孔子曰，见善如不及，见不善如探汤。吾见其人矣，吾闻其语矣。隐居以成其志，行义以达其道。吾闻其语矣，未见其人也。
Modern Chinese Guide
孔子说：看到善的就唯恐赶不上去追求，看到不善的就像把手伸进滚烫的水里一样赶紧避开。这样的人我见到过，这样的话我也听说过。避世隐居来保全自己的志向，践行道义来实现自己的主张。这样的话我听说过，这样的人却还没有见到过。
James Legge Translation
1. Confucius said, "Contemplating good, and pursuing it, as if they could not reach it; contemplating evil, and shrinking from it, as they would from thrusting the hand into boiling water:—I have seen such men, as I have heard such words. 2. "Living in retirement to study their aims, and practising
Source: James Legge, public domain, 1893.
Notes
- 底本：Wikisource 整理的 James Legge《The Chinese Classics》公版中英文本（1893–1895）。
- 简体化：原文由繁体转为简体（OpenCC），与公版英译逐句对应。
- 白话参考底本：《白话论语读本》，张兆瑢、沈元起编译，上海广益书局1948 年新三版。