Only small-minded men and women are hard to deal with, who become bitter if you keep a distance from and become familiar if you get closer to.

This is good enough don't you think? And do you have similar experiences to those of Confucius?

NOTE: There are broad-minded women as there are broad-minded men.

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Note added at 2002-12-14 18:32:26 (GMT)
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本来想说 small minds and women，显得文字均衡一点，但small minds应该包括women， 否则我比孔子还厉害，认为女子没有minds，岂不糟糕？

Thank you, itranzlate for posting such a fun topic. Keep it here longer. 让大家多发言最好。

Bill

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Note added at 2002-12-14 23:55:49 (GMT)
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子曰：“唯女子与小人为难养也，近之则不孙，远之则怨。”

The Teacher says:\"Only women and small-minded men are hard to deal with, who become familiar if you get closer to and bitter if you keep a distance from.\"


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Note added at 2002-12-16 01:02:17 (GMT)
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itranzlate:

我个人以为还是按泛指意义较为妥当，即女子与小人都是一般意义上的女人和小人。理由之一：小人在论语中是一个相当大的概念，比如“君子坦荡荡，小人长戚戚”“汝为君子儒，毋为小人儒”等等，可见小人是与君子相对应的概念。“养”有修辞的意义，说明孔子说话的妥帖到位。当然我们一般是“养”家畜，比如养狗，养孩子也行；可以想见孔子说这句话时的无奈与不屑的情绪；孔子说这句话是不是圣人而是看透世情的哲人。

当然诸位还可进一步讨论女子是否真的难养，孔子为何说女子与小人难养。

Bill

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Note added at 2002-12-16 01:09:36 (GMT)
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另：只要有女人和小人存在，就有远近的问题，除非你想随佛家和道家做出世之想。这恰恰是儒家与释道两家不同的地方。将女人和小人解释为仆妇是把孔子的话弄的太琐细而没有太多意义了。
Bill

Typo: 孔子说这句话时不是圣人而是看透世情的哲人。

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Note added at 2002-12-16 09:48:06 (GMT)
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一笑：可能孔子时代小女子在女人中是主流，而小男人在男人中尚未成为主流；于是孔子说出“女子与小人难养”的话；当今时代小女子在女人中是少数，而小男人在男人中则蔚为大观，孔子复生恐怕要说：“有女朋友自远方来不亦乐乎？”女朋友答曰：“君子多乎哉？不多也。唯小男人和人妖为难养也。有大男人如君，此生足矣！”

Bill 原创:-))