Tsze-chang / 12

子游曰,子夏之门人小子,当洒扫,应对,进退,则可矣,抑末也,本之则无,如之何。子夏闻之曰,噫,言游过矣,君子之道,孰先传焉,孰后倦焉,譬诸草木,区以别矣,君子之道,焉可诬也,有始有卒者,其惟圣人乎。

Modern Chinese Guide

子游说:子夏的那些学生,做些洒水扫地、应对客人、进退礼节的事,那是可以的,不过这些都是末节,根本的学问却没有,这怎么行呢?子夏听到后说:唉,言游说错了。君子之道,哪些先传授,哪些后传授而暂缓呢?就好比草木,是要分门别类的。君子之道怎么可以随意歪曲呢?有始有终、循序渐进而全部通晓的,大概只有圣人吧!

James Legge Translation

1. Tsze-yu said, "The disciples and followers of Tsze-hsia, in sprinkling and sweeping the ground, in answering and replying, in advancing and receding, are sufficiently accomplished. But these are only the branches of learning, and they are left ignorant of what is essential.—How can they be acknowledged as sufficiently taught?" 2. Tsze-hsia heard of the remark and said, "Alas! Yen Yu is wrong. According to the way of the superior man in teaching, what departments are there which he considers of prime importance, and delivers? what are there which he considers of secondary importance, and allows himself to be idle about? But as in the case of plants, which are assorted according to their classes, so he deals with his disciples. How can the way of a superior man be such as to make fools of any of them? Is it not the sage alone, who can unite in one the beginning and the consummation of learning?"

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。
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