zhong 1

[dobro p]

In lines like 5.2 and 5.6, how do you read zhong1? Do you see it in the more passive sense of 'in the end', or do you see a more active role for it in the sense of 'bringing this to completion'?

 

[Sparhawk]

IMO zhong1 (終), appears to be a passive voice most of the time. Its meanings are more or less the same, with some subtleties: the end; to come to the end; the conclusion. Also means death; to die or pass away; finally; at last; in the end; after all; in the long run. As an inferred meaning from those, also means whole; all; entire.

None of those meanings offer an idea of "activity" (being active in the outcome) but a depiction of a conclusion.

 

[dobro p]

Thanks, Luis. I'll go with the more passive meaning then, for these reasons: it means I don't have to re-work my existing translation; I love your new dragon signature.

 

[bradford]

Thanks, Luis. I'll go with the more passive meaning then, for these reasons: it means I don't have to re-work my existing translation; I love your new dragon signature.

More passive, I spoze, for me
zhong is something that happens after we behave a certain way,
the end is not the cause but the effect, unless that drives the
activity as a goal.

5.2 as: "in the end, good fortune"
But note that the Xiao Xiang reverses them, reading "fortunate outcome"
5.6 depends on how you parse it.
I block jing zhi zhong ji together -
"to respect them ends in good fortune"

 

[hilary]

How does this fit in with the usage in 15.0?

 

[bradford]

How does this fit in with the usage in 15.0?

Good question. To me zhong takes on a very different meaning here.
I'm not a big advocate of using the same translation every time a word appears,
but reading it fresh each time in its new context, and letting it change part of
speech when it wants to.
So at 15.0 I read "you zhong" as "has limits" or "is finite".
The boundary or place where we end.
Or being within our proper place.

 

[dobro p]

I've been rendering it in the fleshed out English as 'the man of truth has what he needs whole and complete in the end'. I've been thinking of it this way because modesty/humility/leveling, or whatever you want to call it, is a means and not an end. But in the end, you get what you need via the leveling. In other words, modesty doesn't involve an immediate payoff, cuz it takes time for the universe to respond to a modest demeanor. But yes, there will be a payoff, there *must* be a payoff simply because there's a universal law involved, and when that payoff comes it'll be way better than anything you could have arranged through direct effort because it's the universe that's arranged it.