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：君子不可小知，而可大受也；小人不可大受，而可小知也。The Master said: The gentleman cannot be known through small things, but can be entrusted with great ones; the petty man cannot be entrusted with great things, but can be known through small ones.
What this chapter says
一孔按：君子在小事上未必看得出，却可以担大任；小人担不了大任，却可能有一技之长。这是观人之法：小处不足以定君子。常有人问：“君子不可小知，而可大受也”，看君子和小人该怎么看？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，君子不宜只凭一件小事评量，却可承担重任；小人不能承担重任，却可能有一项可取的本领。
Draft plain-Chinese rendering following Zhu Xi; it will be checked when the chapter is covered.
看Watch this chapter
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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
“君子不可小知，而可大受也”，看君子和小人该怎么看？
注Key words in the commentary
此言观人之法。知，我知之也。受，彼所受也。盖君子于细事未必可观，而材德足以任重；小人虽器量浅狭，而未必无一长可取。
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：君子不可小 | “此言观人之法。知，我知之也。受，彼所受也。盖君子于细事未必可观，而材德足以任重；小人虽器量浅狭，而未必无一长可取。” | page 218 |
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 八
“君子之道深遠，不與凡人可知。”……
Compared with Zhu Xi
| Commentary | Point | Relation | Confidence | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 钱穆《论语新解》 | same | fairly sure | 同认为君子不宜以一件小技能定高下却能受大任，小人可有一长却不能重托；知为被人知、受为己承受的方向相同。 |
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