Lunyu (Analects) 1.1 - 1.3

These are the first three verses from the book Lunyu by Confucius, also known as the Analects. I've attempted to give a literal translation so that ambiguities in the original language are maintained. I feel that this is a better approach as it would allow readers to form their own meaning.

Certain words are better off left untranslated as they are widely used and have various shades of meaning. A definition of these words are given here:

Junzi (君子) - superior person, righteous person, aristocrat.
Dao (道) - the Way, spirituality, also known as Tao.


[1.1]
子曰：「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？」

Confucius said, "Learning and constant application of knowledge, is it not a pleasure?
Friends, of their own accord come from afar, is this not happiness?
Not well known yet unperturbed, is not one a Junzi?"

[1.2]
有子曰：「其為人也孝弟，而好犯上者鮮矣。
不好犯上，而好作亂者，未之有也。
君子務本，本立而道生。
孝弟也者，其為仁之本與？」

You Zi said, "One who is filial and brotherly, yet fond of offending his superior is rare.
Not liking to offend his superior, yet likes to cause disorder, there's no such person.
A Junzi takes care of the root, when the root is strong Dao grows.
Filial piety and brotherly love, are not these the roots of benevolence?"

[1.3]
子曰：「巧言令色，鮮矣仁。」

Confucius replied, "Skillful words and pretentious appearance, certainly not benevolence."

Notes

[1.1] Confucius was having a discussion with his disciples, some of them apparently had traveled a great distance to visit and learn from him. He began by declaring his delight in learning and putting what he had learned into practice, then indirectly expressed his pleasure in meeting his disciples. Confucius wasn't very well known during his time and that could account for the statement that a Junzi is not troubled by them.

[1.2] You Zi then make known his views about one who's filial and possessing brotherly love. He ended with a question as to whether they're the foundation of benevolence (仁 rén), which is an important concept in Confucian philosophy.

[1.3] Apparently, the master thought that filial piety and brotherly love were not sufficient to engender benevolence. Instead of enumerating what benevolence consists of, he told him what it is not, and he did so in a terse stanza, a didactic device typically used to make a conclusion and sum up points in a compressed form.