The Analects 17.9 My young friends, why does none of you study the Odes?

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：小子！何莫學夫詩？詩，可以興，可以觀，可以群，可以怨。邇之事父，遠之事君。多識於鳥獸草木之名。

Text: Zhu Xi's Collected Commentaries on the Analects (Sibu Beiyao edition), page 236 of the base edition.

The Master said: My young friends, why does none of you study the Odes? The Odes can rouse you, help you observe, help you live with others, and let you voice complaints. Near at hand, they teach you to serve your father; further off, to serve your ruler. And you learn many names of birds, beasts, plants, and trees.

Working English rendering by Yikonglu; the Chinese text above is what counts.

Facsimile 236 Facsimile 237

白Plain Chinese

孔子说，学生们为什么不学诗，诗可以感发志意、观察得失、使人合群、表达怨意，近可用于侍奉父亲，远可用于侍奉君主，还可以认识许多鸟兽草木的名称。

Draft plain-Chinese rendering following Zhu Xi; it will be checked when the chapter is covered.

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Connections

Other books

Cited by commentatorsThree Character Classic 16: On why one “should recite and chant” (当讽咏) the Songs, the Beiyao commentary cites this very chapter.

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.

见Cross-references

迩之事父，远之事　Commentary：人伦之道，诗无不备，二者举重而言。（朱熹《论语集注》卷九·阳货第9章（底本第 236—237 页））
多识于鸟兽草木之　Commentary：其绪余又足以资多识。（朱熹《论语集注》卷九·阳货第9章（底本第 236—237 页））

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 九

“子曰小子者，呼諸弟子欲語之也。”……

woodblock scan vol. 5 p. 11 About this edition

杨伯峻《论语译注》Zhonghua Book Co. · modern, short quote

“读诗，可以培养联想力，可以提高观察力，可以锻炼合群性，…”

About this edition

钱穆《论语新解》modern, short quote

“小子们，为何没有人学诗呀！”