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.
蘧伯玉使人於孔子。孔子與之坐而問焉，曰：夫子何為？對曰：夫子欲寡其過而未能也。使者出。子曰：使乎！使乎！Qu Boyu sent a messenger to Confucius. Confucius sat with him and asked: What is your master doing? He replied: My master wishes to reduce his faults but has not yet managed it. When the messenger had left, the Master said: What a messenger! What a messenger!
What this chapter says
一孔按：蘧伯玉派人来，孔子问先生在做什么，使者说先生想减少过错还没做到。使者出去，孔子连说好使者。话说得谦而得体，也见出主人的进德不倦。常有人问：蘧伯玉的使者说主人“欲寡其过而未能”，孔子为什么连夸“使乎”？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
蘧伯玉派人问候孔子，孔子让使者坐下，问他主人做什么，使者说，主人想减少自己的过失，还没做到；使者出去后，孔子连声称赞，这真是使者，这真是使者。
Draft plain-Chinese rendering following Zhu Xi; it will be checked when the chapter is covered.
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Connections
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
蘧伯玉的使者说主人“欲寡其过而未能”，孔子为什么连夸“使乎”？
注Key words in the commentary
蘧伯玉，卫大夫，名瑗。孔子居卫，尝主于其家。既而反鲁，故伯玉使人来也。
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 |
|---|---|---|
| 蘧伯玉使人于孔子 | “蘧伯玉，卫大夫，名瑗。孔子居卫，尝主于其家。既而反鲁，故伯玉使人来也。” | page 198 |
| 对曰：夫子欲寡其 | “与之坐，敬其主以及其使也。夫子，指伯玉也。言其但欲寡过而犹未能，则其省身克己，常若不及之意可见矣。使者之言愈自卑约，而其主之贤益彰，亦可谓深知君子之心，而善于辞令者矣。故夫子再言使乎以重美之。” | page 198 |
| 对曰：夫子欲寡其 | “按庄周称伯玉行年五十，而知四十九年之非。又曰：伯玉行年六十而六十化。盖其进德之功，老而不倦。是以践履笃实，光辉宣著，不惟使者知之，而夫子亦信之也。” | page 198 |
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
“云蘧伯玉使人於孔子者，使人往孔子處。”……
Compared with Zhu Xi
| Commentary | Point | Relation | Confidence | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 钱穆《论语新解》 | same | fairly sure | 同以蘧伯玉仍欲寡过而未能见日省不自满，使者据实传意又不损其德，故孔子再称使乎；不是赞夸主人才合格。 |
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