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：苗而不秀者有矣夫！秀而不實者有矣夫！The Master said: There are sprouts that never flower! There are flowers that never bear fruit!
What this chapter says
一孔按：有出苗而不开花的，有开花而不结实的。学而不至于成，就是这样，所以君子贵在自勉。常有人问：“苗而不秀者有矣夫”，孔子说的是庄稼吗？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：长出了苗却不抽穗开花的，有吧！抽穗开花却不结果实的，也有吧！
Draft plain-Chinese rendering following Zhu Xi; it will be checked when the chapter is covered.
看Watch this chapter
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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
“苗而不秀者有矣夫”，孔子说的是庄稼吗？
注Key words in the commentary
谷之始生曰苗，吐华曰秀，成谷曰实。盖学而不至于成，有如此者，是以君子贵自勉也。
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：苗而不秀者 | “谷之始生曰苗，吐华曰秀，成谷曰实。盖学而不至于成，有如此者，是以君子贵自勉也。” | page 126 |
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
“夫子又為歎顏淵為譬也。”……
Compared with Zhu Xi
| Commentary | Point | Relation | Confidence | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 钱穆《论语新解》 | same | fairly sure | 同以苗秀实比学未至成。钱并存惜颜子早死与警学者两面，朱侧重成德自勉。 |
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