Lady

Original Text:

邦君之妻君称之曰夫人夫人自称曰小童邦人称之曰君夫人称诸异邦曰寡小君异邦人称之亦曰君夫人

Translation:

Other Translations:

With regard to the wife of the lord of a state, the lord refers to her as his “Lady,” while the Lady refers to herself as “little child.” The people of the state refer to her as “our Lord’s Lady,” but when abroad refer to her as “Our Orphaned Little Lord.” People of other states refer to her as “that Lord’s Lady.”

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

In the case of the wife of the ruler of a state, the ruler refers to her as “the lady,” and she refers to herself as “this little youth.” The people of the state refer to her as “the lord’s lady,” but when they are addressing persons of other states, they call her “our little lord.” The people of other states refer to her as “the lord’s lady.”

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