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：歲寒，然後知松柏之後彫也。The Master said: Only when the year turns cold do we know that the pine and cypress are the last to wither.
What this chapter says
一孔按：天冷了，才知道松柏最后凋。平时看不出谁守得住，到了乱世和患难，所守才见分晓。常有人问：“岁寒，然后知松柏之后凋也”，孔子是在说树吗？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：到了一年最冷的时候，才知道松柏是最后凋零的。
Draft plain-Chinese rendering following Zhu Xi; it will be checked when the chapter is covered.
看Watch this chapter
The video for this chapter is in production and will appear here. Follow Yikonglu to see it first:YouTubeBilibili
Connections
- Textual variants
- Base text reads 后彫; the received text reads 后凋
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
“岁寒，然后知松柏之后凋也”，孔子是在说树吗？
注Key words in the commentary
小人之在治世，或与君子无异，惟临利害，遇事变，然后君子之所守可见也。
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：岁寒，然后 | “小人之在治世，或与君子无异，惟临利害，遇事变，然后君子之所守可见也。” | page 128 |
| 子曰：岁寒，然后 | “士穷见节义，世乱识忠臣。欲学者必周于德。” | page 128 |
异Textual variants
Where the base edition differs from the common text; the original follows the base edition.
| Base edition | Common text | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 后彫 | 后凋 | 底本PDF128彫字保留；电子转写雕另据扫描校回彫 |
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
“此欲明君子德性與小人異也。”……
Compared with Zhu Xi
| Commentary | Point | Relation | Confidence | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 钱穆《论语新解》 | same | fairly sure | 同以岁寒见松柏后凋喻利害事变见守节，非平时表面相同即可辨君子。钱更明松柏非绝不凋、其叶新旧相继。 |
Found an error in this chapter? Email us; once checked, it goes on the errata page under your username: 
