Moral

Original Text:

子曰夏礼吾能言之杞不足征也殷礼吾能言之宋不足征也文献不足故也足则吾能征之矣

Translation:

Other Translations:

The Master said, “As for the rites of the Xia Dynasty,, I can speak of them, but there is little remaining in the state of Qi to document them. As for the rites of the Shang Dynasty, I can speak of them, but there is little remaining in the state of Song to document them. This is because there is not much in way of culture or moral worthies left in either state. If there were something there, then I would be able to document them.”

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

The Master said, As for the Xia rites, I could describe them, but the state of Qi can’t provide the proofs I need. As for the Yin rites, I could describe them, but the state of Song can’t provide the proofs I need.

This is due to the lack of records and persons of authority. If these were sufficient, I could prove my words.

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