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is problematic. To make it intelligible, we must supply yù 欲 after the 所. Reading the
sentence in this way, the awkwardness of the rhetoric makes clear why an author would
prefer to ellipse the 欲, despite the ambiguity created.

11.3 Use of ér 而 for rhetorical stress

豈可以貪爵祿而使吾君有妄施之名呼

In this sentence, the use of the conjunction ér 而, which links two verbal phrases,
suggests that yǐ 以 should be interpreted as a full verb, “to take,” with the Auxiliary
Verb/Verb pair shǐ X yǒu 使 X 有 forming an independent clause. However, this is
clearly not the case. Yǐ 以 is functioning as a coverb (“on account of”) and ér 而 is simply
added as a rhetorical device to slow down the sentence and add stress to the latter portion.
This use of 而 is common; no precisely parallel device exists in English.

▬▬

Written Exercises

I. Translate the following text (from Hán Feizǐ) into English:

客有為齊王畫者齊王問曰畫孰最難者曰犬馬最難孰

易者曰鬼魅最易夫犬馬人所知也旦暮罄於前不可類
之故難鬼魅無形者不罄於前故易之也

II. Answer the following questions about the exercise tale using WYW

1. 客何以言畫鬼魅易而畫犬馬難?

2. 犬馬旦暮罄於前則何以不易類乎?

3. 而以客所語者為誠然乎

Supplementary Exercise Vocabulary

畫 hùa (V) to draw, to paint; (N) a painting, a brush stroke

孰 shú (Interrogative pronoun) who, which [as “who,” shú is used like
shéi 誰]

最 zùi (Adv) the most