1. Shuh-sun Woo-shuh observed to the great officers in the court, saying, "Tsze-kung is superior to Chungne."

2. Tsze-fuh King-pih reported the observation to Tsze-kung, who said, "Let me use the comparison of a house and its encompassing wall. My wall only reaches to the shoulders. One may peep over it, and see whatever is valuable in the apartments.

3. "The wall of my Master is several fathoms high. If one do not find the door and enter by it, he cannot see the ancestral temple with its beauties, nor all the officers in their rich array.

4. "But I may assume that they are few who find the door. Was not the observation of the chief only what might have been expected?"

23. TSZE-KUNG REPUDIATES BEING THOUGHT SUPERIOR TO CONFUCIUS, AND, BY THE COMPARISON OF A HOUSE AND WALL, SHOWS HOW ORDINARY PEOPLE COULD NOT UNDERSTAND THE MASTER. 1. 武 was the hon. epithet of Chow Kew (州仇), one of the chiefs of the Shuh-sun family. From a mention of him in the家语, 颜回篇, we may conclude that he was given to envy and detraction. 贤,—used here as in XI. 15, 1. 2. Tsze-fuh King-pih,—see XIV. 38. 譬之宫墙,—宫is to be taken generally for a house or building, and not in its now common acceptation of 'a palace'. It is a poor house, as representing the disciple, and a ducal mansion as representing his master. Many commen. make the wall to be the sole object in the comparison, and 宫墙=宫之墙. It is better, with the 合讲, to take both the house and the wall as members of the comp., and 宫墙=宫与墙. The wall is not a part of the house, but one inclosing it. 3. 仞 means 7 cubits. I have translated it—'fathoms'. 4. The 夫子 here refers to Woo-shuh.