Translation - Analects of Confucius 1.15

1.15  學而: 子貢曰：「貧而無諂，富而無驕，何如？」子曰：「可也。未若貧而樂，富而好禮者也。」子貢曰：「《詩》云：『如切如磋，如琢如磨。』其斯之謂與？」子曰：「賜也，始可與言詩已矣！告諸往而知來者。」

1.15: Zǐ Gòng yuē: ‘Pín ér wú chǎn, fù ér wú jiāo,’ hé rú?” Zǐ yuē: “Kě yě. Wèi ruò ‘Pín ér lè, fù ér hào lǐ zhě yě.’” Zǐ Gòng yuè: Shī yún: ‘Rú qiē rú cuō, rú zhuó rú mó.’ Qí sī zhī  wèi yú?” Zǐ yuē: Cì yě shǐ kě yǔ yán shī yǐ yǐ! Gào zhū wǎng ér, zhī lái zhě.”

1.15: Zi Gong said: “’Poor but not obsequious, wealthy but not arrogant.’ How is this?” The Master said: "Passable, but not the same as: 'Poor but enjoying Dao, wealthy but loving Propriety.'" Zi Gong said: “The Odes state: ‘Like a sharpened knife, like polished jade.’ Is this the meaning of that?” The Master said: “Like so! I can begin and then discuss the Odes! I tell what has passed and (you) know what comes next!”

Aphorism versus Example
The line between aphorism and example is blurry and we may see both in this passage. Aphorisms invoke an image as the proper moral stance in reponse to a situation. Examples may actual or hypothetical, and may serve the same purpose as invoking an aphorism – to provide an example of proper behavior. In this passage I like to imagine Confucius and Zi Gong discussing sayings regarding proper conduct. In this reading Zi Gong’s initial formulation is less effective than Confucius’ reply. Legge translates this passage as if Confucius and Zi Gong were discussiong groups of people. Ames and Rosemont translate this passage as if Confucius and Zi Gong are discussions aphorisms about proper conduct. I follow Ames and Rosemont in this issue. As an aspiring Shi (Scholar/Official), Zi Gong would be practicing the right way to formulate ritual sayings. He would also be practicing his ability to cite the Odes in support of his position. I follow LaFargue’s suggestion that much of the debate in early Chinese discourse was performed by formulating and contrasting aphorisms in an attempt to stake out the most defensible position in reference to common understanding and historic precedent.

如切如磋，如琢如磨 (Rú qiē rú cuō, rú zhuó rú mó)

This line is a direct reference to the Odes. The specific reference is to a passage spoken by Qi Yun in the Odes of Wei, which is itself a chapter in a section of the Odes known as the Lessons of the State. James Legge’s translation of this passage reads:

Look at those recesses in the banks of the Qi,
With their green bamboos, so fresh and luxuriant!
There is our elegant and accomplished prince, -
As from the knife and the file,
As from the chisel and the polisher!
How grave is he and dignified!
How commanding and distinguished!
Our elegant and accomplished prince, -
Never can he be forgotten!

This translation and the original passage can both be found at http://ctext.org/book-of-poetry/odes-of-wei#n14458. The passage referenced by Zi Gong is translated here as: “As from the knife and the file, as from the chisel and the polisher!” This itself is an approximation, as a more direct translation reads:

Like the knife like the polish,

Like the cut jade like the grindstone.

The Odes use the images of honing the knife and polishing the jade to represent the prince’s level of accomplishment and breeding. Confucius and Zi Gong consciously appropriate the ideas of cultivation and refinement, which previously were reserved for the nobility. Confucius and Zi Gong generalize the images of the knife and the jade so they can apply to anyone in any social standing. This strikes at the heart of Confucius’ cultural and historic significance, where he and his disciples appropriate concepts held by the nobility and successfully apply them to all members of society. Notice this passage includes virtuous stances for both the poor and the wealthy. So when Zi Gong is attempting to formulate a passage, it is more than simply trying to articulate a position, he is attempting to recast the concepts previously applied only to the nobility in such a way that are normative for any member of society.

The metaphors of the knife and the jade also reveal insights about Confucius' attitudes towards self-cultivation and education. Polishing the knife requires careful attention to detail and results in a fine finished product. Likewise, producing fine jade requires careful attention to cutting the jade and then time spent polishing the work. These tasks share important elements with education: self-motivation, respect for the task at hand, and a certain degree of skill. These requirements correspond to values prized by Confucius and serve as the basis for the Sage's moral cultivation. Education, filial respect, and rightness cultivate the Sage’s virtue or excellence, which in turn allows the sage cultivate harmony in society. Like a polished knife or polished piece of cut jade, the Sage must daily hone skills and knowledge for the sake of being a moral exemplar.

Confucius is ambiguous regarding the nature/nuture debate that we see between Xunzi and Mencius. Confucius says little about human nature except to comment that even he cannot teach someone who’s caracter is that of rotten wood – meaning prospective students must at least be capable of learning. As other writers have noticed the Analects contain metaphors for adornment/coloration as well as shaping, and both of these represent the Confucian project of cultivation and education.