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.
子曰：奢則不孫，儉則固。與其不孫也，寧固。The Master said: Extravagance leads to arrogance; frugality leads to shabbiness. Rather than be arrogant, better to be shabby.
What this chapter says
一孔按：奢则不逊，俭则固陋，两头都失中，但奢的害更大。与其不逊，宁可固陋，所以孔子取俭。常有人问：“奢则不孙，俭则固”，两头都不好，孔子为什么宁可选俭？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
孔子说：奢侈了就不恭顺，节俭了就显得寒陋。与其不恭顺，宁可寒陋些。
Draft plain-Chinese rendering following Zhu Xi; it will be checked when the chapter is covered.
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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
“奢则不孙，俭则固”，两头都不好，孔子为什么宁可选俭？
注Key words in the commentary
不得已而救时之弊也。
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 |
|---|---|---|
| 子曰：奢则不孙， | “不得已而救时之弊也。” | page 105 |
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
“云奢則不遜儉則固者，不遜者，侈濫不恭之謂也。”……
Compared with Zhu Xi
| Commentary | Point | Relation | Confidence | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 钱穆《论语新解》 | same | fairly sure | 同以奢不逊、俭固陋皆失中而宁固，非称固陋为完德。钱分固病在己、不逊陵人故害大；朱作救时之弊。 |
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