精品翻译 《孔子问礼》中英文对照翻译

KONGZI (Confucius) learned ” LI” from LAOZI

Background

Li: systematic etiquette about empire, wedding, funeral, people’s relationship etc.

This is a true story, Confucius indeed visited LAOZI and talked about LI. But people added more details to make it a legend. This story is a proud of the followers of Daoism, because the founder of Confucianism, Confucius once learnt from the founder of Daoism, their master——LAOZI, .

春秋时，孔子曾问礼于老聃。

老子见孔丘千里迢迢而来，非常高兴，彻夜长谈之后，带孔丘访大夫苌弘。苌弘善乐，授孔丘乐律、乐理；引孔丘观看祭神之典，考查周国的教育基地和祭祀礼仪，使孔丘感叹不已，获益不浅。在周国呆了数日。

523 BC, KONGZI left LU(current Shandong province) to ZHOU (Current Henan province)to consult LAOZI about LI, LAOZI was the keeper of national library of ZHOU of the period. . LAOZI was very happy about KONGZI’s long-distance visit, after an overnight talk, LAOZI introduced CHANGHONG to KONGZI, CHANGHONG knew the music theory very well, So he taught KONGZI Music. And later KONGZI watched the ceremony to the God, visited the education base and the sacrifice ceremony, KONGZI was shocked by the formality, systematism of the etiquette.

孔丘向老子辞行。老子送孔子到当时的宾馆之外，就说：“吾闻之，富贵者送人以财，仁义者送人以言。吾不富不贵，无财以送汝；愿以数言相送。当今之世，聪明而深察者，其所以遇难而几至於死，在於好讥人之非也；善辩而通达者，其所以招祸而屡至於身，在於好扬人之恶也。为人之子，勿以己为高；为人之臣，勿以己为上，望汝切记。”孔丘顿首道：“弟子一定谨记在心！”

KONGZI decided to return home, LAOZI saw him outside the hotel and said:

” it is said that the rich and noble gift with treasure, the kind and just gift with words, I am not rich nor noble, no treasure for you, so I would like to give you some words. In current world, the reason why those who were clever and foreseen suffered and even to death, are because they backbite, those who were eloquent and wise worldly suffered and even to death is because they like to praise the evil. As a son, you shouldn’t think you are smarter than your father, as a subordinate, you shouldn’t think you are nobler than your king. Hope you can remember this.”KONGZI said: “your words will be graved in my mind”.

到了黄河的岸边，看见河水滔滔，浊浪翻滚，势如万马奔腾，声如虎吼雷鸣。孔丘伫立岸边，不觉叹曰：“逝者如斯夫，不舍昼夜！黄河之水奔腾不息，人之年华流逝不止，河水不知何处去，人生不知何处归？”

They came to the bank of Huang He River (the second longest river in China). The water runs as thousands of horses eastward

KONGZI sighed: “time is just running away like the water, no hesitation. The river never stops to flow, our life never stops to lose, I don’t know where the water goes, and I don’t know where the life ahead .”

闻孔丘此语，老子道：“人生天地之间，乃与天地一体也。天地，自然之物也；人生，亦自然之物；人有幼、少、壮、老之变化，犹如天地有春、夏、秋、冬之交替，有何悲乎？生於自然，死於自然，任其自然，则本性不乱；不任自然，奔忙於仁义之间，则本性羁绊。功名