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.
定公問：一言而可以興邦，有諸？孔子對曰：言不可以若是其幾也。人之言曰：為君難，為臣不易。如知為君之難也，不幾乎一言而興邦乎？曰：一言而喪邦，有諸？孔子對曰：言不可以若是其幾也。人之言曰：予無樂乎為君，唯其言而莫予違也。如其善而莫之違也，不亦善乎？如不善而莫之違也，不幾乎一言而喪邦乎？Duke Ding asked: Is there a single saying that can make a state flourish? Confucius replied: A saying cannot be expected to do that much. But people say, 'It is hard to be a ruler, and not easy to be a minister.' If one understood how hard it is to be a ruler, would that not come close to a single saying making a state flourish? He asked: Is there a single saying that can ruin a state? Confucius replied: A saying cannot be expected to do that much. But people say, 'I take no joy in being ruler, except that no one contradicts what I say.' If what he says is good and no one contradicts it, is that not good? If what he says is not good and no one contradicts it, would that not come close to a single saying ruining a state?
What this chapter says
一孔按：鲁定公问一句话能否兴邦，孔子说话不能这样期望，但知道为君难，近于一言兴邦；只喜欢没人违抗自己的话，近于一言丧邦。常有人问：定公问一句话能否兴邦，孔子说“为君难”，一句话真能兴邦亡邦吗？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
定公问，有一句话就能兴国的事吗，孔子说，不能这样指望言语必有成效，不过若知道为君为臣不易，因而谨慎，岂不接近一句话兴国。定公又问一句话亡国，孔子说，也不能这样指望，不过有人只以做国君说话无人敢违为乐，话善而无人违尚好，话不善也无人违，岂不接近一句话亡国？
Draft plain-Chinese rendering following Zhu Xi; it will be checked when the chapter is covered.
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Connections
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
定公问一句话能否兴邦，孔子说“为君难”，一句话真能兴邦亡邦吗？
注Key words in the commentary
几，期也。《诗》曰：如几如式。言一言之间，未可以如此而必期其效。
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 |
|---|---|---|
| 孔子对曰：言不可 | “几，期也。《诗》曰：如几如式。言一言之间，未可以如此而必期其效。” | page 179—180 |
| 孔子对曰：言不可 | “当时有此言也。” | page 179—180 |
| 如知为君之难也， | “因此言而知为君之难，则必战战兢兢，临深履薄，而无一事之敢忽。然则此言也，岂不可以必期于兴邦乎？为定公言，故不及臣也。” | page 179—180 |
| 人之言曰：予无乐 | “言他无所乐，惟乐此耳。” | page 179—180 |
| 如不善而莫之违也 | “如不善而莫之违，则忠言不至于耳，君日骄而臣日谄，未有不丧邦者也。” | page 180 |
| 如不善而莫之违也 | “知为君之难，则必敬谨以持之；唯其言而莫予违，则谗谄面谀之人至矣。邦未必遽兴丧也，而兴丧之源分于此。然此非识微之君子，何足以知之？” | page 180 |
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
“云定公問云云者，定公，魯君也。”……
Compared with Zhu Xi
| Commentary | Point | Relation | Confidence | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 杨伯峻《论语译注》 | 几 | word sense | settled | 首句朱训期、不可必期一言之效，杨意译不可简单机械；兴丧之几均为近，警知君难与拒谏。 |
| 钱穆《论语新解》 | same | fairly sure | 同以几为期望一言必见效不可轻许，真正关键在知为君难或自乐无人违言之心；钱强调前后几字义别，非一句口号自能兴亡。 |
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