Analects 2.15: 為政 (Wei Zheng)
Confucius and his disciples · Classical Chinese original · new English translation and commentary by Text Atlas
Overview
Book 2 connects government with the character and practices of those who govern. The pole-star image and the contrast between punishment and ritual give two ways of thinking about how people respond to authority. Four answers about filial devotion move through ritual, parental concern, reverence, and demeanor. Sayings on learning then test how knowledge appears in thought, conduct, and honest acknowledgment of limits. The closing exchanges return to public authority, trustworthiness, inherited ritual, and the courage to act on what is right. The collection repeatedly asks what gives outward action its substance.
Analects 2.15
子曰、學而不思則罔、思而不學則殆。
The Master said, “Learning without thought leaves you confused; thought without learning leaves you in danger.”
Commentary
philology Learning and thought need each other 罔 points to being at a loss or confused. 殆 can suggest danger, and also weariness or exhaustion; the translation chooses danger. The parallel clauses make learning and thought answerable to each other: learning needs reflection, while thought needs something learned to work on.
Basis: textual-inference
Confidence: medium