論語(yǔ)英譯(辜鴻銘)

1、THE DISCOURSES AND SAYINGS OF CONFUCIUSCHAPTER I1. Confucius remarked, “It is indeed a pleasure to acquire knowledge and, as you go on acquiring, to put into practice what you have acquired. A greater pleasure still it is when friends of congenial minds come from afar to seek you because of you atta

2、inments. But he is truly a wise and good man who feels no discomposure even when he is not noticed of men.”2. A disciple of Confucius remarked, “A man who is a good son and a good citizen will seldom be found to be a man disposed to quarrel with those in authority over him; and men who are not dispo

3、sed to quarrel with those in authority will never be found to disturb the peace and order of the Sate.”“A wise man devotes his attention to what is essential in the foundation of life. When the foundation is laid, wisdom will come. Now, to be a good son and a good citizendo not these form the founda

4、tion of a moral life?”3. Confucius remarked, “With plausible speech and fine manners will seldom be found moral character.”4. A disciple of Confucius remarked, “I daily examine into my personal conduct on three points:-First, whether in carrying out the duties entrusted to me by others, I have not f

5、ailed in conscientiousness; Secondly, whether in intercourse with friends, I have not failed in sincerity and trustworthiness; Thirdly, whether I have not failed to practice what I profess in my teaching.”5. Confucius remarked, “When directing the affairs of a great nation, a man must be serious in

6、attention to business and faithful and punctual in his engagements. He must study economy in the public expenditure, and love the welfare of the people. He must employ the people at the proper time of the year.” In ancient China the people were lightly taxed, but were liable to forced labour and con

7、scription in times of war.6. Confucius remarked, “A young man, when at home, should be a good son; when out in the world, a good citizen. He should be circumspect and truthful. He should be in sympathy with all men, but intimate with men of moral character. If he has time and opportunity to spare, a

8、fter the performance of those duties, he should then employ them in literary pursuits.” 7. A disciple of Confucius remarked, “A man who can love worthiness in man as he loves beauty in woman; who in his duties to his parents is ready to do his utmost, and in the service of his prince is ready to giv

9、e up his life; who in intercourse with friends is found trustworthy in what has says, -such a man, although men may say of him that he is an uneducated man, I must consider him to be really an educated man.”8. Confucius remarked, “A wise man who is not serious will not inspire respect; what he learn

10、s will not remain permanent.” “Make conscientiousness and sincerity your first principles.”“Have no friends who are not as yourself.”“When you have bad habits do not hesitate to change them.”9. A disciple of Confucius remarked, “By cultivating respect for the dead, and carrying the memory back to th

11、e distant past Co.gitavi dies antiquos et annos aternos in mente babui, -Psalm ixxvil, 5., the moral feeling of the people will waken and grow in depth.”10. A man once asked a disciple of Confucius, saying, “How was it that whenever the Master came into a country he was always informed of the actual

12、 state and policy of its government? Did he seek for the information or was it given to him?”“The Master,” replied the disciple, “was gracious, simple, earnest, modest and courteous; therefore he could obtain what information he wanted. The Masters way of obtaining informationwell, it was different

13、from other peoples ways.”11. Confucius remarked, “When a mans father is living the son should have regard to what his father would have him do; when the father is dead, to what his father has done. A son who for three years after his fathers death does not in his own life change his fathers principl

14、es, may be said to be a good son.”12. A disciple of Confucius remarked, “In the practice of art, Dr. LEGGE says of the Chinese word 禮, which we have here translated “art,” that it is a word not easily rendered in another language. On the otherhand, Mr. B. H. CHAMBERLAIN in his book Things Japanese,

15、remarks that Japanese language China and Japan have the same written language has no genuine native word for “art”.The English word “art”, if we mistake not, is used in various senses to express: 1st, a work of art; 2nd, the practice of art; 3rd, artificial as opposed to natural; 4th, the principle

16、of art as opposed to the principle of nature; 5th, the strict principle of art, In this last sense of the use of the English word “art” lies, as DR. LEGGE says of the Chinese word mentioned above, “the idea of what is proper” and fit, Tòp, in all relations of things. For those who may be intere

17、sted in the subject, we may here mention that the modern Japanese invention, bijutsu 美術(shù)(beautiful lenerdemain) for “art” is not a happy one. The proper term in Chinese for a work of art would be 文物; for the practice of art, 藝. In fact, the Japanese word Geisha 藝師 menas literally an artiste. As for t

18、he use of the term “art” in the sense of “artificial” as opposed to something “natural”, the philosopher Chuang Tz use 人(human) and 天(divine).Then “the principle of art, not taken by itself, but as opposed to the principle of nature, would be in Chinese 文 for “art” and 質(zhì) for “nature”. Such a sentenc

19、e as that of GOETHE, for instance, “Art is called Art, because it is no Nature,” would be rendered into Chinese or Japanese thus: 文之所以謂之文為非質(zhì)也. Chinese art critics also speak of 化工creative art and 畫工imitative art. Finally, we may as well add, the Chines term for mechanical art or the practice of it i

20、s 技藝. what is valuable is natural spontaneity. According to the rules of art held by the ancient kings it was this quality in a work of art which constituted his excellence; in great as well as in small things they were guided by this principle.”“But in being natural there is something not permitted

21、. To know that it is necessary to be natural without restraining the impulse to be natural by the strict principle of art, -that is something not permitted.13. A disciple of Confucius remarked, “If you make promises within the bounds of what is right, you will be able to keep your word. If you confi

22、ne earnestness within the bounds of judgment and good taste, you will keep out of discomfiture and insult. If you make friends of those with whom you ought to, you will be able to depend upon them.”14. Confucius remarked, “A wise and good man, in matters of food, should never seek to indulge his app

23、etite; in lodging, he should not be too solicitous of comfort. He should be diligent in business and careful in speech. He should seek for the company of men of virtue and learning, in order to profit by their lessons and example. In this way he may become a man of real culture.”15. A disciple of Co

24、nfucius said to him, “To be poor and yet not to be servile; to be rich and yet not to be proud, what do you say to that?”“It is good.” Replied Confucius, “but better still it is to be poor and yet contented; to be rich and yet know how to be courteous.”“I understand,” answered the disciple:We must c

25、ut, we must file,Must chisel and must grind.“My friend,” replied Confucius, “now I can begin to speak of poetry to you. I see you understand how to apply the moral.”16. Confucius remarked, “One should not be concerned not to be understood of men; one should be concerned not to understand men.”CHAPTE

26、R II1. Confucius remarked, “He who rules the people, depending upon the moral sentiment, is like the Pole-star, which keeps its place while all the other stars revolve round it.”2. Confucius remarked, “The Book of Ballads, Songs and Psalms Now called the Canon of Poetry, one the so-called five Class

27、ic, in the Bible of China. contains three hundred pieces. The moral of them all may be summed up in one sentence: Have no evil thoughts.”3. Confucius remarked, “If in government you depend upon laws, and maintain order by enforcing those laws by punishments, you can also make the people keep away fr

28、om wrongdoing, but they will lose the sense of shame for wrongdoing. If, on the other hand, in government you depend upon the moral sentiment, and maintain order by encouraging education and good manners, the people will have a sense of shame for wrongdoing and, moreover, will emulate what is good.”

29、4. Confucius remarked, “At fifteen I had made up my mind to give myself up to serious studies. At thirty I had formed my opinions and judgment. A forty I had no more doubts. At fifty I understood the truth in religion. At sixty I could understand whatever I heard without exertion. At seventy I could

30、 follow whatever my heart desired without transgressing the law.”5. A noble of Court in Confucius native State asked him what constituted the duty of a good son. Confucius answered, “Do not fail in what is required of you.”Afterwards, as a disciple was driving him in his carriage, Confucius told the

31、 disciple, saying, “My Lord Masked me what constituted the duty of a good son, and I answered, Do not fail in what is required of you.”“What did you mean by that?” asked the disciple.“I meant,” replied Confucius, “when his parents are living, a good son should do his duties to them according to the

32、usage prescribed by propriety; when they are dead, he should bury them and honour their memory according to the rites prescribed by propriety.”6. A son of the noble mentioned above put the same question to Confucius as his father did. Confucius answered, “Think how anxious your parents are when you

33、are sick, and you will know your duty towards them.”7. A disciple of Confucius asked him the same question as the above. Confucius answered, “The duty for a good son nowadays means only to be able to support his parents. But you also keep your dogs and horse alive. If there is no feeling of love and

34、 respect, where is the difference?”8. Another disciple asked the same question. Confucius answered, “The difficulty is with the expression of your look. That merely when anything is to be done the young people do it, and when there is food and wine the old folk are allowed to enjoy it, -do you think

35、 that is the whole duty of a good son?”9. Confucius, speaking of a favourite disciple whose name was Yen Hui, The St. John of the Confucian gospel, -a pure, heroic, ideal character, the disciple whom the Master loved. As the name of this disciple occurs very frequently throughout the book, we here d

36、epart from our rule of eliminating all Chinese proper names, and shall hereafter always introduce him by name. remarked, “I have talked with him for one whole day, during which he has never once raised one single objection to what I have said, as if he were dull of understanding. But when he has ret

37、ired, on examining into his life and conversation I find he has been able to profit by what I have said to him. Nohe is not a man dull of understanding.”10. Confucius remarked, “You look at how a man acts; consider his motives; find out his tastes. How can a man hide himself; how can he hide himself

38、 from you?”11. Confucius remarked, “If a man will constantly go over what he has acquired and keep continually adding to it new acquirements, he may become a teacher of men.” 12. Confucius remarked, “A wise man will not make himself into a mere machine fit oly to do one kind of work.”13. A disciple

39、enquired what constituted a wise and good man. Confucius answered, “A wise and good man is one who acts before speaks, and afterwards speaks according to his actions.”14. Confucius remarked, “A wise man is impartial, not neutral. A fool is neutral but not impartial.”15. Confucius remarked, “Study wi

40、thout thinking is labour lost. Thinking without study is perilous.”16. Confucius remarked, “To give oneself up to the study of metaphysical theoriesthat is very injurious indeed.”17. Confucius said to a disciple, “Shall I teach you what is understanding? To know what it is that you know, and to know

41、 what is that you do not know, -that is understanding.” 18. A disciple was studying with a view to preferment. Confucius said to him, “Read and learn everything, but suspend your judgment on anything of which you are in doubt; for the rest, be careful in what you say: in that way you will give few o

42、ccasions for men to criticize what you say. Mix with the world and see everything, but keep away and do not meddle with anything which may bring you into trouble; for the rest, be careful in what you do: in that way yuo will have few occasions for selfreproach.”“Now if in your conversation you give

43、few occasions for men to criticise you, and in your conduct you have few occasions for selfreproach, you cannot help getting preferment, even if you would.”19. The reigning prince of his native State asked Confucius what should be done to secure the submission of the people. Confucius answered, “Uph

44、old the cause of the just and put down every cause that is unjust, and the people will submit. But uphold the cause of the unjust and put down every cause that is just, then the people will not submit.”20. A noble who was the minister in power in the government in Confucius native State asked him wh

45、at should be done to inspire a feeling of respect and loyalty in the people, in order to make them exert themselves for the good of the country. Confucius answered, “Treat them with seriousness and they will respect you. Let them see that you honour your parents and your prince, and are considerate

46、for the welfare of those under you, and the people will be loyal to you. Advance those who excel in anything and educate the ignorant, and the people will exert themselves.”21. Somebody asked Confucius, saying, “Why are you not taking part in the government of the country?”Confucius answered, “What

47、does the Book of records say of the duties of a good son?”“Be dutiful to your parents; be brotherly to your brothers; discharge your duties in the government of your family. These, then, are also duties of government. Why then must one take part in the government of the country in order to discharge

48、 the duties of government?”22. Confucius remarked, “I do not know how men get along without good faith. A cart without a yoke and a carriage without harness, -how could they go?”23. A disciple asked Confucius whether ten generations after their time the state of the civilization of the world i.e. Ch

49、ina. could be known.Confucius answered, “The House of Yin adopted the civilisation of the Hsia dynasty; what modifications they made is known. The present Chou dynasty adopted the civilization of the House of Yin; what modifications this last dynasty made are also known. Perhaps some other may herea

50、fter take the place of the present Chou dynasty; but should that happen a hunderd generations after this, the state of the civilsation of the world i.e. China. The period of the Hsia dynasty B. C. 2205-1818 was to a man in China of Confucius time what the period of the Greek history would be to a mo

51、dern man of Europe today. The Yin dynasty B. C. 1766-1154 was, in like manner, what the period of the Roman history would be to a modern man. then, can be known.”24. Confucius remarked, “To worship a spirit to whom one is not bound by a real feeling of duty or respect is idolatry Liteally “servility

52、.” “Cest une Malheur des gens honnétes quils sont des làches.” Voltaire. (It is a misfortune of good people that they are dastards.); to see what is right and to act against ones judgment shows a want of courage.”CHAPTER III1. The head of a powerful family of nobles in Confucius native Sta

53、te employed eight sets of choristers an Imperial prerogative in their family chapel. Confucius, remarking on this, was heard to say, “If this is allowed to pass, what may not be allowed?”2. The members of the same powerful family mentioned above concluded the service in their chapel by chanting the

54、hymn used only on occasions of Imperial worship. Confucius remarked on it, saying; “The words of the hymn beginSurrounded by his nobles and princes,August the Son of Heaven looks;Now what is there in the chapel of this noble family to which those words of the hymn can be applied?”3. Confucius remark

55、ed, “If a man is without moral character, what good can the use of the fine arts do him? If a man is without moral character, what good can the use of music do him?”4. A disciple asked what constituted the fundamental principle of art.“That is a very great question.” replied Confucius, “but in the a

56、rt used in social usages it is better to be simple than to be expensive; in rituals for the dead, it is better that there should be heartfelt grief than minute attention to observances.”5. Confucius remarked, “The heathen hordes of the North and East, even, acknowledge the authority of their chiefs,

57、 whereas now in China respect for authority no longer exists anywhere.” The watchword of Chinese chivalry is 尊王攘夷 (Honour the king and break the heathen). These four words, taken in their true sense and not in their common vulgar sense, have created the modern Japan of to-day.TENNYSON, interpreting

58、the chivalry of Europe in the dialect of Europe, makes his knights of chivalry swear: -“To reverence the king as if he were their conscience, and their conscience as their king, To break the heathen and uphold the Christ.”6. The head of the powerful family of nobles mentioned in section 1 of this chapter was going to offer sacrifice on the top of the Great Tai Mountain an Imperial prerogative. Confucius then said to a disciple who was in the service of the noble, “Can you not do anything to save him from this?” “No,” replied the disciple, “I cannot.” “Ah, then,” answe