Editor's Prefac
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| Editor's Preface | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| James Legge's translation of the Lun Yü, or the Analects of Confucius, first appeared in 1861. It was part of a much larger work published by Legge under the title The Chinese Classics, which rendered into English seven of the nine classics of Chinese literature. Legge also went on to translate the other two classics and the works of the Taoists Lao Tzu and Chuang Tzu in a series published by Clarendon Press, The Sacred Books of the East. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Making this translation of the Analects available for the web was the first project of many I intended to use as an introduction for the non-religious thinker to secular ethical systems. My use was full of irony: Legge had arrived in Malaysia with a missionary purpose, intending to submerge himself and master the Chinese Classics so that he might better spread the Good News of Christ. Two decades later he published the first volume of his Chinese Classics. I assume were he alive today he might not have found my radically different use of his work so amusing. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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| The Analects Editor's Prefac |
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| However, I have since broadened my thinking and the scope of the project on which I am working. The Analects is the first fruit of that project. In the near future the remainder of Volume I of the Chinese Classics will make it onto the web. Afterwards I will begin working on Volume II, The Works of Mencius, and proceed from there to the other volumes. I hope to eventually make not only these translations but a number of the Sacred Books of the East available online. Despite our religious differences, I am grateful to Mr. Legge for making that possible. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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| In designing and editing the The Analects for the web, I used only the translation of the original and the brief descriptions Legge wrote for each chapter. Legge also reproduced in his translation the original Chinese and produced a great deal of commentary concerning how he arrived at his particular translation of the original Chinese. I left out the former for obvious difficulties. The latter I discarded for two reasons; first, how he arrived at his translation is not relevant to my purpose here. Second, some of his commentary is evangelistic in purpose. For example, in regards to Book XIV, Chapter XXXVI, which reads, | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| I. Some one said, 'What do you say concerning the principle that injury should be recompensed with kindness?' | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2. The Master said, 'With what then will you recompense kindness? | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 3. 'Recompense injury with justice, and recompense kindness with kindness.' | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Legge remarks, | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| -- How far the ethics of Confucius fall below our Christian standard is evident from this chapter, and even below Lâo-tsze. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| In editing this translation for the web I also marked each and every chapter with a name link so they may be easily pointed to. Also, the fonts used throughout the document are sans-serif fonts, mostly Arial with Verdana and Trebuchet here and there. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Note on the Translation | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Although in its own time the translation of the Chinese Classics published by Mr. Legge was the best available, scholarship in Chinese literature, archaeology and history has since thrown new light on the probable meanings of many of the passages contained therein. Nevertheless, as an introduction to Chinese thought Legge's translation remains valuable. Below are several passages translated by different authors, Legge (1861), Arthur Waley (1939), and Raymond Dawson (1993). These should serve to demonstrate how similarly and how differently the original Chinese can be rendered by various authors with varying educational backgrounds. No translation, of course, can substitute for reading the classics in their original form. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Book I, Chapter I. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Legge :: The Master said, 'Is it not pleasant to learn with a constant perseverance and application? | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2. 'Is it not delightful to have friends coming from distant quarters? | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 3. 'Is he not a man of complete virtue, who feels no discomposure though men may take no note of him?' | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Waley :: The Master said, To learn and at due times to repeat what one had learnt, is that not after all a pleasure? That friends should come to one from afar, is this not after all delightful? To remain unsoured even though one's merits are unrecognized by others, is that not after all what is expected of a gentleman? | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Dawson :: The Master said: 'To learn something and at times to practise it -- surely that is a pleasure? To have friends coming from distant places -- surely that is delightful? But not to be resentful at others' failure to appreciate one -- surely that is to be a true gentleman?' | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Book IX, Chapter XXIV. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Legge :: The Master said, 'Hold faithfulness and sincerity as first principles. Have no friends not equal to yourself. When you have faults, do not fear to abandon them.' | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Waley :: The Master said, First and foremost, be faithful to your superiors, keep all promises, refuse the friendship of all who are not like you; and if you have made a mistake, do not be afraid of admitting the fact and amending your ways. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Dawson (XXV) :: The Master said: 'Regard loyalty and good faith as your main concern. Do not make friends of those who are not up to your own standard. If you commit a fault, do not shrink from correcting it.' | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Book VII, Chapter XXIX. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Legge :: The Master said, 'Is virtue a thing remote? I wish to be virtuous, and lo! virtue is at hand.' | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Waley :: The Master said, Is Goodness indeed so far away? If we really wanted Goodness, we should find that it was at our very side. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Dawson (XXX) :: The Master said: 'Is humaneness really so far away? If we ourselves wanted humaneness, then humaneness would arrive.' | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Book XIV Chapter V | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Legge :: The Master said, 'The virtuous will be sure to speak correctly, but those whose speech is good may not always be virtuous. Men of principle are sure to be bold, but those who are bold may not always be men of principle.' | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Waley :: The Master said, One who has accumulated moral power will certainly possess eloquence; but he who has eloquence does not necessarily possess moral power. A Good Man will certainly also possess courage; but a brave man is not necessarily good. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Dawson (IV) :: The Master said: 'Anyone who possesses virtue is bound to possess eloquence, but anyone who possess eloquence does not necessarily possess virtue. Anyone who is humane is bound to possess courage, but anyone who is courageous does not necessarily possess humaneness.' | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Book XV, Chapter XXIII | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Legge :: Tsze-kung asked, saying, 'Is there one word which may serve as a rule of practice for all one's life?' The Master said, 'Is not RECIPROCITY such a word? What you do not want done to yourself, do not do to others.' | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Waley :: Tzu-kung asked saying, Is there any single saying that one can act upon all day and every day? The Master said, Perhaps the saying about consideration: 'Never do to others what you would not like them to do to you.' | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Dawson (XXIV) :: Zigong asked: 'Is there a single word such that one could practice it throughout one's life?' The Master said: 'Reciprocity perhaps? Do not inflict on others what you yourself would not wish done to you.' | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| bibliography | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| There are several translations of the Analects in publication today. I regard Arthur Waley's translation as the best, which is titled The Analects of Confucius, published by the Macmillan Company, New York, 1938. I also quote above from Raymond Dawson's translation, titled Confucius: The Analects, Oxford University Press, 1993. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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