CHAPTER I. 1. The Master said, "Is it not pleasant to learn with a constant perseverance and application? 2. "Is it not pleasant to have friends coming from distant quarters? 3. "Is he not a man of complete virtue, who feels no discomposure though men may take no note of him?" together. Others seem devoid of any such principle of combination. The sixteen chapters of this book are occupied, it is said, with the fundamental subjects which ought to engage the attention of the learner, and the great matters of human practice. The word , 'learn,' rightly occupies the forefront in the studies of a nation, of which its educational system has so long been the distinction and glory. men. 1. THE WHOLE WORK AND ACHIEVEMENT OF THE LEARNER, FIRST PERFECTING HIS KNOWLEDGE, THEN ATTRACTING BY HIS FAME LIKEMINDED INDIVIDUALS, AND FINALLY COMPLETE IN HIMSELF. 1. 子, at the commencement, indicates Confucius. 子, 'a son,' is also the common designation of males, especially of virtuous We find it, in conversations, used in the same way as our 'Sir.' When it follows the surname, it is equivalent to our 'Mr.,' or may be rendered 'the philosopher, "the scholar, the officer,' &c. Often, however, it is better to leave it untranslated. When it precedes the surname, it indicates that the person spoken of was the master of the writer, as 子沈子,‘my master, the philosopher. Standing single and alone, as in the text, it denotes Confucius, the philosopher, or, rather, the master. If we render the term by Confucius, as all preceding translators have done, we miss the indication which it gives of the , TITLE OF THE WORK.- WORK.一論語,‘Discourses and Dialogues;' that is, the discourses or discussions of Confucius with his disciples and others on various topics, and his replies to their inquiries. Many chapters, however, and one whole book, are the sayings, not of the sage himself, but of some of his disciples. The characters may also be rendered 'Digested Conversations,' and this appears to be the more ancient signification attached to them, the account being, that, after the death of Confucius, his disciples collected together and compared the memoranda of his conversations which they had severally preserved, digesting them into the twenty books which compose the work. Hence the title-論語,‘Discussed Sayings, or 'Digested Conversations. See 論語註疏 解經序. I have styled the work 'Con fucian Analects,' as being more descriptive of its character than any other name I could think of. HEADING OF THIS BOOK.一學而第一. The two first characters in the book, after the introductory-The Master said,' are adopted as its heading. This is similar to the custom of the Jews, who name many books in the Bible from the first word in them. 第一, 'The first; that is, of the twenty books composing the whole work. In some of the books we find a unity or analogy of subjects, which evidently guided the compilers in grouping the chapters | handiwork of his disciples, and the reverence 而務有亂上矣犯孝 首本也者 本君未 孝立子之 上而好作 上弟為有 者而人子 鮮好也日、 CHAPTER II. 1. The philosopher Yew said, "They are few who, being filial and fraternal, are fond of offending against their superiors. There have been none, who, not liking to offend against their superiors, have been fond of stirring up confusion. 2. "The superior man bends his attention to what is radical. That being established, all practical courses naturally grow up. which it bespeaks for him. 學, in the old com- son's Dictionary, char. 子. Its opposite is 小 mentators, is explained by 誦, 'to read chant-人, 'a small, mean, man.'人不知,“Men ingly,' 'to discuss. Choo He interprets it by效, do not know him, but anciently some explained-'men do not know, that is, are stupid un'to imitate,' and makes its results to be 明 der his teaching. The interpretation in the 善而復初, 'the understanding of all ex cellence, and the bringing back original goodness.' Subsequent scholars profess, for the most part, great admiration of this explanation. It is an illustration, to my mind, of the way in which Choo He and his followers are continually 日 being wise above what is written in the classical books. is the rapid and frequent motion of the wings of a bird in flying, used for 'to repeat,' 'to practise.' is the obj. of the third pers. pronoun, and its antecedent is to be found in the pregnant meaning of 學. 不亦 is explained by 豈不, 'is it not?' See 四書 補註備旨.To bring out the force of 'also in 亦 some say thus: - 'The occasions for plea說, read yuě, sure are many, is this not also one?' as always when it has the 4th tone marked, stands for 悅. What is learned becomes by prac tice and application one's own, and hence arises complacent pleasure in the mastering mind. 悅 as distinguished from, loh, in the next par., is the internal, individual, feeling of pleasure, and the other, its external manifestation, implying also companionship. 2.朋, properly, 'fellow-students;' but, generally, individuals of the same class and character, like-minded. 3. 君子 I translate here-'a man of complete virtue.' Literally, it is-'a princely man.' See 子, above. It is a technical term in Chin. moral writers, for which there is no exact correspondency in English, and which cannot be on text is doubtless the correct one. 2. FILIAL PIETY AND FRATERNAL SUBMISSION ARE THE FOUNDATION OF ALL VIRTUOUS PRAC TICE. 1. Yew, named 若, and styled 子有, and famed 子若, a native of 魯, was among the other disciples of Confucius for his strong memory, and love for the doctrines of antiquity. In personal appearance he resembled the sage. See Mencius, III. Pt. II. iv. 13. 有子 is 'Yew, the philosopher,' and he and Tsăng Ts'an (or Sin) are the only two of Confucius' disciples who are mentioned in this style in the Lun Yu. This has led to an opinion on the part of some, that the work was compiled by their disciples. This may not be sufficiently supported, but I have not found the peculiarity pointed out satisfactorily explained. The tablet of Yew's spirit is now in the same apartment of the sage's temples as that of the sage himself, occupying the 6th place in the eastern range of the wise ones.' To this position it was promoted in the 3d year of K'een-lung of the present dynasty. A degree of activity enters into the meaning of 爲 in 爲人, a younger brother,' is in the low. 3d tone. With a verb, 'to love,' in the up. 3d tone, diff. from the same char. in the 2d tone, an adj.,='good.' 鮮 up. 2d tone,='few.' On the idiom-末 rendered always in the same way. See Morri之有,see Premare's gram. p. 156. 2. 傳不習乎 令色鮮矣仁 子曰巧言 人之本與 弟也者其爲 日矣 乎友不身吾仁。言 Filial piety and fraternal submission! - are they not the root of all benevolent actions?" CHAPTER III. The Master said, "Fine words and an insinuating appearance are seldom associated with true virtue." CHAPTER IV. The philosopher Tsăng said, "I daily examine myself on three points:-whether, in transacting business for others, I may have been not faithful; -whether, in intercourse with friends, I may have been not sincere; -whether I may have not mastered and practised the instructions of my teacher." 君子 has a less intense singnification here GUILTY OF ANY IMPOSITION. Tsang, whose name 朵,(Ts'an, now commonly read Sin,) and than in the last chap. I translate-The superior man,' for want of a better term. 本,'the root,' 'what is radical,' is here said of filial and fraternal duties, and 道, 'ways' or 'courses,' of all that is intended by 爲(=行)仁, below. The particles 也者 resume the discourse about 孝弟 and introduce some further description of them. See Prem., p. 158. 與. in the lower 1st tone, is half interrogative, an answer in the affirmative being implied. is explained here as 'the principle of love,' 'the virtue of the heart.' Mencius says-仁也者 人也,“仁is man,” in accordance with which, Julien translates it by humanitas. Benevolence often comes near it, but, as has been said before of 君子, we cannot give a uniform rendering 言令色,一see Shoo-king, II. iii. 2. 巧, 'skill was his designation 子墩, was one of the principal disciples of Confucius. A follower of the sage from his 16th year, though inferior in natural ability some others, by his filial piety and other moral qualities, he entirely won the Master's esteem, and by persevering attention mastered his doctrines. Confucius employed him in the composition of the 孝經, or “Classic of Filial Piety.' The authorship of the 大學, “The Great Learning,' is also ascribed to him, though incorrectly, as we shall see. Ten books, moreover, of his composition are preserved in the Le-ke. His spirit tablet among the sage's four assessors, occupying the first place on the west, has precedence of that of Mencius. consent of commentators make us assent to the 忠 from 中,‘middle,' 'the centre,' and 心, the heart,'=loyalty, faithfulness, action with and from the heart. 朋, see ch. 1. 友 'two hands joined, denoting union.朋友, 'friends.”傳不習 is very enigmatical. The translation follows Choo He. 何安 in workmanship;' then, 'skill,' 'cleverness,' generally, and sometimes with a bad meaning, as here,='artful,' 'hypocritical.' 'a law,' 'an order,' also 'good,' and here like 15, with a bad meaning,='pretending to be good.', the manifestation of the feelings in the colour of the countenance,' is here used for the appearance generally. 4. HOW THE PHILOSOPHER TSANG DAILY EXAMINED HIMSELF, TO GUARD AGAINST HIS BEING explained quite differently:- 'whether I have given instruction in what I had not studied and practised?' It does seem more correct to take 孝醫 子曰道千乘之 力事君能致其身 子曰弟子入則 帛使而道 入以節拜 身其易文行信則時用 CHAPTER V. The Master said, "To rule a country of a thousand chariots, there must be reverent attention to business, and sincerity; economy in expenditure, and love for men; and the employment of the people at the proper seasons." CHAPTER VI. The Master said, "A youth, when at home, should be filial, and, abroad, respectful to his elders. He should be earnest and truthful. He should overflow in love to all, and cultivate the friendship of the good. When he has time and opportunity, after the performance of these things, he should employ them in polite studies." CHAPTER VII. Tsze-hea said, "If a man withdraws his mind from the love of beauty, and applies it as sincerely to the love of the virtuous; if, in serving his parents, he can exert his utmost 傅 actively, to give instruction, rather than 7, 'younger brothers and sons,' taken together, passively, to receive instruction.' See四書=youths, a youth. The 2d 弟 is for 悌, as 改錯, XV. 17. which refers to the actual business of government, while is the duty and purpose thereof, apprehended by the prince. The standpoint of the principles is the prince's mind. 乖, in low. 3d tone, 'a chariot,' diff. from its meaning in the Ist tone, 'to ride.' A country of 1000 chariots is one of the largest fiefs of the empire, which could bring such an armament into the field. The last principle,一使民以時, means that the people should not be called from their husbandry at improper seasons, to do service on military expeditions and public works. 6. RULES FOR THE TRAINING OF THE YOUNG: -DUTY FIRST AND THEN ACCOMPLISHMENTS. 弟 in ch. 2.入出,‘coming in, going out,' at home, abroad. 汎 is explained by Choo He by廣,'wide,' 'widely ;' its proper meaning is 'the rush or overflow of water. 力, 'strength, here embracing the idea of leisure. not文, literary studies merely, but all the accomplishments of a gentleman also :-ceremonies, music, archery, horsemanship, writing, and numbers. 7. TSZE-HEA'S VIEWS OF THE SUBSTANCE OF LEARNING, Taze-hea was the designation of 卜商, another of the sage's distinguished disciples, and now placed 5th in the eastern range of the wise ones.' He was greatly famed for his learning, and his views on the She-king and the Chun Ts'ew are said to be preserved in the comm. of 毛, and of 公羊高 and 穀梁 赤 He wept himself blind on the death of his son, but lived to a great age, and was much esteemed by the people and princes of the time. With regard to the scope of this chapter, there strength, if, in serving his prince, he can devote his life; if, in his intercourse with his friends, his words are sincere:-although men say that he has not learned, I will certainly say that he has." CHAPTER VIII. 1. The Master said, "If the scholar be not grave, he will not call forth any veneration, and his learning will not be solid. 2. "Hold faithfulness and sincerity as first principles. 3. "Have no friends not equal to yourself. 4. "When you have faults, do not fear to abandon them." CHAPTER. IX. The philosopher Tsăng said, "Let there be a careful attention to perform the funeral rites to parents, and let them be followed when long gone with the ceremonies of sacrifice; then the virtue of the people will resume its proper excellence." is some truth in what the comm. Woo,吳, says, -that Tsze-hea's words may be wrested to depreciate learning, while those of the Master in the prec. ch. hit exactly the due medium. The 2d is a concrete noun. Written in full, 買 貝 it is composed of the characters for a minister, loyal, and a precious shell. It conveys the ideas of talents and worth in the concrete, but it is not easy to render it uniformly by any one term of another language. The 1st is a verb, diff. meaning from that in the 3d ch. Here it means 'sensual pleasure.' Literally rendered, the first sentence would be, 'esteeming properly the virtuous, and changing the love of woman,' and great fault is found by some, as in 四書改錯 XIII. 1, with Choo He's interpretation which I have followed; but there is force in what his adherents say, that the passage is not to be understood as if the individual spoken of had ever been given to pleasure, but simply significs the 致 here to treat as a heen.' 色has a sincerity of his love for the virtuous. =, 'to give to,' ' to devote.' 8. PRINCIPLES OF SELF-CULTIVATION. 1. 君 7 has here its lightest meaning, a student, one who wishes to be a keun-tsze. 孔安國 of the Han dynasty, in the 1st half of the 2d century, took ☑, in the sense of 'obscured,' 'dulled,' and interprets- Let him learn, and he will not fall into error.' The received interpreta tion, as in the transl., is better. 2. 主 as a verb, 'to hold to be chief.' It is often used thus. 3. The object of friendship, with Chinese moralists, is to improve one's knowledge and virtue; - hence, this seemingly selfish maxim. 9. THE GOOD EFFECT OF ATTENΤΙΟΝ ΟΝ ΤHE PART OF PRINCES TO THE OFFICES TO THE DEAD: -AN ADMONITION OF TSANG SIN. 終, 'the end,' =death, and 遠, 'distant,' have both the force of adjectives, the dead,' and 'the departed,' or 'the long gone.' 慎 and 追 mean, 'to be careful of,' 'to follow, but their application is as in the translation.厚,‘thick,' in opposition to 海, 'thin; metaphorically,=good, excellent. The force of, 'to return,' is to shew that this virtue is naturally proper to the people. |