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.
仲弓為季氏宰，問政。子曰：先有司，赦小過，舉賢才。曰：焉知賢才而舉之？曰：舉爾所知。爾所不知，人其舍諸？Zhonggong, as steward of the Ji family, asked about government. The Master said: Put your officers first, pardon small faults, and raise up the worthy and talented. He said: How can I know the worthy and talented to raise them? The Master said: Raise those you know. Those you do not know — will others pass them over?
What this chapter says
一孔按：仲弓做季氏宰，孔子说先有司，赦小过，举贤才。仲弓问怎么知道谁贤，孔子说举你知道的，你不知道的，别人会舍弃吗？常有人问“仲弓做季氏宰，不认识可用的人，孔子教他怎么办”，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
仲弓做季氏家宰，问政，孔子说，先让各职官员做各自的事，宽免小过，举用贤能；仲弓问怎样知道贤能而举用，孔子说，先举用你所知道的，你不知道的，别人难道会把他们丢下吗？
Draft plain-Chinese rendering following Zhu Xi; it will be checked when the chapter is covered.
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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.
- Other books
- Read alongside (Yikonglu)Daodejing 3: Confucius calls for “promoting the worthy and able,” and Laozi says “do not exalt the worthy.” On employing people, the two schools are exact opposites.
- People
- Textual variants
- Base text reads 曰举尔所知; the received text reads 子曰举尔所知
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
仲弓做季氏宰，不认识可用的人，孔子教他怎么办？
注Key words in the commentary
有司，众职也。宰兼众职，然事必先之于彼，而后考其成功，则己不劳而事毕举矣。过，失误也。大者于事或有所害，不得不惩。
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：先有司，赦 | “有司，众职也。宰兼众职，然事必先之于彼，而后考其成功，则己不劳而事毕举矣。过，失误也。大者于事或有所害，不得不惩；小者赦之，则刑不滥而人心悦矣。贤，有德者。才，有能者。举而用之，则有司皆得其人，而政益修矣。” | page 173 |
| 曰：焉知贤才而举 | “仲弓虑无以尽知一时之贤才，故孔子告之。” | page 173 |
| 尔所不知，人其舍 | “人各亲其亲，然后不独亲其亲。仲弓曰焉知贤才而举之，子曰举尔所知，尔所不知，人其舍诸，便见仲弓与圣人用心之大小。推此义，则一心可以兴邦，一心可以丧邦，只在公私之间尔。” | page 174 |
| 尔所不知，人其舍 | “不先有司，则君行臣职矣。不赦小过，则下无全人矣。不举贤才，则百职废矣。失此三者，不可以为季氏宰，况天下乎？” | page 174 |
异Textual variants
Where the base edition differs from the common text; the original follows the base edition.
| Base edition | Common text | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 曰举尔所知 | 子曰举尔所知 | 底本PDF173问答接曰；杨本13.2加子 |
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
“云仲弓為季氏宰問政者，仲弓將往費為季氏采邑之宰，故先諮問孔子，求為政之法也。”……
Compared with Zhu Xi
| Commentary | Point | Relation | Confidence | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 杨伯峻《论语译注》 | differs | settled | 先有司杨为给工作人员带头，朱为事务先交有司后考成；赦小过举才同，不是总管包揽百务。 | |
| 钱穆《论语新解》 | same | fairly sure | 同以先让有司各任职、再考其功而勿事事亲为，赦小过、举贤才配合；钱不取先择有司之添字解。 |
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