Question

季路問事鬼神。子曰：「未能事人，焉能事鬼？」敢問死。曰：「未知生，焉知死？」 季路問事鬼神[jì lù wèn shì guǐ shén]。 子曰[zǐ yuē]： 「 未能事人[wèi néng shì rén]， 焉能事鬼[yān néng shì guǐ]？」 敢問死[gǎn wèn sǐ]。 曰[yuē]： 「未知生[wèi zhī shēng]， 焉知死[yān zhī sǐ]？ 」 Confucius occupied himself with pragmatic concerns, and thus may be considered a very early exemplar of humanism. We may consider this line his response to the concerns of metaphysics at large.

Accepted Answer

句子 Ji Lu asked about serving the spirits of the dead. The Master said, "While you are not able to serve men, how can you serve their spirits?" Ji Lu added, "I venture to ask about death?" He was answered, "While you do not know life, how can you know about death?" Analects 11.12

text	季路問事鬼神。子曰：「未能事人，焉能事鬼？」敢問死。曰：「未知生，焉知死？」
header	句子
text-pinyin	季路問事鬼神[jì lù wèn shì guǐ shén]。子曰[zǐ yuē]：「未能事人[wèi néng shì rén]，焉能事鬼[yān néng shì guǐ]？」敢問死[gǎn wèn sǐ]。曰[yuē]：「未知生[wèi zhī shēng]，焉知死[yān zhī sǐ]？」
englishtrans	Ji Lu asked about serving the spirits of the dead. The Master said, "While you are not able to serve men, how can you serve their spirits?" Ji Lu added, "I venture to ask about death?" He was answered, "While you do not know life, how can you know about death?"
notes	Confucius occupied himself with pragmatic concerns, and thus may be considered a very early exemplar of humanism. We may consider this line his response to the concerns of metaphysics at large.
src	Analects 11.12

Shì Wèn Néng Zhī Ji Lu Serve Death