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.
問人於他邦，再拜而送之。康子饋藥，拜而受之。曰：丘未達，不敢嘗。When sending a messenger to inquire after someone in another state, he bowed twice as he sent him off. When Ji Kangzi sent him medicine, he bowed and accepted it, saying: I do not know this medicine, so I dare not taste it.
What this chapter says
一孔按：托人问候他国朋友，拜两次送使者，如同亲见；季康子送药，拜而受之，却说不了解药性，不敢尝。受而不服是虚人之赐，所以直说，诚实本身就是礼。常有人问：季康子送药，孔子拜受却说“丘未达，不敢尝”，不失礼吗？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
孔子托人去别国问候朋友，要向受托的人拜两拜送他上路。季康子送药给孔子，孔子拜谢后收下，说：我还不清楚这药的药性，不敢尝。
Draft plain-Chinese rendering following Zhu Xi; it will be checked when the chapter is covered.
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Connections
- 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
季康子送药，孔子拜受却说“丘未达，不敢尝”，不失礼吗？
注Key words in the commentary
拜送使者，如亲见之，敬也。
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 |
|---|---|---|
| 问人于他邦，再拜 | “拜送使者，如亲见之，敬也。” | page 137 |
| 曰：丘未达，不敢 | “凡赐食，必尝以拜。药未达则不敢尝。受而不饮，则虚人之赐，故告之如此。然则可饮而饮，不可饮而不饮，皆在其中矣。” | page 137 |
| 曰：丘未达，不敢 | “大夫有赐，拜而受之，礼也。未达不敢尝，谨疾也。必告之，直也。” | page 137 |
| 曰：丘未达，不敢 | “此一节，记孔子与人交之诚意。” | page 137 |
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 五
“鄰國之君更相聘問也。”……
Compared with Zhu Xi
| Commentary | Point | Relation | Confidence | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 钱穆《论语新解》 | same | fairly sure | 同以问他邦为遣物问候、再拜送使如亲见；药未达性则不尝，受而说明不虚其馈。钱不据此推必正在病中。 |
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