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：苟有用我者，期月而已可也，三年有成。The Master said: If anyone would employ me, within a year things would be in fair shape, and in three years there would be results.
What this chapter says
一孔按：若有人用我，一年就可以把纲纪立起来，三年就有成效。这话据《史记》是为卫灵公不能用孔子而发。常有人问：孔子说“苟有用我者，期月而已可也”，他被任用多久能见成效？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，如果有人任用我，一年就可以初立纲纪，三年便能有所成就。
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
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
孔子说“苟有用我者，期月而已可也”，他被任用多久能见成效？
注Key words in the commentary
期月，谓周一岁之月也。可者，仅辞，言纲纪布也。有成，治功成也。
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：苟有用我者 | “期月，谓周一岁之月也。可者，仅辞，言纲纪布也。有成，治功成也。” | page 178 |
| 子曰：苟有用我者 | “《史记》，此盖为卫灵公不能用而发。” | page 178 |
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 七
“云子曰云云者，苟，誠也。”……
Compared with Zhu Xi
| Commentary | Point | Relation | Confidence | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 杨伯峻《论语译注》 | same | settled | 期月为一周年、三年治有成；朱区分纲纪布与治功成，非一个月就能完成一切教化。 | |
| 钱穆《论语新解》 | same | fairly sure | 同训期月为一年、可为仅可树纲纪、三年使治功充实成就；均系叹世无能用己，不作无需条件的万能承诺。 |
Found an error in this chapter? Email us; once checked, it goes on the errata page under your username: 
