CONFUCIAN ANALECTS BOOK I. LEARNING AND PRACTICE

Learning and First original: 學而第一 (Xue Er Di Yi)
The Master Teacher said: "To learn and in due time to practice it, is this not a pleasure pronounced 'yue'?"
"To have friends come from distant places, is this not a joy?"

CHAPTER I.

1. The Master said, "Is it not pleasant to learn with a constant perseverance and application?"
2. "Is it not delightful to have friends coming from distant quarters?"

TITLE OF THE WORK.—Discussed Sayings original: 論語 (Lunyu), "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—Discussed Sayings, "Discussed Sayings," or "Digested Conversations." See Preface to the Correct Meanings of the Annotated Analects original: 論語註疏解經序. I have styled the work "Confucian Analects," as being more descriptive of its character than any other name I could think of.

HEADING OF THIS BOOK.—Learning and... Number One original: 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. The first original: 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 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 original: 學 (xue), "learn," rightly occupies the forefront in the studies of a nation, of which its educational system has so long been the distinction and glory.

1. THE WHOLE WORK AND ACHIEVEMENT OF THE LEARNER, FIRST PERFECTING HIS KNOWLEDGE, THEN ATTRACTING BY HIS FAME LIKE-MINDED INDIVIDUALS, AND FINALLY COMPLETE IN HIMSELF. 1. Master original: 子 (zi), at the commencement, indicates Confucius. Zi, "a son," is also the common designation of males—especially of virtuous men. 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," etc. Often, however, it is better to leave it untranslated. When it precedes the surname, it

2054973