一孔录伯牛有疾，子问之，自牖执其手，曰：亡之，命矣夫！斯人也而有斯疾也！斯人也而有斯疾也！Boniu was ill. The Master went to ask after him, and holding his hand through the window, said: We are losing him; it is fate! That such a man should have such an illness! That such a man should have such an illness!
Tap any sentence of the original to copy it with its source.
白Plain Chinese
伯牛病重，孔子去探望，从窗口握着他的手，说：要失去他了，这是命啊！这样好的人竟得了这样的病！这样好的人竟得了这样的病！
A plain modern-Chinese rendering following Yikonglu's reading.
常The common reading
His student was gravely ill: why did Confucius only hold his hand from outside the window?
注Key words in the commentary
“夫，音扶” — “夫” is read fú; “有疾，先儒以为癞也” — earlier scholars took the illness to be leprosy; “礼：病者居北牖下，君视之，则迁于南牖下，使君得以南面视己。时伯牛家以此礼尊孔子，孔子不敢当，故不入其室，而自牖执其手，盖与之永诀也” — by ritual the sick lie under the north window; when the ruler visits, they are moved under the south window so the ruler may face south to see them. Boniu's family honoured Confucius with this rite; he did not dare accept it, so he did not enter the room but held his hand through the window, a final farewell; “命，谓天命” — “ming” means heaven's decree.
家What other commentators say
Hou: “伯牛以德行称，亚于颜、闵。故其将死也，孔子尤痛惜之” — Boniu was known for virtuous conduct, second only to Yan and Min; so when he was about to die, Confucius grieved for him especially.
读How Yikonglu reads it
Boniu's family moved the sickbed under the south window, as for a ruler's visit; Confucius did not dare accept that honour, so he did not enter and held his hand through the window in farewell. “That such a man should have such an illness” is said twice: grief that such a person should suffer such a disease, laid at the door of fate.
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 三
“云伯牛有疾者，伯牛，弟子冉耕字也，魯人，有疾，有惡疾也。”……
Compared with Zhu Xi
| Commentary | Point | Relation | Confidence | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 钱穆《论语新解》 | differs | fairly sure | 问病自牖原因主取有别：钱以齐鲁土床在南窗下解释，认为不必牵君臣视疾礼；朱以病家尊孔子如君、孔子不敢当故不入室。 |
核Check every citation
Every commentary line quoted in the video: the original wording, who said it, and the page in the base edition. “Paraphrase” marks our summary, not the commentator's words. About this edition
| Quoted text | Source | Page |
|---|---|---|
| “夫，音扶。伯牛，孔子弟子……盖与之永诀也” | Zhu Xi's commentary | page 81 |
| “命，谓天命……亦可见矣。侯氏曰：……孔子尤痛惜之” | 朱注；朱注引侯氏 | page 81 |
音Pronunciation
| Character | In the line | Read as |
|---|---|---|
| 夫 | 命矣夫、夫岂其本心 | fú |
| 亡 | 亡之 | wáng |
| 牖 | 自牖、南牖、北牖 | yǒu |
页Pages of the base edition
Yikonglu, Analects 雍也第六 6.8 “Why did Confucius hold his dying student's hand through the window?”, https://yikonglu.com/en/lunyu/yong-ye/8.html, version 2026-11-05.Last checked: 2026-11-05. Changes are logged on theerrata page.
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