Analects

Analects 9.23

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Original Text:

子曰后生可畏焉知来者之不如今也四十五十而无闻焉斯亦不足畏也已

Translation:

Other Translations:

The Master said, “We should look upon the younger generation with awe because how are we to know that those who come after us will not prove our equals? Once, however, a man reaches the age of forty or fifty without having learned anything, we can conclude from this fact alone that he is not worthy of being held in awe.”

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

The Master said, Respect those younger than yourself. How do you know that the coming generation may not prove as good as our present one? But if a person lives to forty or fifty and hasn’t been heard of, then he’s no longer worthy of respect.

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

Analects 9.22

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Original Text:

子曰苗而不秀者有矣夫秀而不实者有矣夫

Translation:

Other Translations:

The Master said, “Surely there are some sprouts that fail to flower, just as surely as there are some flowers that fail to bear fruit!”

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

The Master said, There are seedlings that never grow to maturity, are there not? And mature plants that never bear fruit.

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

Analects 9.21

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Original Text:

子谓颜渊曰惜乎吾见其进也未见其止也

Translation:

Other Translations:

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.

Analects 9.20

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Original Text:

子曰语之而不惰者其回也与

Translation:

Other Translations:

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.

Analects 9.19

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Original Text:

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

Translation:

Other Translations:

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.

Analects 9.18

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Original Text:

子曰吾未见好德如好色者也

Translation:

Other Translations:

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.

Analects 9.17

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Original Text:

子在川上曰逝者如斯夫不舍昼夜

Translation:

Other Translations:

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.

Analects 9.16

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Original Text:

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

Translation:

Other Translations:

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.

Analects 9.15

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Original Text:

子曰吾自卫反鲁然后乐正雅颂各得其所

Translation:

Other Translations:

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.

Analects 9.14

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Original Text:

子欲居九夷或曰陋如之何子曰君子居之何陋之有

Translation:

Other Translations:

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.