一孔录The video for this chapter is still in production. For now this page gives the original text, the facsimile page, a working translation and the commentary; the full reading follows when the video is out.
葉公問孔子於子路，子路不對。子曰：女奚不曰，其為人也，發憤忘食，樂以忘憂，不知老之將至云爾。The Duke of She asked Zilu about Confucius, and Zilu did not answer. The Master said: Why did you not say: He is the kind of man who forgets to eat in his eagerness, forgets his worries in his joy, and does not notice that old age is coming?
What this chapter says
一孔按：叶公问孔子是怎样的人，孔子要子路答：发愤就忘了吃饭，乐起来就忘了忧，不知道老之将至。这几句就是他的自我介绍：一直在学，一直有乐。常有人问：叶公问孔子为人，孔子说“发愤忘食，乐以忘忧”，自我介绍就这几句？上面是一孔录的回答。
Yikonglu's reading of this chapter is in Chinese for now; the English version comes with the video.
白Plain Chinese
叶公向子路打听孔子的为人，子路没有回答。孔子说：你怎么不这样说：他这个人，发奋起来忘了吃饭，快乐起来忘了忧愁，连衰老就要到来都不知道，如此而已。
Draft plain-Chinese rendering following Zhu Xi; it will be checked when the chapter is covered.
看Watch this chapter
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Connections
- Other books
- Read alongside (Yikonglu)Three Character Classic 31: Tying one's hair to a beam and jabbing one's thigh with an awl are stories of hard study. Confucius said that when he was learning, he forgot to eat.
- Cited by commentatorsThree Character Classic 33: Su Xun “first resolved to strive” (始发愤) at twenty-seven, and the Yinshu commentary cites this line of Confucius to explain 发愤.
- People
Relationship map of the whole book · The Analects, AI-reconstructed edition (PDF)
Close reading and checking
For readers who want to go deeper or check our work: key words in the commentary, what other commentators say, textual variants, the commentaries in their own words with facsimile pages, pronunciation and corrections. Tap a heading to open it.
常The common reading
叶公问孔子为人，孔子说“发愤忘食，乐以忘忧”，自我介绍就这几句？
注Key words in the commentary
叶公，楚叶县尹沈诸梁，字子高，僭称公也。叶公不知孔子，必有非所问而问者，故子路不对。抑亦以圣人之德，实有未易名言者与。
核Zhu Xi's commentary, line by line
Zhu Xi's own words on each line of this chapter, each checked against the base-edition page. Other commentators are added when the chapter is covered. About this edition
| Line | Quoted text | Page |
|---|---|---|
| 叶公问孔子于子路 | “叶公，楚叶县尹沈诸梁，字子高，僭称公也。叶公不知孔子，必有非所问而问者，故子路不对。抑亦以圣人之德，实有未易名言者与。” | page 98—99 |
| 叶公问孔子于子路 | “学者宜致思焉。” | page 99 |
| 子曰：女奚不曰， | “未得，则发愤而忘食；已得，则乐之而忘忧。以是二者俛焉日有孳孳，而不知年数之不足，但自言其好学之笃耳。然深味之，则见其全体至极，纯亦不已之妙，有非圣人不能及者。盖凡夫子之自言，类如此，学者宜致思焉。” | page 99 |
家Other commentaries
Our base text is Zhu Xi's Collected Commentaries (above). Here are other commentaries side by side: for old commentaries, the first line of the sub-commentary with a link to the woodblock scan; for modern editions, one short quoted translation for comparison. The “compared with Zhu Xi” notes are written by Yikonglu, not quoted.
皇侃《论语义疏》Liang dynasty · 1750 Japanese woodblock edition · juan 四
“云葉公問孔子於子路者，葉公，楚臣僭稱公。”……
Compared with Zhu Xi
| Commentary | Point | Relation | Confidence | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 钱穆《论语新解》 | same | fairly sure | 同以发愤忘食、得而乐以忘忧形容好学。子路不答钱主难名圣德，朱先列叶公非所问而问再存难言之说。 |
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