CHAPTER 16

The Master said, "The study of strange doctrines is injurious indeed!"

12. THE GENERAL APTITUDE OF THE KEUNTSZE. This is not like our Eng. saying, that 'such a man is a machine',—a blind instrument. A utensil has its particular use. It answers for that and no other. Not so with the superior man, who is ad omnia paratus.

13. HOW WITH THE SUPERIOR MAN WORDS FOLLOW ACTIONS. The reply is literally;—'He first acts his words and afterwards follows them'. A translator's diffic. is with the latter clause. What is the antecedent to 之? It would to be 其言, but in that case there is no room for words at all. Nor is there according to the old comm. In the interpretation I have given, Choo He follows the famous Chow Leen-k'e, (周濂溪).

14. THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE KEUNTSZE AND THE SMALL MAN. 比, here low. 3d tone, 'partial', 'partizanly'. The sent. is this—'With the Keun-tsze, it is principles not men; with the small man, the reverse'.

15. IN LEARNING, READING AND THOUGHT MUST BE COMBINED. 罔, 'a net', used also in the sense of 'not', as an adverb, and here as an adj. The old comm. makes 殆, 'perilous', simply= 'wearisome to the body'.

16. STRANGE DOCTRINES ARE NOT TO BE STUDIED. 攻, often 'to attack', as an enemy, here= 'to apply one's-self to', 'to study'. 端, 'correct'; then, 'beginnings', 'first principles'; here= 'doctrines'. 也已, as in I.14. In Conf. time Buddhism was not in China, and we can hardly suppose him to intend Taouism. Indeed, we are ignorant to what doctrines he referred, but his maxim is of gen. application.