原文
陈子禽谓子贡曰：“子为恭也，仲尼岂贤于子乎？"子贡曰：“君子一言以为知，一言以为不知，言不可不慎也。夫子之不可及也，犹天之不可阶而升也。夫子之得邦家者，所谓立之斯立，道之斯行，绥之斯来，动之斯和。其生也荣，其死也哀，如之何其可及也？"
译文
陈子禽对子贡说："您是在谦恭推让罢了，仲尼哪里真的比您贤能呢？"子贡说："君子说一句话便可以显出他的智慧，说一句话也可以显出他的无知，言语不可不慎重啊。夫子之高不可及，就如同天空无法攀梯而上一般。夫子若是得到了诸侯之国或卿大夫之家来治理，那正是所谓：扶植则百姓自立，引导则百姓前行，安抚则远人归来，感召则众心和谐。他活着，人们以之为荣耀；他去世，人们为之哀恸。这样的人，怎么可能赶得上呢？"
ENGLISH
Chen Ziqin said to Zigong: "You are merely being deferential. Is Zhongni truly more worthy than you?" Zigong replied: "A gentleman may reveal his wisdom in a single word, or betray his ignorance in a single word — one cannot be too careful in speech. The Master is beyond all reaching, just as the sky cannot be ascended by any ladder. Were the Master to have governed a state or a noble domain, it would have been as is said: what he established would stand, what he guided would move forward, what he soothed would draw the people near, and what he stirred would resound in harmony. In his life he was the glory of all; in his death he was mourned by all. How could anyone hope to equal him?"
注释
①知(zhì)：通“智"。
②邦：诸侯统治的地区。家：卿大夫统治的地区。
③道(dǎo)．同“导"，引导，教化。