among them, what uncouthness would there be?”
Confucius, & Slingerland, E. (2003). Analects: With selections from traditional commentaries. Hackett Publishing.
The Master wished to go live among the nine foreign tribes. Someone said, But they are so crude! The Master said, If a gentleman lives among them, how can they be crude?
Confucius, & Watson, B. (2007). The Analects of Confucius. Columbia University Press.
子贡曰有美玉于斯韫椟而藏诸求善贾而沽诸子曰沽之哉沽之哉我待贾者也
Zigong said, “If you possessed a piece of beautiful jade, would you hide it away in a locked box, or would you try to sell it at a good price?”
The Master responded, “Oh, I would sell it! I would sell it! I am just waiting for the right offer.”
Confucius, & Slingerland, E. (2003). Analects: With selections from traditional commentaries. Hackett Publishing.
Zigong said, Suppose here is a beautiful piece of jade. Better to put it in a box and store it away? Or to find someone willing to pay a good price and sell it?
The Master said, Sell it! Sell it! I’m waiting for a buyer.
Confucius, & Watson, B. (2007). The Analects of Confucius. Columbia University Press.
子疾病子路使门人为臣病间曰久矣哉由之行诈也无臣而为有臣吾谁欺欺天乎且予与其死于臣之手也无宁死于二三子之手乎且予纵不得大葬予死于道路乎
The Master was gravely ill, and Zilu instructed his fellow disciples to attend Confucius as if the disciples were his ministers.
During a remission in his illness, the Master [became aware of what was happening and] rebuked Zilu, saying, “It has been quite some time now, has it not, that you have been carrying out this charade! If I have no ministers and yet you act as if I have, who do you think I am going to fool? Am I going to fool Heaven? Moreover, would I not rather die in the arms of a few of my disciples than in the arms of ministers? Even if I do not merit a grand funeral, it is not as if I would be left to die by the side of the road!”
Confucius, & Slingerland, E. (2003). Analects: With selections from traditional commentaries. Hackett Publishing.
The Master was gravely ill. Zilu directed the disciples to attend him in the manner of retainers.
When the Master had recovered somewhat, he said, How long you go on, You, practicing these deceptions! To pretend that I have retainers when I have no retainers—who would I be deceiving? Would I be deceiving Heaven? Moreover, rather than dying in the hands of retainers, isn’t it better that I die in the hands of you, my disciples? And although I may not be entitled to a grand funeral, it’s not as though I were dying by the roadside, is it?
Confucius, & Watson, B. (2007). The Analects of Confucius. Columbia University Press.
