Le Maître échange propos, anecdotes, brèves paraboles et maximes avec ses disciples. Tr. Couvreur (fr), Legge (en) et Lau (en).
Le Premier ministre dit à Tzeu koung : « Votre Maître est-il un saint ? Comment possède-t-il tant de talents ? » Tzeu koung répondit : « Certainement le Ciel l'a destiné à la sainteté et, de plus, l'a doté de nombreuses capacités. » Le Maître en ayant été informé, dit : « Le Premier ministre me connaît-il ? Quand j'étais jeune, j'étais d'une condition humble, j'ai appris plusieurs choses de peu d'importance. L'homme honorable en apprend-il beaucoup ? Pas beaucoup. » [...]
Couvreur IX.6.
On the various ability of Confucius:– his sagehood not therein.
1. A high officer asked Tsze-kung, saying, "May we not say that your Master is a sage? How various is his ability!"
2. Tsze-kung said, "Certainly Heaven has endowed him unlimitedly. He is about a sage. And, moreover, his ability is various."
3. The Master heard of the conversation and said, "Does the high officer know me? When I was young, my condition was low, and therefore I acquired my ability in many things, but they were mean matters. Must the superior man have such variety of ability? He does not need variety of ability." [...]
Legge IX.6.
The t'ai tsai asked Tzu-kung, 'Surely the Master is a sage, is he not? Otherwise why should he be skilled in so many things?' Tzu- kung said, 'It is true, Heaven set him on the path to sagehood. However, he is skilled in many things besides.' The Master, on hearing of this, said, 'How well the t'ai tsai knows me! I was of humble station when young. That is why I am skilled in many menial things. Should a gentleman be skilled in many things? No, not at all.'
Lau [9:6]
Les Entretiens de Confucius – Lun Yu IX. 6. (215) – Chinois on/off – Français/English
Alias the Lunyu, the Lun Yü, the Analects, les Entretiens du maître avec ses disciples.
Le Canon des Poèmes, Les Entretiens, La Grande Étude, Le Juste Milieu, Les Trois Caractères, Le Livre des Mutations, De la Voie et la Vertu, 300 poèmes Tang, L'Art de la guerre, Trente-six stratagèmes
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