Analects 19.4: 子張 (Zi Zhang)
Confucius and his disciples · Classical Chinese original · new English translation and commentary by Text Atlas
Overview
Zizhang, Zixia, Ziyou, Master Zeng, and Zigong speak about learning, friendship, mourning, and public responsibility. Their judgments sometimes conflict: who should be welcomed as a friend, how teaching reaches the root, and whether impressive achievement amounts to humaneness. The final sayings turn to reputation and the limits of judging another person. Zigong defends the Master through images of hidden interiors, the sun and moon, and rule that would draw a response from the people.
Analects 19.4
子夏曰、雖小道、必有可觀者焉、致遠恐泥、是以君子不為也。
Zixia said, “Even minor paths have something worth seeing. But I fear that following them far would leave one bogged down. That is why an exemplary person does not pursue them.”
Commentary
philology Paths that may bog down 小道 names lesser ways or pursuits without listing them. The sequence moves from seeing something worthwhile to trying to travel far and becoming stuck, 泥. The image grants these pursuits a limited value while questioning how far they can take a learner.
Basis: textual-inference
Confidence: medium