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：禹，吾無間然矣。菲飲食，而致孝乎鬼神；惡衣服，而致美乎黻冕；卑宮室，而盡力乎溝洫。禹，吾無間然矣。The Master said: In Yu I find no fault. He ate and drank simply, yet was utterly devoted to the spirits; he wore poor clothes, yet made his ceremonial robes and cap beautiful; he lived in a low palace, yet gave all his strength to the irrigation channels. In Yu I find no fault.
What this chapter says
一孔按：禹吃得简单，祭祀却丰洁；穿得朴素，祭服却讲究；住得低矮，却尽力修田间水道。自己处处省，该给神给民的处处尽，孔子挑不出一点毛病。常有人问：孔子说“禹，吾无间然矣”，禹好在哪里？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：大禹，我挑不出他的毛病了。自己吃得简单，却尽心备办祭祀鬼神的供品；自己穿得粗陋，却把祭祀穿的礼服礼帽做得华美；自己住得低矮，却把力气全用在田间沟渠上。大禹，我挑不出他的毛病了。
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
孔子说“禹，吾无间然矣”，禹好在哪里？
注Key words in the commentary
间，罅隙也，谓指其罅隙而非议之也。菲，薄也。致孝鬼神，谓享祀丰洁。衣服，常服。黻，蔽膝也，以韦为之。冕，冠也；皆祭服也。
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 |
|---|---|---|
| 菲饮食，而致孝乎 | “间，罅隙也，谓指其罅隙而非议之也。菲，薄也。致孝鬼神，谓享祀丰洁。衣服，常服。黻，蔽膝也，以韦为之。冕，冠也；皆祭服也。沟洫，田间水道，以正疆界、备旱潦者也。” | page 116 |
| 菲饮食，而致孝乎 | “或丰或俭，各适其宜，所以无罅隙之可议也，故再言以深美之。” | page 116 |
| 禹，吾无间然矣。 | “薄于自奉，而所勤者民之事，所致饰者宗庙朝廷之礼，所谓有天下而不与也，夫何间然之有？” | page 116 |
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
“此美禹之德也。”……
Compared with Zhu Xi
| Commentary | Point | Relation | Confidence | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 杨伯峻《论语译注》 | same | settled | 自奉俭而祭祀丰、田间水利尽力；朱黻实指蔽膝，杨概称祭服，宽窄有别而非全不同礼服。 | |
| 钱穆《论语新解》 | same | fairly sure | 同以禹薄自奉而厚祭祀、尽力民事为无可非议。黻名物不同：钱联系黼黻之衣，朱明确作韦制蔽膝。 |
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