叶公问孔子于子路，子路不对。子曰，女奚不曰，其为人也，发愤忘食，乐以忘忧，不知老之将至云尔。
Modern Chinese Guide
叶公向子路问起孔子是怎样的人，子路没有回答。孔子说：你为什么不这样说呢：他这个人啊，发愤用功起来连吃饭都忘了，快乐起来把一切忧愁都忘了，连自己快要老了都不知道，如此而已。
James Legge Translation
1. The Duke of Sheh asked Tsze-lu about Confucius, and Tsze-lu did not answer him. 2. The Master said, "Why did you not say to him,—He is simply a man, who in his eager pursuit (of knowledge) forgets his food, who in the joy of its attainment forgets his sorrows, and who does not perceive that old age is coming on?"
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。