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：法語之言，能無從乎？改之為貴。巽與之言，能無說乎？繹之為貴。說而不繹，從而不改，吾末如之何也已矣。The Master said: Words of correction — can one fail to accept them? What matters is to change. Words of gentle advice — can one fail to be pleased? What matters is to think them through. Pleased but not thinking it through, accepting but not changing — with such a person I can do nothing.
What this chapter says
一孔按：正面规劝的话，能不听从吗？改了才可贵。委婉开导的话，能不高兴吗？琢磨出用意才可贵。只高兴不琢磨、只听从不改，孔子说拿这种人没办法。常有人问：“巽与之言，能无说乎？绎之为贵”，顺耳的话为什么光高兴不够？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：正言规劝的话，能不听从吗？但贵在真正改过。委婉开导的话，听了能不高兴吗？但贵在仔细推敲它的用意。只是高兴而不推敲，只是表面听从而不改正，这样的人我也没有办法了。
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
- Same line elsewhere
- Analects 15.15 不曰如之何如之何者，吾末如之……
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
“巽与之言，能无说乎？绎之为贵”，顺耳的话为什么光高兴不够？
注Key words in the commentary
法语者，正言之也。巽言者，婉而导之也。绎，寻其绪也。法言人所敬惮，故必从；然不改，则面从而已。巽言无所乖忤，故必说。
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 |
|---|---|---|
| 说而不绎，从而不 | “法语者，正言之也。巽言者，婉而导之也。绎，寻其绪也。法言人所敬惮，故必从；然不改，则面从而已。巽言无所乖忤，故必说；然不绎，则又不足以知其微意之所在也。” | page 127 |
| 说而不绎，从而不 | “法言，若孟子论行王政之类是也。巽言，若其论好货好色之类是也。语之而不达，拒之而不受，犹之可也。其或喻焉，则尚庶几其能改绎矣。从且说矣，而不改绎焉，则是终不改绎也已，虽圣人其如之何哉？” | page 127 |
见Cross-references
- 说而不绎，从而不 Elsewhere in the Analects：子曰：不曰如之何如之何者，吾末如之何也已矣。（《论语》集注分章15.15（底本第 213 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 五
“彼人有過失，若我以法則語之，人聞法當時無不口從而云止當不敢復為者也。”……
Compared with Zhu Xi
| Commentary | Point | Relation | Confidence | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 钱穆《论语新解》 | same | fairly sure | 同分法语正言相规须改、巽言婉导须寻绎微意，不可只面从悦听；钱以教学在人与学习在己总结。 |
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