1.9: Zēng zǐ yuē: Shèn zhōng zhuī yuǎn, mín dé guǐ hòu yǐ.
1.9: Zengzi says: Carefully end/finish the distant memorial, the people's virtue returns
thick/generously/completely.1.9: Zengzi says: Carefully attend the funeral rites, (and) the virtue of the people generously returns.
Note: the entire first clause can be translated as an idiom: 慎終追遠 can be found in the dictionary as "to pay careful attention to one's parents' funerary rights." The literal translation may be something like: "carefully finish the distant memorial."
1 comment:
Zengzi's insistence on following the funeral rights has at least two interpretations: historically Confucius advocated following the rituals of the Zhou empire, partially as a way to maintain order in the collapsing dynasty. The funeral rituals involved showing respect to ritual stone tablets, and these tablets would be arranged in order of political importance. Thus, keeping the rites of the Zhou empire would be synonymous with acknowledging the authority of the Zhou empire.
Second, we could view this in light of contemporary Confucianism, which emphasizes the power of personal example within a community. By carrying out the sacred rituals of the people with a respectful attitude the sage sows seeds of possibility in the community for the growth of deference and respect. By acting as a moral exemplar he provides a social focus towards which other people desire to act with similar deference and respect.
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