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：無為而治者，其舜也與？夫何為哉？恭己正南面而已矣。The Master said: One who governed by doing nothing — was that not Shun? What did he do? He made himself reverent and sat facing south, that was all.
What this chapter says
一孔按：无为而治的大概是舜吧，他做什么了呢？只是恭敬自持、端正地面南而坐。德盛而民化，又得人任事，所以看不出有为的痕迹。常有人问：“无为而治者，其舜也与”，什么都不做天下怎么会治好？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，不亲自多所作为而能天下治的，大概是舜吧；他做了什么呢，不过是端正恭敬自身，坐在南面的君位上罢了。
Draft plain-Chinese rendering following Zhu Xi; it will be checked when the chapter is covered.
看Watch this chapter
The video for this chapter is in production and will appear here. Follow Yikonglu to see it first:YouTubeBilibili
Connections
- Other books
- Read alongside (Yikonglu)Daodejing 17: Laozi says that with the best ruler, the people merely know he exists. Confucius too praises Shun for “governing without acting” (无为而治).
- Read alongside (Yikonglu)Daodejing 37: Laozi says "The Dao constantly does nothing, yet nothing is left undone" (道常无为而无不为). Confucius likewise says Shun "simply made himself reverent and faced south, nothing more."
- Read alongside (Yikonglu)Daodejing 57: "I do nothing, and the people transform of themselves" (我无为而民自化). Confucius too praises Shun for "governing by non-action."
- Read alongside (Yikonglu)Daodejing 60: "Governing a great state is like cooking a small fish" (治大国若烹小鲜): commentators explain it through Shun's non-action, and Confucius praises Shun in the same way.
- Read alongside (Yikonglu)Daodejing 66: "Because he does not contend, no one in the world can contend with him" (以其不争，故天下莫能与之争).
- 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
“无为而治者，其舜也与”，什么都不做天下怎么会治好？
注Key words in the commentary
无为而治者，圣人德盛而民化，不待其有所作为也。独称舜者，绍尧之后，而又得人以任众职，故尤不见其有为之迹也。
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 |
|---|---|---|
| 恭己正南面而已矣 | “无为而治者，圣人德盛而民化，不待其有所作为也。独称舜者，绍尧之后，而又得人以任众职，故尤不见其有为之迹也。恭己者，圣人敬德之容。既无所为，则人之所见如此而已。” | page 208—209 |
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
“云子曰云云者，舜上受堯禪於己，己又下禪於禹，受授得人，故孔子歎舜無為而能治也。”……
Compared with Zhu Xi
| Commentary | Point | Relation | Confidence | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 钱穆《论语新解》 | same | fairly sure | 同以舜得贤分任众职、恭己南面而不见亲劳之迹为无为，非废政事。朱先强调德盛民化，钱先从任官得人说。 |
Found an error in this chapter? Email us; once checked, it goes on the errata page under your username: 
