儒家: 《論語》 (公元前480年 – 公元前350年)

“The Analects of Confucius“ (480-350 BC) English translations by James Legge, or Leonard A. Lyall.

《論語》《雍也》6.22 :

樊遲問知。子曰：「務民之義，敬鬼神而遠之，可謂知矣。」問仁。曰：「仁者先難而後獲，可謂仁矣。」

Fan Chi asked what constituted wisdom. The Master said, “To give one’s self earnestly to the duties due to men, and, while respecting spiritual beings, to keep aloof from them, may be called wisdom.” He further asked about perfect virtue. The Master said, “The man of virtue makes the difficulty to be overcome his first business, and success only a subsequent consideration – this may be called perfect virtue.”

【Alternative translation】Fan Ch’ih asked what is wisdom. The Master said, “To foster right among the people; to honour ghosts and spirits, and yet keep aloof from them, may be called wisdom.” He further asked what is benevolence. The Master said, “To rank the effort above the result may be called benevolence.”

【現代漢語翻譯】樊遲問智，孔子說：「做事順應民心，尊重宗教卻遠離宗教，就算明智了。」又問仁，答：「吃苦在前、享受在後，就算仁了。」

【试译】樊迟问什么是智慧。孔子说：“着力使人走人道，敬拜鬼神但保持距离、离远点，可以叫做智慧。”又问什么是仁，孔子说：“仁者先下功夫再谈收获，才可以叫做仁。”