Learn And 《學而》
ANALECTS 1.1
Learn and then seasonally practice it — not indeed pleasant?
Have friends from far away places come — not indeed happiness?
Not known by others, and yet not angered — not indeed a noble man?– Kongzi 孔子
學而時習之，不亦說乎?
有朋自遠方來，不亦樂乎?
人不知而不慍，不亦君子乎?
COLLECTED COMMENTARY
Learn and then seasonally practice it — not indeed pleasant?
To speak of learning (xue 學) is to speak of emulation. Human nature, of each and all, is good, and yet awakening has an order: those who become aware later must necessarily emulate the actions of those who became aware earlier. Only then may they know goodness and recover their original nature.
Practice (xi 習) is a bird repeatedly flying. The ceaselessness of learning is like the repeated flight of birds. Pleasant, (yue 說), means enjoyable thoughts. To have learned, and still to continually (shishi 時時) practice it, then that which has been learned matures and within the heart is an enjoyable pleasure. One’s own progress naturally cannot be stopped.
– Zhu Xi 朱熹
學之為言效也。人性皆善，而覺有先後，後覺者必效先覺之所為，乃可以明善而復其初也。習，鳥數飛也。學之不已，如鳥數飛也。說，喜意也。既學而又時時習之，則所學者熟，而中心喜說，其進自不能已矣。
Practice is repeated habit. Time and again, through contemplation and unraveling, one becomes thoroughly immersed and harmoniously integrated with it, then it is pleasurable.
– Cheng Brothers 程子
習，重習也。時復思繹，浹洽於中，則說也。
As learners, we intend to carry it out (xing 行, in conduct). When we continually practice it, then what has been learned exists within ourself, hence, pleasure.
– Cheng Brothers 程子
學者，將以行之也。時習之，則所學者在我，故說。
Seasonal practice (shixi 時習) means there is not a season in which one does not practice. To sit like a corpse, that is sitting season in practice; to stand as if sacrificing,¹ that is standing season in practice.
– Xie Liangzuo 謝良佐²
時習者，無時而不習。坐如尸，坐時習也；立1如齊，立時習也。
Have friends from far away places come — not indeed happiness?
Friend (peng 朋) means of the same kind. If “from far away places they come,” then those who are near may be known.
– Zhu Xi 朱熹
朋，同類也。自遠方來，則近者可知。
By means of goodness to reach others, those who trust and follow will be numerous. Hence, one may have happiness.
– Cheng Brothers 程子
以善及人，而信從者眾，故可樂。
Pleasure (shuo 說) is located in the heart-mind; happiness (le 樂) primarily manifests outwardly.
– Cheng Brothers 程子
說在心，樂主發散在外。
Not known by others, and yet not angered — not indeed a noble man?
Learning exists within oneself; whether it is known or not known, exists within others. Why then would there be anger?
– Yin Tun 尹焞³
學在己，知不知在人，何慍之有。
Although happy to reach out to others, should they not see this, one is not disheartened. Thus we call “a noble man.”
– Cheng Brothers 程子
雖樂於及人，不見是而無悶，乃所謂君子。
I humbly say, to be one who reaches out to others in happiness, is smooth and easy; to be one who is not known yet feels no anger, is difficult and challenging. Therefore, only those who have achieved virtue are able to do it. The reason for this achievement of virtue is called the rectification of learning, the maturity of practice, and the profundity of pleasure — and it does not cease here alone.
– Zhu Xi 朱熹
愚謂及人而樂者順而易，不知而不慍者逆而難，故惟成德者能之。然德之所以成，亦曰學之正、習之熟、說之深，而不已焉耳。
Concluding Commentary
Happiness (le 樂), follows pleasure (yue 說) — only later is it gained. And without happiness, one is insufficient to be called a noble man (junzi 君子).⁴
– Cheng Brothers 程子
樂由說而後得，非樂不足以語君子。
Character notes by Zhu Xi
Junzi 君子 (“noble man”) is a term for those who have ‘attained virtue’ (成德). Yun 慍 (“angered”) means to ‘be in anger’ (含怒). Yue 說 (“pleasant”) is a synonym of yue 悅. Le 樂 (“happiness”) is pronounced luo 洛. Yun 慍 (“anger”) is a reversed-tone pronunciation of yu 紆.⁵
Footnotes
¹ Paraphrases the Book of Rites: “If a man be sitting, let him do so as a personator of the deceased; if he be standing, let him do so reverently, as in sacrificing.” [Qu Li I, 4, Legge]
² Xie Liangzuo 謝良佐, 1050–1103, was a Neo-Confucian scholar, disciple of the Cheng brothers, who according to Wing-Tsit Chan, “came very close to Buddhism.”
³ Yin Tun 尹焞, 1070–1142, was a Neo-Confucian scholar and disciple of Cheng Yi, respected for his steadfast principles even in the face of governmental pressure.
⁴ Final verse-level comments are separated from the preceding line-level comments by a ○ mark in the source text. This concluding comment by Chengzi links together the three phrases in a sequence of development: pleasure derived from learning, happiness shared with others, and the eventual attainment of the noble man.
⁵ Pronunciation notes of Middle Chinese.
Translated text: Discourses with Collected Commentaries, Qing Dynasty imperial library edition, pg1: chapter 1, verse 1.
Translated by Sol 太阳 솔. Originally published at www.fourbooks.org.
