一孔录子曰：管仲之器小哉！或曰：管仲俭乎？曰：管氏有三归，官事不摄，焉得俭？然则管仲知礼乎？曰：邦君树塞门，管氏亦树塞门；邦君为两君之好，有反坫，管氏亦有反坫。管氏而知礼，孰不知礼？The Master said: Guan Zhong's capacity was small indeed! Someone said: Was Guan Zhong frugal? He said: Guan had the Sangui terrace, and his officials held no double posts — how was that frugal? Then did Guan Zhong know ritual? He said: The ruler of a state has a screen at his gate, and Guan too had a screen at his gate; the ruler of a state, for meetings between two rulers, has a stand for inverted cups, and Guan too had such a stand. If Guan knew ritual, who does not know ritual?
Tap any sentence of the original to copy it with its source.
常The common reading
A man who helped make a hegemon had small capacity? Many take “small capacity” to mean frugal.
注Key words in the commentary
“器小，言其不知圣贤大学之道，故局量褊浅，规模卑狭，不能正身修德以致主于王道” — small capacity means he did not know the great learning of the sages, so his scope was narrow and shallow, unable to correct himself and bring his ruler to the kingly way; “三归，台名” — Sangui is the name of a terrace; “摄，兼也” — she means to hold concurrently; “屏谓之树” — a screen is called shu; “坫，在两楹之间……此皆诸侯之礼，而管仲僭之” — the dian stood between two pillars; all these were rites of lords, and Guan Zhong usurped them; “愚谓……虽不复明言小器之所以然，而其所以小者，于此亦可见矣” — though he does not say why the capacity was small, it can be seen from this.
家What other commentators say
Cheng Yi: “奢而犯礼，其器之小可知” — extravagant and breaking ritual, his small capacity is plain; Su Shi: “先自治而后治人” — govern yourself before governing others — “其本固已浅矣。管仲死，桓公薨，天下不复宗齐” — his foundation was shallow; once Guan Zhong and Duke Huan died, the world no longer looked to Qi; Yang Shi: “夫子大管仲之功而小其器” — the Master praised Guan Zhong's achievement and belittled his capacity. Note that the Xianwen book will praise Guan Zhong's achievement; the two are not the same matter.
读How Yikonglu reads it
Confucius does not say outright where the smallness lies; it shows in the luxury and usurpation. Today: the company grows, the boss's office becomes a palace, and the rules apply only to others.
核Check every citation
Every commentary line quoted in the video: the original wording, who said it, and the page in the base edition. “Paraphrase” marks our summary, not the commentator's words. About this edition
| Quoted text | Source | Page |
|---|---|---|
| “管仲，齐大夫，名夷吾，相桓公霸诸侯。器小，言其不知圣贤大学之道，故局量褊浅，规模卑狭，不能正身修德以致主于王道” | Zhu Xi's commentary | page 47 |
| “三归，台名……摄，兼也。家臣不能具官，一人常兼数事。管仲不然，皆言其侈” | 朱注（“事见说苑”略） | page 47 |
| “屏谓之树。塞，犹蔽也。设屏于门，以蔽内外也……坫，在两楹之间，献酬饮毕，则反爵于其上。此皆诸侯之礼，而管仲僭之，不知礼也” | 朱注（“好，谓好会”略） | page 48 |
| “愚谓孔子讥管仲之器小，其旨深矣。或人不知而疑其俭，故斥其奢以明其非俭。或又疑其知礼，故又斥其僭以明其不知礼。盖虽不复明言小器之所以然，而其所以小者，于此亦可见矣” | Zhu Xi's commentary | page 48 |
| “奢而犯礼，其器之小可知。盖器大，则自知礼而无此失矣” | Cheng Yi, quoted by Zhu Xi | page 48 |
| “自修身正家以及于国，则其本深，其及者远，是谓大器。扬雄所谓大器犹规矩准绳，先自治而后治人者是也。管仲三归反坫，桓公内嬖六人，而霸天下，其本固已浅矣。管仲死，桓公薨，天下不复宗齐” | 朱注引苏氏（苏轼） | page 48 |
| “夫子大管仲之功而小其器。盖非王佐之才，虽能合诸侯、正天下，其器不足称也” | Yang Shi, quoted by Zhu Xi | page 48 |
音Pronunciation
| Character | In the line | Read as |
|---|---|---|
| 焉 | 焉得俭 | yān |
| 摄 | 官事不摄 | shè |
| 塞 | 树塞门 | sè |
| 好 | 两君之好 | hào |
| 坫 | 反坫 | diàn |
页Pages of the base edition
Yikonglu, Analects Ba yi (Book 3) 3.22 “Guan Zhong's capacity was small”, https://yikonglu.com/en/lunyu/ba-yi/22.html, version 2026-11-04.Last checked: 2026-11-04. Changes are logged on theerrata page.
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