Perish

Analects 15.35

Leave a Comment / Analects, Analects - Book Fifteen

Original Text:

子曰民之于仁也甚于水火水火吾见蹈而死者矣未见蹈仁而死者也

Translation:

Other Translations:

The Master said, “Goodness is even more vital to the common people than water or fire. I have seen people perish from walking through fire and water, but have never seen anyone perish by walking the path of Goodness.”

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

The Master said, Humaneness is more vital to the people than water or fire. I have seen people die from treading on water or fire, but I have never seen the person who died from treading the path of humaneness.

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

Analects 12.10

Leave a Comment / Analects, Analects - Book Twelve

Original Text:

子张问崇德辨惑子曰主忠信徙义崇德也爱之欲其生恶之欲其死既欲其生又欲其死是惑也诚不以富亦只以异

Translation:

Other Translations:

Zizhang asked about accumulating Virtue and resolving confusion.

The Master said, “Make it your guiding principle to be dutiful and trustworthy, and always move in the direction of what is right. This is what it means to accumulate Virtue. If you love someone, you desire that they live; if you hate them, you desire that they perish. Now, having already desired that someone live, and then to desire that they perish—this is confusion.

‘Not for the sake of wealth,

But simply for the sake of variety.’ ”

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

Zizhang asked how to uphold virtue and detect faulty thinking.

The Master said, Concentrate on loyalty and trustworthiness and follow what is right—that’s the way to uphold virtue. When you love someone, you hope that the person will live, but if you hate him, you wish that he were dead. Having wished for life, you turn around and wish for death—this is faulty thinking.

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

Analects 9.5

Leave a Comment / Analects, Analects - Book Nine

Original Text:

子畏于匡曰文王既没文不在兹乎天之将丧斯文也后死者不得与于斯文也天之未丧斯文也匡人其如予何

Translation:

Other Translations:

The Master was surrounded in Kuang. He said, “Now that King Wen is gone, is not culture now invested here in me? If Heaven intended this culture to perish, it would not have given it to those of us who live after King Wen’s death. Since Heaven did not intend that this culture should perish, what can the people of Kuang do to me?”

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

The Master’s life was endangered in Kuang. He said, King Wen is deceased, but his culture (wen) remains here with me. If Heaven had intended to destroy that culture, then those who come after him could not have inherited that culture. But if Heaven is not ready to destroy that culture, what can the people of Kuang do to me?

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