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.
子貢問曰：何如斯可謂之士矣？子曰：行己有恥，使於四方，不辱君命，可謂士矣。曰：敢問其次。曰：宗族稱孝焉，鄉黨稱弟焉。曰：敢問其次。曰：言必信，行必果，硜硜然小人哉！抑亦可以為次矣。曰：今之從政者何如？子曰：噫！斗筲之人，何足算也。Zigong asked: What must one be like to be called a scholar? The Master said: One who conducts himself with a sense of shame, and when sent abroad does not disgrace his ruler's commission, may be called a scholar. He said: May I ask about the next level? One whose clan praises his filial piety and whose village praises his respect for elders. May I ask about the next? One whose word is always kept and whose actions are always carried through — stubborn little men! Yet they may count as the next level. He said: What about those in government today? The Master said: Ah! Men of the peck and the bushel — hardly worth counting.
What this chapter says
一孔按：士的上等是行己有耻、出使不辱君命；次等是宗族称孝、乡党称弟；再次是言必信、行必果，硬邦邦的小人，但也还算士。今之从政者，孔子说器量太小，不值一提。常有人问：“言必信，行必果”今天是好话，孔子为什么说是“硁硁然小人”？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
子贡问怎样算士，孔子说，行己知耻，出使不辱君命就算士；再问次一等，答宗族称孝、乡里称弟，再问其次，答言必兑现、做事必坚持到底，虽是拘执浅狭的人，也还能列为其次。子贡问如今从政者怎样，孔子叹道，那些器量像斗筲一样小的人，哪里值得算上。
Draft plain-Chinese rendering following Zhu Xi; it will be checked when the chapter is covered.
看Watch this chapter
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Connections
- Same question
Asking about the scholar (shi): 3 times in the book. Different people asked, and got different answers:
- 12.20 Zizhang: Plain and upright and loving what is right, attentive to words and observant of faces, mindful to put himself below others.
- 13.20 Zigong: He conducts himself with a sense of shame, and when sent on missions abroad he does not disgrace his ruler's commission.
- 13.28 Zilu: Earnest, encouraging, and genial.
- Same line elsewhere
- Analects 13.28 子路問曰：何如斯可謂之士矣？……
- 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
“言必信，行必果”今天是好话，孔子为什么说是“硁硁然小人”？
注Key words in the commentary
此其志有所不为，而其材足以有为者也。子贡能言，故以使事告之，盖为使之难，不独贵于能言而已。
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 |
|---|---|---|
| 子贡问曰：何如斯 | “此其志有所不为，而其材足以有为者也。子贡能言，故以使事告之，盖为使之难，不独贵于能言而已。” | page 182—183 |
| 曰：敢问其次。 | “此本立而材不足者，故为其次。” | page 182—183 |
| 曰：言必信，行必 | “果，必行也。硁，小石之坚确者。小人，言其识量之浅狭也。此其本末皆无足观，然亦不害其为自守也，故圣人犹有取焉，下此则市井之人，不复可为士矣。” | page 182—183 |
| 曰：今之从政者何 | “今之从政者，盖如鲁三家之属。噫，心不平声。斗，量名，容十升。筲，竹器，容斗二升。斗筲之人，言鄙细也。算，数也。子贡之问每下，故夫子以是警之。” | page 182—183 |
| 斗筲之人，何足算 | “子贡之意，盖欲为皎皎之行，闻于人者。夫子告之，皆笃实自得之事。” | page 183 |
见Cross-references
- 子贡问曰：何如斯 Elsewhere in the Analects：子路问曰：何如斯可谓之士矣？（《论语》集注分章13.28（底本第 185 页））
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
“云子貢問云云者，謂問在朝為士之法，是卿大夫可知也。”……
Compared with Zhu Xi
| Commentary | Point | Relation | Confidence | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 杨伯峻《论语译注》 | 士有层次 | word sense | fairly sure | 知耻不辱命优于仅谨信，硁硁虽小犹可列次；斗筲杨记容五升，朱记一斗二升，器量考释有差。 |
| 钱穆《论语新解》 | 同分士之高下 | word sense | fairly sure | 行己有耻使不辱命为先、宗族乡里称孝弟次之、硁硁必信果再次，斗筲不足数；非将言信行果全盘斥恶。 |
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