Chinese practice
己所不欲,勿施於人
(ji2 suo3 bu2 yu4 wu4 shi1 yu2 ren2)
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
照片:維基共享資源
what you do not want done to yourself, do not do to others
本週所介紹的成語,其中文和英文的說法無論在用字或意義上,相似的程度幾乎就像是兩者互譯一樣。且這兩個成語的提出者,都各自在其文化領域中被尊為偉大的老師和道德思想家。
在《論語》的〈魏靈公〉篇中,子貢問孔子說:「有沒有一句話,其道理可以讓我們終身奉行呢?」孔子回答說:「是恕道」,並說明其義為「己所不欲,勿施於人」──自己不想做的事情,也不要強加給別人。
「己所不欲,勿施於人」這一模一樣的句子也出現在《論語》〈顏淵〉篇:仲弓請教孔子什麼是「仁」,孔子認為應遵循幾項原則,而「己所不欲,勿施於人」便是其中一個原則。
「己所不欲,勿施於人」所說的道理,完全就是聖經所載耶穌之言「Do unto others as you would have others do unto you」。
在路加福音第六章第三十一節中,耶穌說:「你們願意人怎樣待你們、你們也要怎樣待人。」馬太福音第七章第十二節中,耶穌也說:「所以無論何事、你們願意人怎樣待你們、你們也要怎樣待人.因為這就是律法和先知的道理。」
新約聖經原以希臘文寫成,因此不同英譯本所用的確切字句可能略有不同。現代英文版聖經的翻譯「Do unto others as you would have others do unto you」,是常用的說法。
此處所引用的《論語》英譯,是由蘇格蘭漢學家、學者及傳教士理雅各(西元一八一五~一八九七年)所翻譯。身為傳教士的理雅各在翻譯《論語》中孔子的回答時,他所熟悉的聖經內容想必也是其參照。而身為學者,理雅各一定也會知道「道德金律」或「互惠的倫理」。互惠的倫理幾乎是主要宗教和文化中都有的原則,不論是以否定的(己所不欲,勿施於人),或是肯定的(己所欲,施於人,如前引聖經之義)方式來表述。
值得注意的是,理雅各把「恕道」翻譯成「reciprocity」(互惠),而非字面意義的「forgiveness」(寬恕)。
(台北時報編譯林俐凱譯)
己所不欲,勿施於人,你不希望用骯髒的廁所,自己就要有公德心,保持乾淨。
(Do unto others as you would have done unto you. You wouldn’t want to use a dirty toilet, so have a bit of civility, keep it clean.)
他被酒駕的人撞傷後,終於明白「己所不欲,勿施於人」的道理,不再酒後開車。
(When he was hit by a drink driver he finally understood “do unto others as you would have done unto you.” He never drove under the influence again.)
英文練習
Do unto others as you would have
others do unto you
The two phrases in this week’s idiom comparison are so similar in wording and sentiment that one appears to be a translation of the other. They are both attributed to people respected as great teachers and moral thinkers in their cultural spheres.
In the Wei Ling Gong chapter of the Analects, Zi Gong asks Confucius “Is there one word which may serve as a rule of practice for all one’s life?” Confucius answers with “reciprocity” (恕, shu), elucidating with 己所不欲,勿施於人: “What you do not want done to yourself, do not do to others.”
The exact same Chinese phrase appears in the Yan Yuan chapter of the Analects, in which Zhong Gong asks Confucius about benevolence, and he answers with several principles he believes people should follow. “Not to do to others as you would not wish done to yourself” is one of these principles.
The phrase 己所不欲,勿施於人 can be used in full to communicate a similar principle to “do unto others as you would have done unto you,” a quote attributed to Jesus in the Bible.
In Luke 6:31 Jesus says, “Do unto others as you would have others do unto you.” Again, in Matthew 7:12, he is quoted as saying, “Therefore, everything you would like men to do to you, do also to them, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.”
The Bible has been translated into English from the original Greek (in the case of the received version of the New Testament) on many occasions, so the actual wording people use can differ slightly. “Do unto others as you would have others do unto you,” from the Modern English Version (MEV), is commonly used.
The English translation of the Analects used on this page was done by the Scottish sinologist, scholar and missionary James Legge (1815 – 1897). As a missionary, he would certainly have been familiar with the Biblical reference when he translated Confucius’ answer. As a scholar, he would surely have also known of the “Golden Rule,” or “Ethic of Reciprocity.” The Ethic of Reciprocity is a principle that has appeared in almost all major religions and cultures, in either negative (do not treat others in a way you wouldn’t want to be treated, as in 己所不欲,勿施於人) and positive (treat others as you would want to be treated, as in the Bible) forms.
Note that Legge translated shu as “reciprocity,” and not its more literal translation of “forgiveness.”
(Paul Cooper, Taipei Times)
How would you like it if I treated you like that? You should “do unto others…”
(如果我也這樣對你,你會覺得怎樣?你該知道己所不欲,勿施於人。)
You can’t go wrong if you keep to the golden rule: Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.
(如果你遵守「己所不欲,勿施於人」這黃金法則,就不會出差錯。)
Google is planning to keep third-party cookies in its Chrome browser, it said on July 22, after years of pledging to phase out the tiny packets of code meant to track users on the Internet. The major reversal follows concerns from advertisers - the company’s biggest source of income - saying the loss of cookies in the world’s most popular browser will limit their ability to collect information for personalizing ads, making them dependent on Google’s user databases. The UK’s Competition and Markets Authority had also scrutinized Google’s plan over concerns it would impede competition in digital advertising. “Instead of deprecating third-party cookies,
A: What are the highlights of the 2024 Paris Olympics? B: The biggest highlight might be the opening ceremony, which took place at the romantic River Seine. A: Wow, that’s pretty cool. What else? B: The Paris Olympics promotes carbon reduction: no new sports venues have been built for it. A: I’ve heard that there is not even air conditioning at the Olympic Village, so the Taiwan team has brought about 50 mobile air conditioners with it. A: 2024巴黎奧運,有哪些特別的亮點? B: 最大的亮點是︰開幕式在浪漫的塞納河舉行唷。 A: 蠻酷的!還有呢? B: 巴黎推廣「減碳」,也不增建場館。 A: 聽說選手村都沒冷氣,所以台灣隊還自備50台移動式冷氣呢。 (By Eddy Chang, Taipei Times/台北時報張聖恩)
Ah, bees! These tirelessly buzzing creatures bring more than just honey and stings; they’ve also made their way into our language with some weird idioms. Let’s explore three bee-related phrases that might just sweeten up your speech. 1. As busy as a bee This simile dates back to Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales from around 1392, in which the poet compared women to these hardworking animals. The idiom has since been used to describe someone who is extremely active and diligent. If your classmate undertakes activities from many different clubs, you might remark, “Samantha has been as busy as a bee
A: Affordable tickets seem to be another highlight of the 2024 Paris Olympics. B: Yeah, more than half of the 2.8 million tickets are priced at 25 euros (NT$888) or less. A: Any other highlights? B: The Paris Olympics values gender parity: it is featuring more medal events for female athletes. A: I think the top athletes from around the world are the true highlight of the games. A: 票價親民應該也是2024巴黎奧運的特色。 B: 對啊,280萬張門票有半數為25歐元(888台幣)以下。 A: 還有什麼亮點? B: 本屆重視「性別平等」,並提供更多獎牌項目給女運動員。 A: 我覺得全球的頂尖運動員們就是最大的亮點! (By Eddy Chang, Taipei Times/台北時報張聖恩)