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：莫我知也夫！子貢曰：何為其莫知子也？子曰：不怨天，不尤人。下學而上達。知我者其天乎！The Master said: No one knows me! Zigong said: Why does no one know you? The Master said: I do not resent Heaven, nor blame others. I learn from below and reach up above. The one who knows me — is it Heaven?
What this chapter says
一孔按：孔子叹没人了解我。子贡问为何，孔子说不怨天，不尤人，下学人事而上达天理，了解我的大概只有天吧。叹的不是委屈，是自信所学与天相通。常有人问：孔子叹“莫我知也夫”，却又说不怨天不尤人，叹的是什么？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
孔子叹没有人了解自己，子贡问为什么这样说；孔子说，我不怨天，不责人，从平常人事学起而上达天理，了解我的，大概只有天吧。
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
- Read alongside (Yikonglu)Three Character Classic 12: Begin with sweeping, answering and replying, and rise step by step. That is the path from the Elementary Learning to the Four Books.
- Cited by commentatorsThree Character Classic 34: After the child prodigies, the Beiyao commentary closes with “learning what is below and reaching what is above”: beyond cleverness, one must learn step by step.
- Read alongside (Yikonglu)Daodejing 70: "Those who understand me are few" (知我者希). Confucius too sighed, "No one understands me!"
- 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
孔子叹“莫我知也夫”，却又说不怨天不尤人，叹的是什么？
注Key words in the commentary
夫子自叹，以发子贡之问也。
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 |
|---|---|---|
| 子曰：莫我知也夫 | “夫子自叹，以发子贡之问也。” | page 201 |
| 下学而上达。 | “不得于天而不怨天，不合于人而不尤人，但知下学而自然上达。此但自言其反己自修，循序渐进耳，无以甚异于人而致其知也。然深味其语意，则见其中自有人不及知，而天独知之之妙。盖在孔门，惟子贡之智几足以及此，故特语以发之。惜乎其犹有所未达也。” | page 201 |
| 知我者其天乎！ | “不怨天，不尤人，在理当如此。” | page 201 |
| 知我者其天乎！ | “学者须守下学上达之语，乃学之要。盖凡下学人事，便是上达天理。然习而不察，则亦不能以上达矣。” | page 201 |
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
“莫，無也。”……
Compared with Zhu Xi
| Commentary | Point | Relation | Confidence | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 钱穆《论语新解》 | same | fairly sure | 同以不怨天尤人、下学人事上达天理说明知己在天。钱以道穷通人不知皆有命发明，朱重循序自进而不外求。 |
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