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12.8 Passive form (lines 15-16) 文倦於事憒於憂
In these phrases, two SV forms are followed by yú 於, which has the effect of rendering
them passive forms: “I, Wén, have been SV’ed by X.”
12.9 Ellipsed partitive (line 19) 召諸民當償者
This phrase requires that we supply a partitive zhi 之.
12.10 Displacement for rhetorical emphasis (line 24) 君家所寡有者以義耳
In this sentence, the grammar is most simply explained by assuming a root sentence
where the yǐ 以 follows the sǔo 所 and a wéi 為 follows the yǐ 以 “that which constitutes
X” (所以為寡有者). The ellipsing of 為 and movement of 以 to govern the “revealed
object” of 為 strengthens the force of the sentence. In the following sentence, on line 25,
this sentence forms the ellipsed object of the coverb 以 (which may be understood as yǐ
cǐ 以此).
12.11 Ellipsed conjunction (line 26) 不拊愛子其民
It would appear that there are three verbs in parallel here, but this is unacceptably
awkward. If we posit an ellipsed ér 而 after aì 愛, then we can let fǔ 拊 play the role of
an adverb and the phrase scans well.
12.12 Regular loan words (line 28)
As in several cases we have seen earlier, shuo 說 serves as an allograph of yùe 悅.
Regularly interchangeable graphs of this sort are called tongjǐazì 通假字.
12.13 Conventions of speech (line 29)
The speech of the king follows conventions of polite excuse-making. Lord Mèngcháng is
being fired by a new king, the son of the ruler who had appointed him Prime Minister.
12.14 Ellipsis in a sǔo 所 phrase (line 31) 先生所為文市義者乃今日見之
This is a difficult sentence to work out grammatically, although the context makes the
meaning perfectly clear. One strategy would be to supply a zhi 之 after the verb shì 市.
