师说

古之学者必有师。师者，所以传道、受业、解惑也。人非生而知之者，孰能无惑？

惑而不从师，其为惑也，终不解矣。

生乎吾前，其闻道也，固先乎吾，吾从而师之；生乎吾后，其闻道也，亦先乎吾，吾从而师之。吾师道也，夫庸知其年之先后生于吾乎？是故无贵无贱，无长无少，道之所存，师之所存也。

嗟乎！师道之不传也久矣，欲人之无惑也难矣。古之圣人，其出人也远矣，犹且从师而问焉；今之众人，其下圣人也亦远矣，而耻学于师。是故圣益圣，愚益愚。圣人之所以为圣，愚人之所以为愚，其皆出于此乎？

爱其子，择师而教之；于其身也，则耻师焉，惑矣！彼童子之师，授之书而习其句读者，非吾所谓传其道、解其惑者也。句读之不知，惑之不解，或师焉，或不焉，小学而大遗，吾未见其明也。

巫医乐师百工之人，不耻相师。士大夫之族，曰师、曰弟子云者，则群聚而笑之。问之，则曰：“彼与彼，年相若也，道相似也。位卑则足羞，官盛则近谀。”呜呼！师道之不复，可知矣！巫医乐师百工之人，君子不齿，今其智乃反不能及，其可怪也欤！

圣人无常师。孔子师郯子、苌弘、师襄、老聃。郯子之徒，其贤不及孔子。孔子曰：“三人行，则必有我师。”是故弟子不必不如师，师不必贤于弟子，闻道有先后，术业有专攻，如是而已。

李氏子蟠，年十七，好古文，六艺经传，皆通习之，不拘于时，学于余。余嘉其能行古道，作《师说》以贻之。

译文选自《中国文学·古代散文卷》杨宪益，戴乃迭翻译

On Teachers

Since ancient times, to learn all men must have teachers, who pass on the truth and dispel ignorance. As men are not born wise, who can be free from ignorance? But ignorant men do not find teachers, they remain ignorant for ever. Some teachers may be born before me and have learned the truth before me; I should therefore learn from them. Some may have been born after me, but learned the truth before me; I should also learn from them. As I seek the truth, I need not worry whether my teacher is my senior or junior. Whether he is noble or common, older or younger, whoever knows the truth can be a teacher.

Alas, since men have long ceased learning from teachers it is hard not to be ignorant. The old sages were far superior to common men, yet they sought the truth from teachers. Most men of today are far below those sages, yet they think it shameful to learn. That is why sages become more sage, while fools more foolish. No doubt this is what makes some sages and others fools.

A man who loves his son chooses a teacher for him but is ashamed to find one for himself. This is entirely wrong. All a child’s teacher can do is give him a book and tell him how to read it sentence by sentence. This is not the teacher I have in mind who can pass on the truth and dispel ignorance. If we want to learn to read but not to dispel ignorance, we are learning the lesser and giving up the greater, which is hardly intelligent.

Physicians, musicians and artisans are not ashamed to learn from each other. But if one of the literati calls another man his teacher and himself pupil, people will flock to laugh at him. If you ask why, they will reply that the men are roughly equal in age and understanding. If one has a low social status, it is humiliating; if one is a high official, it looks like flattery. Clearly, to learn from a teacher is old-fashioned. Physicians, musicians and artisans are despised by gentlemen, yet they seem to be more intelligent. Is this not strange?

A sage has more than one teaccher. Thus Confucius learned from Tan Zi, Chang Hong, Shi Xiang and Lao Dan. Men like Tan Zi were inferior to Confucius, yet Confucius said, “Out of three men, there must be one who can teach me. ” So pupils are not necessarily inferior to their teachers, nor teachers better than their pupils. Some learn the truth earlier than others, and some have special skills----that is all.

Li Pan, seventeen, is fond of ancient literature, and has studied the six arts, the classics and the commentaries, not confining himself to what is in vogue today. He has studied with me, and as I admire his respect for the old traditions I am writing this essay on teachers for him.