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.
子問公叔文子於公明賈曰：信乎，夫子不言、不笑、不取乎？公明賈對曰：以告者過也。夫子時然後言，人不厭其言；樂然後笑，人不厭其笑；義然後取，人不厭其取。子曰：其然，豈其然乎？The Master asked Gongming Jia about Gongshu Wenzi: Is it true that your master does not speak, does not laugh, and does not take? Gongming Jia replied: Those who told you exaggerated. My master speaks only when it is time, so people do not tire of his speaking; he laughs only when he is happy, so people do not tire of his laughing; he takes only when it is right, so people do not tire of his taking. The Master said: Is that so? Can it really be so?
What this chapter says
一孔按：公明贾说公叔文子时然后言、乐然后笑、义然后取，所以人不厌。孔子说是这样吗，难道真是这样吗？说得太好，孔子不轻信，留着余地。常有人问：公明贾夸公叔文子“时然后言”，孔子为什么说“岂其然乎”？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
孔子问公明贾，公叔文子果真不说话、不笑、不取财吗，公明贾说，传话的人说过了，他该说才说、心乐才笑、合义才取，所以人不厌烦；孔子说，真是这样吗，难道真能这样吗？
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
- Cited by commentatorsDaodejing 27: Su Zhe, explaining “good speech leaves no flaw to fault,” speaks of “speaking only when the time is right,” a phrase that comes from this chapter.
- 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
公明贾夸公叔文子“时然后言”，孔子为什么说“岂其然乎”？
注Key words in the commentary
公叔文子，卫大夫公孙拔也。公明，姓；贾，名；亦卫人。文子为人，其详不可知，然必廉静之士，故当时以三者称之。
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 |
|---|---|---|
| 子问公叔文子于公 | “公叔文子，卫大夫公孙拔也。公明，姓；贾，名；亦卫人。文子为人，其详不可知，然必廉静之士，故当时以三者称之。” | page 192 |
| 夫子时然后言，人 | “厌者，苦其多而恶之之辞。事适其可，则人不厌，而不觉其有是矣。是以称之或过，而以为不言、不笑、不取也。然此言也，非礼义充溢于中，得时措之宜者不能。文子虽贤，疑未及此。但君子与人为善，不欲正言其非也，故曰：其然？岂其然乎？盖疑之也。” | page 192 |
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 七
“云子問云云者，孔子見公明賈，相訪而問公叔文子之事。”……
Compared with Zhu Xi
| Commentary | Point | Relation | Confidence | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 钱穆《论语新解》 | same | fairly sure | 同以文子非绝不言笑取，而是时言乐笑义取人不厌，告者过誉。孔子仍问岂其然，未全信毫无考验的绝对赞词。 |
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