As what we have mentioned in our last post, today we try to understand the meaning of the second sentence of the most important classic of Confucianism： 《论语》: 有朋自远方来，不亦乐乎？ To start, we will review the meaning of each Chinese character of it.
有: https://xiongzou.blogspot.com/2015/12/learn-one-chinese-character-day_29.html
It is the drawing of a hand holding a piece of meet, which mean have / there is.
朋: https://xiongzou.blogspot.com/2020/10/blog-post.html
It is drawing of two strings of beautiful shells hanging in parallel, which is eventually used to represent friends sharing same value and moral standard.
自: https://xiongzou.blogspot.com/2020/11/blog-post_28.html
It is a drawing of nose, which means self or from.
远 | 遠: https://xiongzou.blogspot.com/2021/04/blog-post.htm
It is drawing of somebody preparing cloths for a long distance trip, which means far away.
方: https://xiongzou.blogspot.com/2021/05/blog-post.html
It means a square shaping and is also used to represent border of a country / county.
来: https://xiongzou.blogspot.com/2021/07/blog-post.html
It is the drawing a wheat, and is eventually used to represent come.
It means not.
亦: https://xiongzou.blogspot.com/2019/10/blog-post_28.html
It means same, as well or too.
And here we go the answer, which is probably different than what you can get from other sources, but we think it is a better translation:
Modern Chinese first: "如果有一个师出同门的知己不远千里来【拜访】，这难道不是让人非常开心的事情吗？"
English next: "If there is a bosom friend coming from far away land paid a visit to us, is it not an very delightful moment?"
If you have a different mother tongue, you are welcome to provide translation for your own mother tongue. And of course if you have different translation for modern Chinese or English, you are welcome to provide your version as well.
That is all for today, let us enjoy again another Chinese calligraphy of "有朋自远方来，不亦乐乎"
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| 子曰：有朋自远方来，不亦乐乎？ |
