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.
樊遲請學稼，子曰：吾不如老農。請學為圃。曰：吾不如老圃。樊遲出。子曰：小人哉，樊須也！上好禮，則民莫敢不敬；上好義，則民莫敢不服；上好信，則民莫敢不用情。夫如是，則四方之民襁負其子而至矣，焉用稼？Fan Chi asked to learn farming. The Master said: I am not as good as an old farmer. He asked to learn gardening. The Master said: I am not as good as an old gardener. Fan Chi went out. The Master said: What a petty man Fan Xu is! If those above love ritual, the people will not dare be irreverent; if those above love what is right, the people will not dare disobey; if those above love good faith, the people will not dare be insincere. If it is so, the people of the four quarters will come with their children strapped on their backs. What need is there for farming?
What this chapter says
一孔按：樊迟请学种庄稼，孔子说我不如老农。在上者好礼、好义、好信，四方百姓自然背着孩子来投，何必自己种地。骂小人，是说他的志向放小了。常有人问“樊迟请学种庄稼，孔子为什么说他是小人”，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
樊迟请学种庄稼、种蔬菜，孔子分别说自己不如老农、老园丁；樊迟出去后，孔子说，樊须想的只是细民之事，在上者爱礼、义、信，百姓就会敬、服而用真情，四方的人会背着孩子来归，何必专学种田呢？
Draft plain-Chinese rendering following Zhu Xi; it will be checked when the chapter is covered.
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Connections
- 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
樊迟请学种庄稼，孔子为什么说他是小人？
注Key words in the commentary
种五谷曰稼，种蔬菜曰圃。
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 |
|---|---|---|
| 樊迟请学稼，子曰 | “种五谷曰稼，种蔬菜曰圃。” | page 175—176 |
| 子曰：小人哉，樊 | “小人，谓细民，孟子所谓小人之事者也。” | page 175—176 |
| 上好礼，则民莫敢 | “礼、义、信，大人之事也。好义，则事合宜。情，诚实也。敬服用情，盖各以其类而应也。” | page 175—176 |
| 夫如是，则四方之 | “襁，织缕为之，以约小儿于背者。” | page 175—176 |
| 夫如是，则四方之 | “樊迟游圣人之门，而问稼圃，志则陋矣，辞而辟之可也。待其出而后言其非，何也？盖于其问也，自谓农圃之不如，则拒之者至矣。须之学疑不及此，而不能问，不能以三隅反矣，故不复。及其既出，则惧其终不喻也，求老农老圃而学焉，则其失愈远矣，故复言之，使知前所言者意有在也。” | page 176 |
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
“云樊遲請學稼者，樊須字子遲，稼者種五穀之名，樊遲請於孔子求學種五穀之術也。”……
Compared with Zhu Xi
| Commentary | Point | Relation | Confidence | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 杨伯峻《论语译注》 | same | settled | 稼种谷、圃种菜，小人此处为细民；朱以礼义信招民解释君子政务，杨不讳孔子区分统治与耕稼。 | |
| 钱穆《论语新解》 | same | fairly sure | 同以稼谷圃菜为专门民事，而在上须礼义信导民，不只求亲耕技艺。小人指细民之事，不应等同道德败坏者。 |
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