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.
子貢曰：有美玉於斯，韞匵而藏諸？求善賈而沽諸？子曰：沽之哉！沽之哉！我待賈者也。Zigong said: Here is a beautiful jade. Should one store it away in a case, or seek a good price and sell it? The Master said: Sell it! Sell it! I am waiting for the right price.
What this chapter says
一孔按：子贡问美玉是藏起来还是卖掉，孔子说卖啊，我在等识货的人。孔子愿意出来做事，但要等人来求，不去自己叫卖。常有人问“子贡问美玉藏起来还是卖掉，孔子说卖，他在等什么”，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
子贡说：假如这儿有块好玉，是把它包好锁进柜里呢，还是等个出好价钱的人把它出手？孔子说：出手吧！出手吧！我就是在等那个肯出价的人。
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)Daodejing 70: "Wearing coarse cloth while holding jade in the bosom" (被褐怀玉): it is the same jade, but Confucius would "sell it!" while Laozi keeps it tucked away.
- People
- Textual variants
- Base text reads 韫匵; the received text reads 韫椟
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
子贡问美玉藏起来还是卖掉，孔子说卖，他在等什么？
注Key words in the commentary
韫，藏也。椟，匮也。沽，卖也。
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 |
|---|---|---|
| 子贡曰：有美玉于 | “韫，藏也。椟，匮也。沽，卖也。” | page 123 |
| 求善贾而沽诸？ | “子贡以孔子有道不仕，故设此二端以问也。孔子言固当卖之，但当待贾，而不当求之耳。” | page 123 |
| 我待贾者也。 | “君子未尝不欲仕也，又恶不由其道。士之待礼，犹玉之待贾也。若伊尹之耕于野，伯夷、太公之居于海滨，世无成汤、文王，则终焉而已，必不枉道以从人，衒玉而求售也。” | page 123—124 |
异Textual variants
Where the base edition differs from the common text; the original follows the base edition.
| Base edition | Common text | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 韫匵 | 韫椟 | 底本PDF123实见匵字，无木旁；不因现代通行写法改成椟 |
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
“云子貢曰有美玉於斯者，子貢欲觀孔子聖德藏用，故託事於斯者也。”……
Compared with Zhu Xi
| Commentary | Point | Relation | Confidence | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 钱穆《论语新解》 | same | fairly sure | 同训韫藏、匵匮、沽卖，善贾取好价，区分求与待；孔子不绝仕进但待合道礼而不自炫求售。 |
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