Page 11 - EALC C306/505

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N.B.: the uses and meanings of qí are very flexible and complex.
Here, qí could be replaced by rén zhi 人之 (humankind’s) [see zhi
之 below].

而 ér (Conjunction) Links two verb phrases. Often rendered literally as
“and under these conditions,” ér is often functionally equivalent to
“and,” but never links nouns or noun phrases. (The force of 而 may
sometimes be captured by adding “-ing” to the verb in the first
phrase and resuming the subject before the second phrase, though
that is not appropriate in this case.)
At times, 而 carries a sense of “contrary to expectations”
(yet; but), which pertains to its first three instances in this passage,
and most emphatically to the third.

弗 fú (Adverb) negative adverb preceding transitive verb: “not.” Fú is
actually a “fusion” of two characters, bù 不 (not) and zhi 之 (as the
direct obj.: “it”). Thus fú-Verb is often rendered by “not Verb it”:
弗 V = [不之] V = 不 V 之
However, fú frequently is employed simply as a loan for bù.

由 yóu (V) to proceed from/through/along

放 fàng (V) to let loose

不 bù (Adv) negative adverb (as in MC); bù precedes verbs but not nouns.

知 zhi (V) to know; to be aware (N.B. cognate: zhì: (N) wisdom [MC: 智])

求 qíu (V) to search; to beg

哀 ai (SV) lamentable; (V) to lament; to mourn

哉 zai (Particle) an exclamatory termination, replacing yĕ or yǐ. Zai
reinforces negative sentiments; as a terminus of interrogative
sentences, it creates rhetorical questions.

有 yǒu (V) to possess; to exist (often translated as “there are”; “there was”;
etc.)

雞 ji (N) chicken(s) [also written 鷄]

犬 qǔan (N) hound(s)

雞犬 jiqǔan (N) domesticated animals. See Grammar and Notes 1.4 (below).