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：君子易事而難說也：說之不以道，不說也；及其使人也，器之。小人難事而易說也：說之雖不以道，說也；及其使人也，求備焉。The Master said: The gentleman is easy to serve but hard to please. Try to please him by other than the Way, and he is not pleased; when he employs people, he uses each according to his capacity. The petty man is hard to serve but easy to please. Try to please him by other than the Way, and he is pleased; when he employs people, he expects everything of them.
What this chapter says
一孔按：君子容易共事却难讨好：不以道讨好他，他不高兴；用人时按各人的器量用。小人难共事却容易讨好；用人时却求全责备。常有人问：“君子易事而难说”，好共事的上司和好讨好的上司差在哪？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，君子容易共事却难以讨好，不合道的取悦他不接受，用人则量才而使；小人难以共事却容易讨好，取悦不合道也接受，用人却要求样样齐备。
Draft plain-Chinese rendering following Zhu Xi; it will be checked when the chapter is covered.
看Watch this chapter
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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
“君子易事而难说”，好共事的上司和好讨好的上司差在哪？
注Key words in the commentary
器之，谓随其材器而使之也。君子之心公而恕，小人之心私而刻。天理人欲之间，每相反而已矣。
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 |
|---|---|---|
| 子曰：君子易事而 | “器之，谓随其材器而使之也。君子之心公而恕，小人之心私而刻。天理人欲之间，每相反而已矣。” | page 185 |
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
“云君子易事難說也者，君子忠恕，故易事也。”……
Compared with Zhu Xi
| Commentary | Point | Relation | Confidence | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 杨伯峻《论语译注》 | same | settled | 君子悦须合道、用人量才，小人悦易却求备；器之为随器使，不是将人降为器物无德。 | |
| 钱穆《论语新解》 | same | fairly sure | 同以君子按材任用、不无道取悦，小人求备而易受非道之悦，公恕与私刻相反；器之不是拘人不可成长。 |
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