大tài宰zǎi问wèn于yú子zǐ贡gòng，曰yuē，夫fū子zǐ圣shèng者zhě与yú，何hé其qí多duō能néng也yě。子zǐ贡gòng曰yuē，固gù天tiān纵zòng之zhī将jiāng圣shèng，又yòu多duō能néng也yě。子zǐ闻wén之zhī曰yuē，大tài宰zǎi知zhī我wǒ乎hū，吾wú少shào也yě贱jiàn，故gù多duō能néng，鄙bǐ事shì，君jūn子zǐ多duō乎hū哉zāi，不bù多duō也yě。牢láo曰yuē，子zǐ云yún，吾wú不bú试shì，故gù艺yì。

James Legge 英译

1. A high officer asked Tsze-kung, saying, "May we not say that your Master is a sage? How various is his ability!" 2. Tsze-kung said, "Certainly Heaven has endowed him unlimitedly. He is about a sage. And, moreover, his ability is various." 3. The Master heard of the conversation and said, "Does the high officer know me? When I was young, my condition was low, and therefore I acquired my ability in many things, but they were mean matters. Must the superior man have such variety of ability? He does not need variety of ability." 4. Lao said, "The Master said, 'Having no official employment, I acquired many arts.'"

译注：James Legge 公版英译，1893 年原版。

注释

• 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。