Analects 1.6: 學而 (Xue Er)
Confucius and his disciples · Classical Chinese original · new English translation and commentary by Text Atlas
Overview
Book 1 presents learning as a way of acting with others: practicing what one learns, serving parents, keeping faith with friends, governing with care, and accepting correction. Its voices return to the relation between inward character and outward conduct. Devotion to parents and respect for elder brothers are called the root of practicing humaneness; ritual gives harmony its measure. The dialogue about poverty, wealth, and poetry shows a learner carrying a lesson further. The book begins with bearing a lack of recognition and ends by asking whether we know other people.
Analects 1.6
子曰、弟子、入則孝、出則弟、謹而信、凡愛眾、而親仁、行有餘力、則以學文。
The Master said, “Young people should show filial devotion at home and respect for elders outside it, be careful in conduct and trustworthy, care for everyone, and draw close to humane people. If they have strength left after doing this, they should use it to study the cultural tradition.”
Commentary
philology Conduct and cultivated learning The sequence puts family duties, reliability, broad care, and closeness to humane people before 學文. 文 here points to cultivated learning, including the received texts. “The cultural tradition” keeps its scope wider than modern literary study. The condition concerns strength left for study after acting on these responsibilities.
Basis: textual-inference
Confidence: medium
ethics Wide care, chosen company The clause about loving everyone gives care a wide reach; 親仁 calls for particular closeness to the humane. The two clauses distinguish the reach of one’s concern from the company one chooses for moral formation.
Basis: textual-inference
Confidence: high
source variant All and overflowing care The Chinese here prints 凡, “all.” Legge’s facing English, “overflow in love to all,” matches the sense of 汎, “broadly, overflowing,” a different character from the one printed here. “Care for everyone” keeps the concern inclusive under either form.
Basis: translation-comparison
Confidence: medium