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：片言可以折獄者，其由也與？子路無宿諾。The Master said: One who could settle a lawsuit with half a word — that would be You, would it not? Zilu never slept on a promise.
What this chapter says
一孔按：半句话就能断案，只有子路，因为他忠信明决，话一出人就信。他答应的事从不过夜。凭的是平日的信用，不是武断。常有人问：“片言可以折狱者，其由也与”，半句话就断案，不是武断吗？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
孔子说，只用半句话就能使人信服、断定诉讼的，大概是仲由吧。子路答应的事，不会拖延着不去做。
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
- 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
“片言可以折狱者，其由也与”，半句话就断案，不是武断吗？
注Key words in the commentary
片言，半言。折，断也。子路忠信明决，故言出而人信服之，不待其辞之毕也。
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：片言可以折 | “片言，半言。折，断也。子路忠信明决，故言出而人信服之，不待其辞之毕也。” | page 165 |
| 子路无宿诺。 | “宿，留也，犹宿怨之宿。急于践言，不留其诺也。记者因夫子之言而记此，以见子路之所以取信于人者，由其养之有素也。” | page 165 |
| 子路无宿诺。 | “所以全其信也。” | page 165 |
| 子路无宿诺。 | “小邾射以句绎奔鲁，曰：使季路要我，吾无盟矣。千乘之国，不信其盟，而信子路之一言，其见信于人可知矣。一言而折狱者，信在言前，人自信之故也。不留诺，所以全其信也。” | page 165 |
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 六
“片，猶偏也。折獄，謂判辨獄訟之事也。”……
Compared with Zhu Xi
| Commentary | Point | Relation | Confidence | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 杨伯峻《论语译注》 | differs | settled | 片言杨为单方面言辞、喻诚直得信，朱为半言、未毕辞已信；无宿诺朱与取信联系，杨坦言章内逻辑未明。 | |
| 钱穆《论语新解》 | 片言 | nuance | fairly sure | 钱取子路之单面证言因忠信可断狱，不取子路只听一面便决；朱谓其说话忠信明决、不待辞毕人已信服。无宿诺均取有诺急践。 |
Found an error in this chapter? Email us; once checked, it goes on the errata page under your username: 
