CONFUCIAN ANALECTS original: 論語 (Lún Yǔ)

If a man Three sections remains unhurt even when others do not recognize his merits, is he not indeed a man of complete virtue?

This concludes the first chapter of Book I.

CHAPTER II.

1. The philosopher Yû Chapter 2, Section 1 said, "It is rare for a person who is filial to his parents and respectful to his elders to be fond of offending those in authority over them."

3. "Is he not a man of complete virtue, who feels no discomposure though men may take no note of him?"

CHAPTER II.

1. The philosopher Yû said, "They are few who, being filial and fraternal, are fond of offending against their superiors. There have been none,

The following commentary explains the specific Chinese characters used in the text above.

The use of the term "Master" original: 子 (zǐ) indicates that the person spoken of was the teacher of the writer, as in the phrase "My master, the philosopher Shěn" original: 子沈子. 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 handiwork of his disciples, and the reverence which it bespeaks for him. "To learn" original: 學 (xué), in the old commentators, is explained by "to read chantingly" or "to discuss" original: 誦 (sòng). Chû Hsî A highly influential 12th-century Neo-Confucian scholar interprets it as "to imitate" original: 效 (xiào), and makes its results to be "the understanding of all excellence, and the bringing back of original goodness" original: 明善而復初. Subsequent scholars profess, for the most part, great admiration of this explanation. It is an illustration, to my mind, of the way in which Chû Hsî and his followers are continually being wise above what is written in the classical books. "To practice" original: 習 (xí) refers to the rapid and frequent motion of the wings of a bird in flying, used here for "to repeat" or "to practice." The character "it" original: 之 (zhī) is the object of the third person pronoun, referring back to the deep meaning of what is learned. The phrase "Is it not...?" original: 不亦 ... 乎 is explained as "Is it not indeed?" original: 豈不. See the Supplement to the Four Books with Collected Explanations original: 四書補註備旨. To bring out the force of "also" in the word yì 亦, some say: "The occasions for pleasure are many, is this not also one?" But it is better to consider it as merely redundant; see Wang Yin-chih's masterly Treatise on the Particles, chapter iii; it forms chapters 1208 to 1217 of the Explanations of the Classics under the Imperial Qing Dynasty original: 皇清經解. The word for "pleasure" original: 說 (yuè), read yuë as always when it has the entering tone marked, stands for the character meaning "delight" original: 悅. What is learned becomes by practice and application one's own, and hence arises complacent pleasure in the mastering mind. This "delight" original: 悅, as distinguished from "joy" original: 樂 (lè) in the next paragraph, is the internal, individual feeling of pleasure, while the other is its external manifestation, implying also companionship.

2. The term for "friend" original: 朋 (péng) properly means "fellow students"; but, generally, individuals of the same class and character, like-minded.

3. "A man of complete virtue" original: 君子 (jūnzǐ), I translate here as such. Literally, it is "a princely man." See the note on "Master" above. It is a technical term in Chinese moral writers for which there is no exact equivalent in English, and which cannot be rendered always in the same way. See Morrison's Dictionary, under the character for "son/master" 子. Its opposite is the "small, mean man" original: 小人 (xiǎorén). "Men do not know him" original: 人不知 was anciently explained by some as "men do not know," meaning they are too stupid to understand his teaching. The interpretation in the main text is, doubtless, the correct one.

2. FILIAL PIETY AND FRATERNAL SUBMISSION ARE THE FOUNDATION OF ALL VIRTUOUS PRACTICE. 1. Yû,