Analects: Book 8Book 8. T'ai-po 泰伯第八: Taibo
[8:1] The Master said, "T'ai-po may be said to have reached the highest point of virtuous action. Thrice he declined the kingdom, and the people in ignorance of his motives could not express their approbation of his conduct."
Book 8. Tàibó 泰伯: Taibo
[8:1] The Master said, Tai Bo may be said to exemplify the highest virtue. Three times he relinquished the right to the empire, but the common people did not understand why this was praiseworthy.
Footnotes
[F1] Book of Odes, no. 195. Master Zeng is rejoicing that, as the ideal of filial piety dictates, he has preserved his body from harm, particularly from the mutilating punishments decreed by the penal code of ancient China.
Book 8
[8:1] The Master said, T'ai-po [F72] may be said to have carried nobility furthest. Thrice he refused all below heaven. Men were at a loss how to praise him.
Footnotes
[F72] T'ai-po was the eldest son of the King of Chou. The father wished his third son to succeed him, so that the throne might pass later to his grandson, afterwards known as King Wen. To enable this plan to be carried out T'ai-po and his second brother went into exile.
Book 8. Tai Bo 泰伯: Taibo
[8:1] The Master said: “Tai Bo can be said to have had a perfected level of virtue. He declined the rule of the kingdom three times, without the people knowing about it.”
Footnotes[F17] This is probably a reference to Yanhui, Confucius' favorite among his disciples, who died young. Commentary[C18] Here we can see a similarity in Confucius' understanding with that of the wu-wei or “non-manipulation,” which is discussed at length in the Daodejing and the Zhuangzi. 泰伯第八
【第一章】子曰、泰伯其可謂至德也已矣、三以天下讓、民無得而稱焉。
Confucius (Kǒng Fūzǐ (孔夫子; Kong Qui) traveled the country in an ox cart observing and teaching his numerous disciples on the subjects of civics, ethics, literature, music and science. Of course, he claimed no divine inspiration and so naturally the writings attributed to him, recorded by his disciples, also make no such claim. |