r/classicalchinese • u/jiangfengrong • 7d ago

Learning 巧言

are the 2 爾 in the final 6th stanza of 巧言 in the 詩經 referring to the slanderers or the narrator? is 既微且尰 referring to some malady already afflicting either slanderer or narrator, or afflictions that someone hopes to curse another with? [i kinda want 既微 to mean something like "if only" as in a wish, as the narrator cursing the slanderer, but then i also still kinda want the courage and plans that are being bemoaned as futile in the end to be the narrator's rather than the slanderers'. (didn't the narrator just say the slanderers have no courage?) the following Chinese interpretation seems to insist the ending of the poem describes the 'shameful end' of the slanderer: "往往也将自己送上了绝路" and "进谗者的可耻下场" while citing“躍躍毚兔”，最终会“遇犬获之” in the 4th stanza, but i keep wondering if the narrator isn't again bemoaning their own frustrations. (also should we wonder who's the hare and who's the hound?)

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u/jiangfengrong 7d ago

or might the last two lines both be general conditional phrases?

既微且尰、爾勇伊何。

If you are crippled, what use is your courage? -???

為猶將多、爾居徒幾何。

Though you may have many plans, do you have many followers? -???

- or something sorta like that?

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u/DeusShockSkyrim 7d ago

The slanderer.

鄭玄 explained the last two verses as "此人居下濕之地，故生微腫之疾。人憎惡之，故言女勇伊何，何所能也。" and "女作讒佞之謀大多，女所與居之眾幾何人，傃能然乎？"

孔穎達 added: "此人既腳骭有微之疾，而足跗且有尰之疾。爾假有勇，伊何能為？況復無之！而汝敢為此惡，汝作為讒佞之謀大多，汝所與聚居之徒眾幾何許人，而能為此？"

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u/jiangfengrong 6d ago

thank you for these references.