Hsien Tsin / 23
季子然问仲由冉求，可谓大臣与。子曰，吾以子为异之问，曾由与求之问。所谓大臣者，以道事君，不可则止。今由与求也，可谓具臣矣。曰，然则从之者与。子曰，弑父与君，亦不从也。
Modern Chinese Guide
季子然问：仲由、冉求可以算是大臣吗？孔子说：我以为你要问别人，原来是问仲由和冉求呀。所谓大臣，是能用正道来侍奉君主，行不通就辞职不干。如今仲由和冉求，只能算是充数的臣子罢了。季子然说：那么他们是事事顺从的人吗？孔子说：如果是杀父亲、杀君主这样的事，他们也是不会顺从的。
James Legge Translation
1. Chi Tsze-zan asked whether Chung Yu and Zan Ch'iu could be called great ministers. 2. The Master said, "I thought you would ask about some extraordinary individuals, and you only ask about Yu and Ch'iu! 3. "What is called a great minister, is one who serves his prince according to what is right, and when he finds he cannot do so, retires. 4. "Now, as to Yu and Ch'iu, they may be called ordinary ministers." 5. Tsze-zan said, "Then they will always follow their chief;—will they?" 6. The Master said, "In an act of parricide or regicide, they would not follow him."
Notes and themes
- 底本：Wikisource 整理的 James Legge《The Chinese Classics》公版中英文本。
- 中文由繁体转为简体，后续白话解释需逐章审校。
- 白话参考底本：《白话论语读本》，张兆瑢、沈元起编译，上海广益书局1948 年新三版。
Ask Confucius: controlled AI entry
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