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：不得中行而與之，必也狂狷乎！狂者進取，狷者有所不為也。The Master said: If I cannot find those who walk the middle way to associate with, then I must have the ardent and the cautious! The ardent press forward; the cautious have things they will not do.
What this chapter says
一孔按：找不到中行的人，就取狂者和狷者。狂者志高肯进取，狷者守得住有所不为；比只会谨厚的人更能激励裁成。常有人问：孔子说“必也狂狷乎”，狂者和狷者都有偏，为什么反倒要找他们？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，得不到行事合乎中道的人来相处，便取狂者、狷者吧；狂者有志进取，狷者也有所不肯做。
Draft plain-Chinese rendering following Zhu Xi; it will be checked when the chapter is covered.
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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“必也狂狷乎”，狂者和狷者都有偏，为什么反倒要找他们？
注Key words in the commentary
行，道也。狂者，志极高而行不掩；狷者，知未及而守有余。
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：不得中行而 | “行，道也。狂者，志极高而行不掩；狷者，知未及而守有余。盖圣人本欲得中道之人而教之，然既不可得，而徒得谨厚之人，则未必能自振拔而有为也。故不若得此狂狷之人，犹可因其志节，而激厉裁抑之以进于道，非与其终于此而已也。” | page 183 |
| 狂者进取，狷者有 | “孔子岂不欲中道哉？不可必得，故思其次也。如琴张、曾皙、牧皮者，孔子之所谓狂也。其志嘐嘐然，曰：古之人，古之人。夷考其行而不掩焉者也。狂者又不可得，欲得不屑不洁之士而与之，是狷也，是又其次也。” | page 183 |
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
“云不得中行而與之者，中行，行能得其中者也。”……
Compared with Zhu Xi
| Commentary | Point | Relation | Confidence | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 杨伯峻《论语译注》 | same | settled | 狂志高进取、狷有所不为，中道不得而思其次；朱强调可裁抑进道，非把狂狷当最终完德。 | |
| 钱穆《论语新解》 | same | fairly sure | 同以中行难得，狂志进取、狷守不为尚可因志节裁成，胜过无可振拔的乡愿；钱引孟子说明，朱以知行偏重分辨。 |
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