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：誦詩三百，授之以政，不達；使於四方，不能專對；雖多，亦奚以為？The Master said: One may recite the three hundred Odes, yet when given a post in government, fail to carry it out, and when sent on missions abroad, be unable to answer on his own. However many he has learned, what use are they?
What this chapter says
一孔按：背得诗三百篇，给他政事办不成，出使四方不能独自应对，背得再多有什么用。诗本人情、该物理，读了要能达于政、能言。常有人问：“诵诗三百，授之以政，不达”，读诗和办政事有什么关系？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，熟读三百篇诗，交给他政事却不能办通，派到各国又不能独立应对，即使读得多，又有什么用呢？
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
“诵诗三百，授之以政，不达”，读诗和办政事有什么关系？
注Key words in the commentary
专，独也。诗本人情，该物理，可以验风俗之盛衰，见政治之得失。其言温厚和平，长于风谕。故诵之者，必达于政而能言也。
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：诵诗三百， | “专，独也。诗本人情，该物理，可以验风俗之盛衰，见政治之得失。其言温厚和平，长于风谕。故诵之者，必达于政而能言也。” | page 176 |
| 子曰：诵诗三百， | “穷经将以致用也。世之诵诗者，果能从政而专对乎？然则其所学者，章句之末耳，此学者之大患也。” | page 176—177 |
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
“云誦詩三百者，不用文，背文而念曰誦。”……
Compared with Zhu Xi
| Commentary | Point | Relation | Confidence | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 杨伯峻《论语译注》 | same | settled | 诵诗须能用于政与专对，专为独立应答；杨详受命不受辞与赋诗外交，朱重达人情物理以致用。 | |
| 钱穆《论语新解》 | same | fairly sure | 同以诵诗须通政事、出使应对，非徒记多即学成；钱特别把三百诗视作西周历史经验，朱重本人情验风俗、温厚风谕。 |
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