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.
子夏為莒父宰，問政。子曰：無欲速，無見小利。欲速，則不達；見小利，則大事不成。Zixia, as steward of Jufu, asked about government. The Master said: Do not seek speed; do not look to small gains. Seek speed and you will not get there; look to small gains and great affairs will not be accomplished.
What this chapter says
一孔按：子夏做莒父宰问政，孔子说不要求快，不要贪小利；求快就达不到，贪小利大事就做不成。子夏规模狭小，所以对他说这一句。常有人问：子夏为莒父宰问政，孔子为什么对他说“无欲速，无见小利”？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
子夏做莒父长官，问政，孔子说，不要急求速成，不要只看小利；急求速成反而达不到，专看小利，大事就办不成。
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
- Same question
Asking about government: 10 times in the book. Different people asked, and got different answers:
- 12.7 Zigong: Enough food, enough arms, and the trust of the people.
- 12.11 Duke Jing of Qi: Let the ruler be a ruler, the minister a minister, the father a father, the son a son.
- 12.14 Zizhang: Keep it in mind without weariness; carry it out with loyalty.
- 12.17 Ji Kangzi: To govern is to set right.
- 12.19 Ji Kangzi: You govern; what need is there for killing?
- 13.1 Zilu: Go before them; toil for them.
- 13.2 Zhonggong: Put your officers to work first, pardon small faults, promote the worthy and able.
- 13.16 the Duke of She: Those near are pleased, and those far away come.
- 13.17 Zixia: Do not seek speed; do not look to small gains.
- 20.2 Zizhang: Honor the five excellences; banish the four evils.
- People
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
子夏为莒父宰问政，孔子为什么对他说“无欲速，无见小利”？
注Key words in the commentary
莒父，鲁邑名。欲事之速成，则急遽无序，而反不达；见小者之为利，则所就者小，而所失者大矣。
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 |
|---|---|---|
| 欲速，则不达；见 | “莒父，鲁邑名。欲事之速成，则急遽无序，而反不达；见小者之为利，则所就者小，而所失者大矣。” | page 180—181 |
| 欲速，则不达；见 | “子张问政，子曰：居之无倦，行之以忠。子夏问政，子曰：无欲速，无见小利。子张常过高而未仁，子夏之病常在近小，故各以切己之事告之。” | page 180—181 |
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
“云子夏為莒父宰問政者，子夏欲往莒父為宰，故先問孔子為政之法也。”……
Compared with Zhu Xi
| Commentary | Point | Relation | Confidence | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 杨伯峻《论语译注》 | same | settled | 欲速反不达，逐小利害大事；朱系子夏近小之病因材告之，杨对莒父地望不作确证。 | |
| 钱穆《论语新解》 | same | fairly sure | 同以急遽失序反不达，专计眼前小利反失大事；对地方行政须有次第，不以慢怠为无欲速。 |
Found an error in this chapter? Email us; once checked, it goes on the errata page under your username: 
