A New Practical Primer of Literary Chinese Notes

Lesson 1:

TEXT 1: 知命者不怨天，知己者不怨人。

Chinese Pinyin English知 zhi1 To know, to

understand, to know how to, knowledge

命 ming4 1. To command; a command

2. Fate, life span*者 zhe3 A grammatical

particle不 bu4 Not (always negates

verbs and adjectives)怨 yuan4 To resent;

resentment, grievance

天 tian1 Sky, “Heaven”

己 ji3 Oneself, self, ego

人 ren2 1. Person, people, human beings*

2. Others, other people

TRANSLATION TEXT 1: One who knows his fate does not resent Heaven; one who knows himself does not resent others.

TEXT 2: 禍生於欲得，福生得於自禁。聖人以心導耳目。

Chinese Pinyin English禍 huo4 Disaster, misfortune,

bad luck生 sheng1 1. To be born from,

to arise, to grow, to give birth to, to be alive, to raise, to grow; alive, life*

2. Master, Mister於 yu2 A multipurpose

preposition欲 yu4 To desire, to want, to

want to; desires, wants得 de2 1. To get, to obtain;

gain, profit*2. To succeed in, to

be able to (verb)福 fu2 Good fortune,

prosperity自 zi4 1. Oneself,

personally, naturally, spontaneously*

2. From (away from something)

禁 jin4 To control, to prohibit, to restrain

聖 sheng4 Sage, wise person; saint, sagely, wise

以 yi3 1. With, by means of [coverb]*

2. In order to [conjunction]

心 xin1 Heart, mind; state of mind, attitude

導 dao3 To lead

耳 er2 1. Ear*2. “And that is

all” (而已)

目 mu4 Eye; to look at, to

glare at

TRANSLATION TEXT 2: Disaster/misfortune arises from wanting to obtain [things]; good fortune arises from self-control. The sagely person leads his ears and eyes by means of his mind/heart; the petty person leads his mind/heart by means of his ears and eyes.

TEXT 3: 為善者天報以德。為不善者天報以禍。

Chinese Pinyin English小 xiao3 Little, petty,

insignificant; petty person, to consider small, to scorn

為 1. wei22. wei4

1. To do, to make, to be, to become*

2. For the sake of, because of

善 shan4 1. Good, excellent, virtuous; good [thing]

2. To be good or skilled at [something]

報 bao4 1. To repay, to reward, repayment*

2. To avenge, revenge

3. Report, to report德 de2 1. Virtue, power*

2. Good deed, to do a good deed

TRANSLATION TEXT 3: [As for] one who does good, Heaven rewards him with virtue/favors. [As for] one who does evil, Heaven repays him with misfortune.

GRAMMAR:

1. Parts of Speech

a. 欲 can mean “to want” (verb)

i. 人欲耳 = Men want earsb. It can mean “to want to” (auxiliary verb)

i. 天欲報聖人 = Heaven wants to reward the wise person

c. Or it can mean “desire” (noun)

i. 善人怨欲 = The good person resents desire

d. 知 can mean “to know” or “to understand” (verb)

i. 小人不知德 = The petty person does not understand virtue

e. Or it can mean “to know how to” (auxiliary verb)

i. 天知報聖人 = Heaven knows how to reward the wise person

f. ALSO: Sometimes, an adverb + verb = noun

i. 不 (not) + 知 (to know) = ignorance

ii. 自 (oneself) + 禁 (to control) = self-control

iii. 不 (not) + 善 (virtuous) = wickedness2. Numbers & Tense

a. Writer lets context decide if something is singular or plural

b. Same applies to tense (past, present or future)

3. 者 Added to a verb to indicate person or thing carrying out an action

a. 知者 = One who knows

b. 怨者 = One who resents

c. 導者 = One who leads

d. 導人者 = One who leads people

e. 生耳者 = One who grows ears

f. 為禍者 = One who creates disaster

g. 不命者 = One who does not command

PRACTICE:

A. One who desires = 欲者B. One who knows the heart = 知心者C. One who wants eyes = 欲耳者D. One who rewards the person = 報人者E. One who leads Heaven = 導天者

4. 於 Placed between verb or noun and translated by contexta. Noun that follows is the locationb. Can mean “in” “from” or “by”

c. 聖人得目於天 = The wise person obtains eyes from Heaven

d. 聖人導小人於禍 = The wise person leads the petty person from disaster

e. 小人生於禍 = The petty person arises from disaster

f. 知己者得報於天 = The person who knows himself obtains a reward from Heaven

PRACTICE:

A. One who does good deeds leads the heart away from

disaster = 為善者導新於禍B. The heart is born from the good = 心生於善C. The person got eyes from Heaven = 人得耳於天

5. 以 Comes before main verb, followed by special object; means “with” or “by means of”

a. 天以禍報為不善者 = Heaven repays with disaster the person who does evil

i. 報 is the main verb

ii. 為不善者 is the object of the main verb

iii. 以 is the coverb

iv. 禍 is object of the coverb6. Shifting coverb position: If writer wants to place special

emphasis on thing that gets used (i.e. Text #3), place coverb and its object after main verb

a. 小人導心耳目 = Petty person leads his heart with his eyes and ears

b. 知己者報人以善 = It is with good that one who knows himself rewards others

c. 小人報天以怨 = It is with resentment that the petty person rewards Heaven

PRACTICE:

A. It is with disaster that [our] eyes and ears repay

ignorance = 目耳報不知以禍B. Virtue arises from the good person through his heart =

得生於善人以心 C. It is with self-control that the one who knows herself

commands Heaven = 知己者命天以自禁

Lesson 2:

TEXT 1: 君子有終身之憂，而無一朝之患。順道而行，循理而言。喜不加易，怒不加難。

Chinese Pinyin English君 jun1 1. Ruler, lord*

2. Polite second person pronoun

子 zi3 1. Son, child*2. “You”3. Master4. “Viscount”

君子 jun1 zi3 Son of a lord, a gentleman, a superior man

有 you3 1. To possess, to own, to have; possession*

2. Being, existence; to exist, to be

終 zhong1 To end, to die; ending, finally

身 shen1 Body, the self; oneself, personally, on one’s own

終身 zhong1 shen1 All one’s life, to the end of one’s life

之 zhi1 1. Grammatical particle

2. Him, her, it, them3. To go

憂 you1 Worry, anxiety, concern; to worry [about]

而 er2 But, and, then (connects two verbs)

無 wu2 1. To not have; nonposession

2. Nonexistence, nothingness; to

not exist3. “Don’t….”

一 yi1 One, first, once

朝 1. zhao12. chao2

1. Morning, dawn*2. First day of

lunar month3. Court; to go to

court一朝 yi1 zhao1 Right away, at once,

immediately患 huan4 Grief, misfortune,

disaster; to suffer; to worry about [a crisis]

順 shun4 To act in accordance with, to agree with, to obey; favorable

道 dao4 1. Road, path, skill, method, philosophy, the right way to live*

2. To speak行 1. xing2

2. xing41. To go, to walk,

to act, to circulate, to practice, to put into practice

2. Behavior, conduct

循 xun2 To follow, to comply with

理 li3 Principles, pattern, rationale; to straighten, to arrange, to put in order

言 yan2 To speak, to say; words, speech

喜 xi3 To be happy, to be delighted, to enjoy [something]; joy, pleasure

加 jia1 To increase, increasingly, more*; to apply [to], advantage, gain

易 yi4 1. Easy, easily2. Change, to

change, to exchange

怒 nu4 Angry, anger

難 nan2 1. Difficult, hard to deal with*

2. Difficulty, problem

TRANSLATION TEXT 1: The gentleman/superior man has worries/concerns that last all his life, but he does not have short-term/immediate disasters. He acts in accordance with the Way; he speaks in accordance with principle. Though he is delighted, he is not any more lenient; though he is angry, he does not make things any more difficult.

TEXT 2: 天下失道，而後仁義生焉。國家不治，而後孝子生焉。民爭不分，而後慈惠生焉。道逆時反，而後權謀生焉。

Chinese Pinyin English下 xia4 Under, below, to go

down, to descend, to put down, social inferiors

天下 zi3 “Under Heaven” (i.e. the World)

失 shi1 To lose, to be remiss, to neglect; loss, failure

後 hou4 1. Behind, later, subsequently, afterword; to follow behind*

2. Successor, heir而後 er2 hou4 And then, only then

仁 ren2 Kindness, benevolence

義 yi4 1. Righteousness, justice; righteous, just*

2. Principles, principled

3. Meaning, significance

焉 yan1 1. [An object pronoun]

2. How [question word]

國 guo2 Country, state, capital city

家 jia1 1. House, household, family*

2. School of Thought

治 1. chi22. zhi4

1. To govern well, to put in order*

2. Government, administration

孝 xiao4 Filial, filiality, filial piety

民 min2 The common people (group)

爭 zheng4 1. To vie, to compete, to struggle*

2. To try one’s hardest, to be eager to

分 fen1 1. To divide up, to apportion, to share*

2. Share, lot, fate慈 ci4 Compassion,

sympathy, compassionate

惠 hui4 Compassion, compassionate

逆 ni4 To go against [the right], to be perverse, to go awry

時 shi2 Time, the times, the era

反 fan3 1. To revolt, to go astray, to be perverse*

2. To return3. On the contrary

權 quan2 To weigh, to balance [objects], circumstances, temporary situation*, influence, authority, power

謀 mou2 Plan, scheme, strategy; to plot, to plan, to scheme; resourceful

權謀 quan2 mou2 Grand strategies, resourcefulness, provisional plans

TRANSLATION TEXT 2: When the world loses the Way, only then do benevolence and righteousness arise in it. When the state is not

governed, only then are filial sons born in it. When the people fight and do not share, only then do compassion and kindness arise from them. When the Way goes awry and times go astray, only then do grand strategies/resourcefulness arise from them.

GRAMMAR:

1. 之 Connects two nouns, optional but used when clarification is needed, can represent possession or description

a. 君之謀 = The ruler’s schemes

b. 天下之國 = The states of the world

c. 小人之家 = The petty person’s house

d. 君子之後 = Behind the gentleman

e. 為善之家 = A family that does good

f. 聖人之時 = The era of the wise person

g. 爭得道之民 = A people that vies to obtain the Way

h. 逆善人之謀 = A plot that goes against good people

i. 以福報國之天 = A Heaven that rewards a state with good fortune

PRACTICE:

A. 謀惠之時 = An era of planning and benevolence

B. 反道患 = The disaster of going against the Way

C. 以仁義導民之孝君 = A filial lord who leads his people by means of kindness and justice

D. 知順君之善民 = A good people who know how to follow their lord

E. 孝子不失有義之家理 = A filial son does not lose family principles that possess justice

F. 天下順行德之君 = The whole world obeys a lord who practices virtue

G. 天下爭順行仁德之君 = The whole world vies to obey a lord who practices virtue

H. 天下爭順以仁義行德之君 = The whole world vies to obey a lord who practices virtue by means of kindness and justice

I. 怒子不多口順子之言 = The angry son did not know how to obey the words of the gentleman/superior man

J. 民無行慈惠之謀 = The people do not have any plans to practice kindness

PRACTICE:

A. A wise ruler who talks about virtue = 言德之聖君B. A different principle that goes against the family = 逆家

之難理C. An era that obeys the gentleman = 順君子之時D. An angry son who loses benevolence = 失仁之怒子E. A good man who governs with compassion = 以惠(慈)治

之善人F. The people speak about a ruler who governs with

compassion = 民言治國之君G. Filial sons obtain rewards from a Heaven that follows

the Way = 孝子得報於順道之天H. Unfilial rulers go against wise men who possess

righteousness = 不孝之君逆有義之聖人

2. 而 Usually connects two verbs, but depends on context

a. 小人逆道而反德 (而 translated as “and”)

b. 聖人自禁不禁人 (而 translated as “but”)

c. 君行仁義而治國 (而 translated as “and”)3. Stative Verb Describes an adjective functioning as a

verba. In literary Chinese, the verb “to be” is not necessary

b. 君怒 = The ruler is angry

c. 子小 = The son is small

d. 聖人慈 = The wise person is kind

e. 怒君 = Angry ruler

f. 小子 = Small son

g. 慈聖人 = Kind wise person4. Passive Structures

a. If subject carries out action; active voice i. Example: The filial son killed the rat

b. If subject receives effect of verb; passive voicei. Example: The rat was killed by the filial son

ii. Example: 國家不治 = State and family are not [well] governed

5. Implied Compound Sentencesa. Usually omit words for constructing multiclause

sentences

b. Example: 天下失道，而後仁義生焉i. 而後 means “only then”, which suggests first

phrase has an implied “when” or “if”

c. Example: 喜不加易，怒不加難

PRACTICE:

A. The common people struggle to obtain life and do not

follow the ruler = 民爭得生而不順君B. The petty man talks about kindness and justice, but he

does not practice virtue = 小人言仁義不行德

C. When the world is not governed, only then do the

people struggle to obtain the Way = 天下不治，而後民爭得道

D. The son practices filial piety and governs his family = 子行孝而治家

E. Although she is angry, she does not resent the ruler =

怒而不怨君F. When the ruler does not speak, only then do the people

plot against virtue = 君不言，而後民謀德

Lesson 3:

TEXT 1:  萬物得其本者生，百事得其道者成。道之所在，天下歸之。德之所在，天下貴之。仁之所在，天下愛之。義之所在，天下畏之。屋漏者，民去之。水淺者，魚逃之。樹高者，鳥宿之。德厚者，士趨之。有禮者，民畏之。忠信者，士死之。

Chinese Pinyin English萬 wan4 Ten thousand

物 wu4 Thing; object

其 qi2 1. This; that; these; those; its; his; her; their

2. Perhaps, probably, should

本 ben3 [Tree] root; fundamental; basics

百 bai3 One hundred

事 shi4 1. Thing, matter, affair, occupation, job*

2. To serve, to work for; to employ, to

have as a servant成 cheng2 To complete; to

accomplish; to perfect; to become

所 suo3 1. Place, location2. [Grammatical

particle: turns a verb into a direct object]*

在 zai4 To be located in [a place]; to be at [a place]; to exist, to be living

歸 gui1 To go home; to give allegiance; to find refuge with

貴 gui4 Valuable, expensive, to value, to treasure

愛 ai4 To love; to cherish, to begrudge

畏 wei4 To fear; to be in awe of; to respect

屋 wu1 House, room

漏 huan4 To leak

去 qu4 1. To leave, to abandon

2. To leave, to depart

水 shui3 Water

淺 qian3 Shallow

魚 yu2 Fish

逃 tao2 To flee, to escape

樹 shu4 1. Tree*2. To plant [a tree];

to establish高 gao1 High, lofty

鳥 niao3 Bird

宿 su4 1. To roost, to lodge, to spend the night, lodging, inn*

2. Previous, former厚 hou4 Thick; generous

士 shi4 Knight, military officer, gentleman, gentry

趨 qu1 To hurry, to hasten

禮 li3 Rites, ceremonies, politeness, etiquette, courtesy, polite, courteous

忠 zhong1 Loyal, faithful; loyalty

信 xin4 1. Trustworthy, sincere, to believe, faith, trustworthiness

2. Truly, actually死 si3 Death; to die

TEXT 1 TRANSLATION: Those among the ten thousand things that obtain their roots live; those among the hundred affairs that obtain their way are perfected. Where the Way resides, all the world returns there/gives it their allegiance. Where virtue resides, all the world honors it. Where kindness resides, all the world loves/cherishes it. Where justice resides, all the world fears it. As for houses that leak, the people leave them. As for water that is shallow, fish flee it. As for trees that are tall/lofty, birds roost in them. As for virtues that are generous, the knight hurries to them. As for [men] who possess propriety, the people are in awe of them. As for [men] who are loyal and faithful, the knight dies for them.

GRAMMAR:

1. 其 Possessive/demonstrative adjective; primarily is to signify demonstrative functions (this, that the) or possessive

a. Not to be confused with 之:

i. 君(之)心 = The ruler’s mind

ii. 其心 = His mind

b. In order to say “your” or “my”, you must use 之 and a first or second person pronoun:

i. 我(之)心 = My mind

ii. 子(之)心 = Your mind

c. Example: 君得民心而後得其心 = The ruler obtains the people’s hearts, and only then will he obtain their trust

2. Partitive Structurea. Long verbal phrase can modify a noun:

i. Example: 不信其君之民 = A people who do not trust their ruler

b. If you want to put a particular emphasis on such people – see them as a special subgroup of peoples in general (the subgroup of those who don’t trust their ruler), then:

i. NOUN + 之 + VERBAL PHRASE + 者 ii. Rewritten Example: 民之不信其君者 (literal meaning

is to say that “peoples not trust-their-rulers-ones”

iii. Example: 小樹 (small tree/trees) vs. 樹之小者 ([those] trees that are small)

iv. Example: 人之逃禍者 = [those] people who flee disaster

v. Example: 國之不循天者 = [those] states that do not obey Heaven

vi. Example: 鳥者不宿樹者 = [those] birds that do not nest in trees

vii. Example: 聖人之自禁者 = [those] sages who control themselves

c. 以 以 X V

i. 以 (之) 飲之 PRACTICE:

A. 人之不宿屋者 = People who do not spend the night in houses

B. 君之怨患者 = Lords who do not resent disaster

C. 士之不信天者 = Knights who do not trust Heaven

D. 樹之小者，其本不成 = As for trees that are small, their roots are not formed

E. 士之不自愛者不愛命 = Those knights who do not cherish/love themselves do not worry about fate/their lives

F. 魚之不逃淺水者，人得之 = As for fish who do not flee shallow water, people/others catch them

G. 鳥之成家於高樹者，其屋漏 = As for birds who form homes in tall trees – their houses leak

PRACTICE:

A. Petty people who are not at home = 小人之不在家者B. Fish who do not have rulers = 魚之無君者C. Knights who abandon the water = 士之去水者D. As for rulers who perfect the Rites, the people will give

allegiance to them = 君之成禮者，民歸之E. As for valuable people who do not love fish, their hearts

are shallow = 貴人之不愛魚者，其心淺F. As for knights who die in the water, rulers compete in

loving them = 士之死於水者，君爭愛之G. As for birds who hasten to obtain the Way, knights

honor their virtue = 鳥之趨得道者，士貴其德

3. 所 Placed before a verb or verb phrase to “nominalize” it (turns it into a noun); received action of the verb, rather than performing it

a. Examples:

i. 愛著 = one who loves

ii. 所愛 = that which/what is loved

iii. 逃者 = one who flees

iv. 所逃 = that which/what is fled

v. 成者 = one who completes

vi. 所成 = that which/what is completed

b. If the verb in a 所 structure takes a location as its

object, then you may need to translate 所 as “place”

i. 去者 = one who abandons

ii. 所去 = the place that is abandoned

iii. 歸者 = one who returns

iv. 所歸 = the place that is returned to

v. 在者 = one who is present/exists

vi. 所在 = the place where [someone] is located

PRACTICE:

A. 民之所貴 = What the people honor

B. 魚所怨 = What the fish resents

C. 鳥所宿 = Where the birds roost

D. 士不愛民之所愛 = The knight does not cherish what the people cherish

E. 君之所去，小人爭趨之 = What the lord abandons, the petty person competes to hurry to

Lesson 4:

TEXT 1: 齊桓公爲大臣具酒，期以日中。管仲後至。桓公舉觴以飲之。管仲半棄酒。桓公曰：「期而後至，飲而棄酒。於禮可乎？」管仲對曰：「臣聞：酒入舌出。舌出者言失，言失者身棄。臣計棄身不如棄酒。桓公笑曰：「仲父起就坐！」

Chinese Pinyin English齊 qi2 1. The state of Qi*

2. To be equal, to be the same

桓 huan2 1. Martial, military

公 gong1 1. Duke*2. Gong [a surname]3. Master4. You, Sir

齊桓公 qi2 huan2 gong1 Duke Huan of Qi

大 da4 Great, large, important

臣 chen2 1. Minister; subject [of a ruler]*

2. [First person pronoun when addressing a superior]

具 ju4 1. To prepare2. Utensil, tool3. All, the whole,

every [adverb]酒 jiu3 1. Alcoholic

beverage2. Banquet

[figurative usage]期 qi1 1. To set an

appointment, to choose a time, to set or determine*

2. To expect, to wait for

日 ri4 Sun, day, daily

中 zhong1 1. Middle, midst*2. To hit on target,

to strike the middle of

日中 ri4 zhong1 Noon (“the middle of the day”)

管 guan3 Tube, pipe, flute

仲 zhong4 The second in order of birth

管仲 guan3 zhong4 Guan Zhong (a prominent minister of 齊桓公)

至 zhi4 1. To arrive*2. To go so far as;

to reach the point of

3. When, when the time came that

4. The ultimate, the most, the perfect

舉 ju3 1. To raise, to lift, to mobilize [troops], to light [a fire]

2. All, entire, every觴 shang1 Cup, goblet, drinking

cup, to offer a toast飲 yin3 To drink

半 ban4 Half

棄 qi4 To abandon, to cast aside, to reject

曰 yue1 1. To say, to speak*

2. To be named, to

be called可 ke3 To be feasible, to be

allowable, to be permissible

乎 hu1 1. [Question particle; ends a sentence, indicating a question]

2. [An exclamation particle, indicating surprise or emphasis]

對 dui4 To reply, to answer

聞 wen2 1. To hear*2. To smell3. Learning, fame,

reputation 入 ru4 To enter

舌 she2 Tongue

出 chu1 To go out, to come out, to emerge; to produce, to make come out

計 ji4 To plan, to calculate; plans, calculations

如 ru2 1. To resemble, to be like*

2. To go [to]3. If, supposing

不如 bu4 ru2 To not be as good as, to not come up to

笑 xiao4 To laugh, to smile

父 fu4 Father

仲父 zhong4 fu4 Uncle

起 qi3 To rise; to get up

[from sleep]就 jiu4 1. To proceed to,

to go to*2. To carry out, to

accomplish坐 zuo4 1. To sit; seat,

place [at a banquet or meeting]*

2. To try [someone] on criminal charges; to be brought to court [on a charge]

TRANSLATION TEXT 1: Duke Huan of Qi prepared a banquet for his important ministers, and he set the time for noon. Guan Zhong arrived afterward. Duke Huan raised a cup in order to have him drink. Guan Zhong cast aside half of the ale. Duke Huan said, “I set a time and you arrived afterward; I offered you drink and you case aside half the ale. Is this acceptable in terms of propriety?” Guan Zhong replied, “I have heard: ‘When ale enters, the tongue comes out; the one whose tongue comes out will speak remiss; the one who speaks remiss will cast himself away.’ I calculate that casting aside oneself is not as good as casting aside the ale.” Duke Huan laughed and said, “Uncle, rise and go to your place!”

GRAMMAR:

1. 為 Coverb that means “on behalf of” (usually) or “because of” (sometimes)

a. 君為民行德 = The ruler practices virtue on behalf of the people

b. 子為其父棄酒 = The son gave up ale for the sake of his father

c. 臣為公就坐 = The minister proceeded to his seat for the sake of the duke

2. Causative Verba. Sometimes verbs will have a specific causative use – that is,

they represent letting or making someone else carry out the action of the verb

b. Example: 桓公舉觴以飲之i. Whereas this could mean “Duke Huan raised his cup in

order to drink from it”, the next sentence jumps to 管仲’s act of pouring out half of the ale. That would suggest that the best reading of the line is “Duke Huan raised the cup in order to have him drink from it.”

c. Example: 臣坐仲父 = I provided a seat for my uncle [lit., “caused my uncle to sit”]

d. Example: 君行酒 = The ruler passed around the ale [lit “caused the ale to go”]

e. Example: 公趨其臣方令家 = The duke hurried his minister off to his house

f. Example: 臣出其計 = The minister produced his plans

3. 曰 and Direct Speech

a. Writers used 曰 to indicate a quotationb. When writers wished to describe the manner in which

something was said, they often put a verb before 曰:

i. Example: 對曰 = Replied, saying

ii. Example: 笑曰 = Laughed, saying

c. Speakers could indicate they had heard from others by using

聞4. Question Forms: 乎

a. Two types of questions one can ask:i. Question that gives two alternatives and asks which one

is correct (Yes or no question)ii. Question that elicits new information through the use of

a question word, such as when, where, why, what, etc.

b. 乎 acts as a question particle, particularly for yes-or-no

question forms (similar to 嗎 in modern Chinese)

5. Idiomatic Meanings for 不如a. Whereas this phrase normally means “…does not resemble..”

it has also come to mean “…not as good as…”

i. Example: 愛君不如畏之 = Loving the ruler is not as good as fearing him

ii. 為己得天下不如為民治國 = To obtain the world for oneself is not as good as governing the state for the sake of the people

6. Flexibility in Using 者a. In the example 舌出者言失，言失者身棄:

i. For the sake of emphasis, the author has decided to

place 舌, 言，and 身 before the verbs for which they serve as objects.

PRACTICE:

A. 臣欲棄不善以治民。可乎？ = I [your minister] wish to cast aside evil in order to govern the people. Is that OK?

B. 公終身行不孝以逆天下 = The duke of all his life/always practiced unfiliality in order to go against the world

C. 善士以禮具酒 = A good knight prepares a banquet with propriety

D. 管仲曰：公不知棄不善之臣乎？ = Guan Zhong said, “Do you not know how to cast aside evil ministers?”

E. 公對曰：計棄不善之臣不如愛國民 = The duke replied, “I calculate that casting aside evil ministers is not as good as cherishing the people of the state

F. 之淺者不如樹之高者 = Water that is shallow is not as good as trees that are tall

G. 士之後至者不畏君之怒 = The knights who arrived late did not fear the lord’s anger

H. 公坐臣而行酒 = The duke has his ministers sit and pass around the ale

I. 飲酒而失言不如棄酒而禁言 = To drink ale and to be remiss in speech is not as good as casting aside ale and controlling one’s speech

J. 鳥為己宿高數，而魚為其子去淺水 = The bird roosted in a lofty tree for its own sake, whereas the fish abandoned shallow water for the sake of its sons/children

PRACTICE:

A. The Duke of Qi for the sake of his people returned to

the good = 齊公為其民反善B. I have heard: His son speaks of filial piety and yet does

not love his father = 臣聞：其子言孝而不愛其父C. Guan Zhong laughed and said, “Did the lord to the end

of his life cast aside the ale cup? [That] is not as good as holding a banquet [lit. preparing ale] for the sake of

wise men.” = 管仲笑曰：君終身棄酒觴乎？不如為聖人具酒D. His uncle does not sit in the middle of the ministers =

其仲父不坐於臣中E. The bird raised its tongue and laughed. The fish was in

the water and did not hear = 鳥舉舌而笑。魚在水而不聞F. His father wants to leave the house and drink in a tall

tree = 其父欲去家而飲於高樹G. The duke daily proceeds to his room and hears what

the ministers are planning = 公日就(其)屋而聞(其)臣(之)

(所)謀H. The lord appointed a day in order to complete the Rites

= 公期日以成禮I. Are you rejecting rituals in order to obtain what you

love? = 子棄禮以得子 (之) 所愛乎？J. I believe in what the knight believes = 我信士(之)所信

Lesson 5:

TEXT 1: 曾子衣弊衣以耕。魯君使人往致邑焉，曰：「請以此修衣。」曾子不受。反，復往，又不受。使者曰：「先生非求於人，人則獻之。奚爲不受？」曾子曰：「臣聞之：『受人者畏人，予人者驕人。』縱君有賜，不我驕也，我能勿畏乎？」終不受。孔子聞之曰：「參之言，足以全其節也。」

Chinese Pinyin English曾 zeng1 1. Zeng [a

surname]*2. Once in the past

曾子 zeng1 zi3 Master Zeng (one of Confucius disciples)

衣 1. yi12. yi4

1. Clothes, robe*2. To put on clothes,

to wear clothes*幣 bi4 Worn out, tattered

耕 geng1 To plow

魯 lu3 The state of Lu

使 shi3 1. To send, to make, to cause*

2. To go on a mission; emissary, ambassador

3. If, supposing往 wang3 To go

至 zhi4 To present; to elicit; to make come; to bring about; to convey

邑 yi4 District city; county;

region請 qing3 1. To request*

2. To pay a polite visit to

此 ci3 Here; this; these

修 xiu1 To repair; to mend, to regulate, to cultivate

受 shou4 To receive

復 fu4 1. Again, moreover*

2. To return, to repay, to report

又 you4 Again, moreover

先 xian1 First, earlier, in front, to be first, to go first, to put first

先生 xian1 sheng1 Master

非 fei1 1. “Is not...” “Is not the case that...”

2. Wrong求 qiu2 To seek, to request,

to look for則 ze2 Then

獻 xian4 To present, to give, to offer (often to a superior)

奚 xi1 How, what [question word]

奚為 xi1 wei4 Why [question word]

予 1. yu32. yu2

1. To give*2. I, me

驕 jiao1 Arrogant, proud, high-spirited; to treat someone arrogantly

縱 zong4 Even if

賜 ci4 To give [as a present]; gift

我 wo3 I, me

也 ye3 [Particle -- places special emphasis on a phrase]

能 neng2 To be able to, can; to be capable, to be able; ability, talent

勿 wu4 Do not [imperative]

孔 kong3 1. Hole, nostril2. Kong [a

surname]*孔子 kong3 zi3 Master Kong

(Confucius)參 1. can1

2. shen11. To counsel, to

consult, to participate

2. Shen [a personal name]*

足 zu2 1. To be sufficient, to be enough, to be competent at*

2. Foot全 quan2 Complete, preserved;

to preserve; to complete

節 jie2 Joint (originally of bamboo); segment, virtue, chastity, self-restraint, virtuous, chaste

TRANSLATION TEXT 1: Master Zeng was wearing/put on tattered clothing in order to plow. The ruler of Lu sent someone to go and present a city to him; he said, “please use this [lit. by means of this] to mend your clothing.” [Master Zeng] did not accept. [The

man] returned, then came again, but Master Zeng still [lit. again] did not accept. The emissary said, “It is not that you, sir, are seeking [something] from others; others are giving it to you. Why won’t you accept?” Master Zeng said, “I have heard: ‘Those who receive things from others are in awe of/fear others, whereas those who give to others are arrogant toward others.’ Even if the ruler has a gift and is not arrogant toward me, would I be able to not be in awe of him?” In the end he did not accept. Confucius heard of this and said, “Shen’s words are sufficient to preserve his virtue.”

GRAMMAR:

1. Pivot Structuresa. When a writer wishes to express the idea of making

somebody do something, he might turn a verb into a causative verb

b. Another way is to employ pivot verbs, such as 使, which function as the object of one verb and the subject of another

c. Example: 公使我往齊 [我 is the object of 使 and the

subject of 齊]

d. Example: 君使其臣飲酒 = The lord made his ministers drink ale

e. Example: 其仲父使曾子往耕 = His uncle made ZengZi go and plow

f. Example: 齊公使我就坐 = The Duke of Qi made me go to my seat

PRACTICE:

A. 公使管仲報民以魚 = The duke sent Guan Zhong [to] repay the people with fish

B. 曾子為其君使其子往於魯 = Master Zeng for the sake of his lord sent his son [to] go to Lu

C. 仁義使我全民而得福 = Kindness and justice make me preserve the people and [yet] obtain good fortune

D. 孔子使我具酒 = Confucius sent me [to] prepare a banquet

E. 孔子之言使我棄身以治國 = Confucius’ words make me abandon myself in order to govern the state

2. Implicit Subjectsa. Third subject pronouns are relatively rare in literary

Chineseb. Instead, writers usually do not give any subject at all

and allow context to explain

3. Use of the Negative 非a. One might say that 非 does not negate the verb 去, but

negates the whole sentence concept.

b. 非 tends to be used when one wishes to deny a proposition made by someone else and then go on to give the right preposition

c. Example: 我不去我父 = I am not abandoning my father

d. Example: 我非不去我父 = It’s not that I’m abandoning my father

e. Example: 子奚為棄酒？於禮可乎？ = Why are you throwing away the ale? Is that in keeping with courtesy?

f. Example: 我非不禮，我不欲出舌 = It’s not that I’m discourteous, [but] I don’t want to speak rashly

PRACTICE:

A. 公曰：「子驕孔子乎？」管仲對曰：「我非驕孔子，我不愛之」= The duke said, “Do you treat Confucius arrogantly?”

Guan Zhong replied, “It’s not that I treat Confucius arrogantly, but I don’t love him.”

B. 我非不愛我國，而我不能貴君之謀 = It’s not that I don’t love my state, but I am unable to value the lord’s plans

C. 我非求不善之行，我不足以全我節 = It’s not that I seek evil conduct, but I am insufficient to preserve my virtue

D. 我非棄君之賜，我不能飲酒 = It’s not that I am casting aside the lord’s gift, [but] I can’t drink ale

E. 我非不愛仁義，而不易行 = It’s not that I don’t love kindness and justice, but [they] are not easy to practice

4. Double Object Constructiona. Two types of sentences that use double objects:

i. Sentences of “giving”ii. Sentences of “explaining”

b. Simplest construction is simply with both objects after the verb

c. Example:d. Example:

e. If direct object (the thing given) is a pronoun (i.e. 之 or

此), then a writer rarely uses this patternf. Indirect object can also be expressed with

multipreposition 於 (i.e. 公賜邑於我)

g. 焉 = 於 + Object Pronoun (之)

i. 公賜邑焉 = The duke gave a town to him/her/them

h. Can also turn the direct object into the coverb-object of

以i. 公以邑賜我 = The duke gave me a town [lit. “The

duke by means of a town gave I to me”]

ii. 孔子以德言我 = Confucius spoke to me of virtue [lit. “Confucius by means of virtue spoke to me”]

PRACTICE:

A. 孔子賜我大魚 = Confucius gave me a big fish

B. 管仲獻公善計 = Guan Zhong presented the duke with good plans

C. 曾子以孝忠言我 = Master Zeng speaks to me about filial piety and loyalty

D. 父予其家於子 = The father gave his home to [his] son

E. 君以觴賜管仲 = The lord gave Guan Zhong a cup

5. New Information Questionsa. Sometimes question words function as adverbs and

precede the verb (i.e. Why are you going?)b. Sometimes question words function as direct object

pronouns and also tend to precede the verb (i.e. What are you doing?)

c. Question words can often combine with coverbs

(especially 以 and 為) to form two-character question words. These phrases are usually inverted and come

before the verb (i.e. 奚為不受)6. Idiomatic Inversions

a. Two character question expressions: 奚為 is best

interpreted as 為奚, a coverb and its object, “for the sake of what”, that is “why”

b. Inversions with negatives and pronoun objects: If a

sentence has a negative adverb (such as 不) and a

direct object replaced by a pronoun (usually 之, 我, or

子) then the pronoun is moved to a place between the negative and the verb.

i. 孔子不求之 becomes 孔子不之求

PRACTICE:

A. 我不之得 = I didn’t get it

B. 我不之言 = I didn’t say it

C. 君不我愛 = The lord doesn’t love me

D. 孔子不子全乎？= Does Confucius not preserve you?

E. 公不之舉 = The duke did not raise it

7. Fusion Particles: 勿a. When two words that occurred together were said

quickly, they fused into one syllable and were represented by a different character

b. 勿 = 毋 + 之c. 我能勿畏乎 can be replaced as 我能毋之畏乎 and can be

rearranged with idiomatic inversion as 我能毋畏之乎d. It is a habit for writers to negate sentences that contain

verbs of desire or ability with an imperative of the simple

i. Changing the sentence above once more to make

我能不畏之乎 (Am I able to not be afraid of him?)

e. Example: 勿禁 = 毋之禁 （Do not prohibit/control it!）f. Example: 勿反 = 毋之反 (Do not go against him!)

g. 勿出 = 毋之出 (Do not bring it out/ do not let him go out!)

h. 君欲勿求 = 君欲不之求 (The lord did not want to look for him)

i. 士能勿飲 = 士能不之飲 (The knight was able to not drink it [avoid drinking it])

PRACTICE:

A. To look for Guan Zhong in Lu is not as good as sending

Confucius to go to Qi = 求管仲於魯不如使孔子往齊B. It’s not that I’m sending Confucius to go to Qi. I’m going

there myself = 我非使孔子往齊。我自往焉

C. Why is the duke giving him a town? = 公奚為賜之邑？ 公奚為賜邑焉？公奚為以邑賜之？

D. It’s not that I don’t love you = 我非不子愛E. Please give this to the knight = 請賜之於士。請以此賜士。F. Benevolence and righteousness are sufficient to

preserve my people = 仁義足以全我民G. Are you making Guan Zhong proceed to his seat? = 子

使管仲就坐乎？H. Do not fear it! = 子勿畏！I. Abandoning the town is not as good as giving it to his

lord = 棄邑不如獻之於其君J. It’s not that I can cultivate virtue, but I respect the Way

of filial piety and loyalty = 我非不能修德，而我貴孝忠之道