《论语·里仁》篇“无适也,无莫也”章释义商榷

Discussion on Interpretation of the Chapter of "Neither ’Shi’ Nor ’Mo’ " in The Analects

《论语·里仁》篇“君子之于天下也”章“无适也,无莫也”语,主要有三种解释:一,以郑玄注为代表,训“适”为“敌”或“匹”,训“莫”为“慕”;其二,以晋代范宁的解释为代表,训“适”为“厚”,训“莫”为“薄”;其三,以宋代朱熹为代表,训“适”为“专主”,训“莫”为“不肯”。三解均有可商榷之处,从字源和义理角度来看,“适”宜训为“归附”义,“莫”宜训为“谋划”义。此章当解为君子对于天下,不当归附于某一君主并为之出谋划策,出仕应恪守道义。

There were three main interpretations of the chapter "neither ’Shi’ nor ’Mo’ " in "Li Ren" of the Analects. Firstly, taking Zheng Xuan’s interpretation as the representative, "Shi" was interpreted as "hostile" and "Mo" as "covet". Secondly, represented by Fan Ning’s interpretation in Jin Dynasty, he interpreted "Shi" as "appreciate" and "Mo" as "disdain". Thirdly, in the representative of Zhu Xi’s interpretation in Song Dynasty, he interpreted "Shi" as "Loyal to the monarch" and "Mo" as "Refuse". However, none of these three explanations is entirely correct. From the perspective of etymology and righteousness, "Shi" should be interpreted as "Loyal to the monarch" and "Mo" as "Mastermind". This chapter should be interpreted as follows: A gentleman for the world should not be attached to a monarch and gave him advices, but should be abided by morality when he was an official.