| Chinese Text Project | |
| Simplified Chinese version |
《白马论 - White Horse Discourse》 | English translation: Donald Sturgeon [?] | Library Resources |
| 1 | 白马论: | “白马非马”，可乎？ |
| White Horse Discourse:...: | [A]: Can it be that a white horse is not a horse? | |
| 2 | 白马论: | 曰：可。 |
| White Horse Discourse:...: | [B]: It can. | |
| 3 | 白马论: | 曰：何哉？ |
| White Horse Discourse:...: | [A]: How so? | |
| 4 | 白马论: | 曰：马者，所以命形也；白者，所以命色也。命色者非命形也。故曰：“白马非马”。 |
| White Horse Discourse:...: | [B]: "Horse" is how the shape is named; "white" is how the color is named. That which names color does not name shape. Thus I say: "a white horse is not a horse". | |
| 5 | 白马论: | 曰：有白马，不可谓无马也。不可谓无马者，非马也？有白马为有马，白之，非马何也？ |
| White Horse Discourse:...: | [A]: Having a white horse cannot be said to be having no horses. Is not that which cannot be said to be having no horses a horse? Having a white horse is having a horse; how can a white one not be a horse? | |
| 6 | 白马论: | 曰：求马，黄、黑马皆可致；求白马，黄、黑马不可致。使白马乃马也，是所求一也。所求一者，白马1不异马也；所求不异，如黄、黑马有可有不可，何也？可与不可，其相非明。故黄、黑马一也，而可以应有马，而不可以应有白马。是白马之非马，审矣！ |
| White Horse Discourse:...: |
[B]: Requesting a horse, a brown or a black horse may arrive; requesting a white horse, a brown or a black horse will not arrive. By making a white horse the same as a horse, what is requested [in these two cases] is the same. If what is requested is the same, then a white horse is no different to a horse; if what is requested is no different, then how is it that in one case brown and black horses are acceptable, and in the other they are not? Acceptable and unacceptable are clearly in opposition to each other. Thus brown and black horses are also one in that one can reply that there is a horse, yet one cannot reply that there is a white horse. It is clear indeed that a white horse is not a horse. 1. 马 : Originally read: "者". 从《百子全书》本改。 | |
| 7 | 白马论: | 曰：以马之有色为非马，天下非有无色之马也。天下无马可乎？ |
| White Horse Discourse:...: | [A]: If a horse with color is not a horse, then since there are no colorless horses in the world, can it be that there are no horses in the world? | |
| 8 | 白马论: | 曰：马固有色，故有白马。使马无色，有马如已耳，安取白马？故白者非马也。白马者，马与白也；马与白马也，故曰：白马非马也。 |
| White Horse Discourse:...: | [B]: A horse necessarily has color; thus there are white horses. If one makes horses have no color, then there are merely horses - how can one pick out a white horse? Thus that which is white is not a horse. A white horse is horse and white, horse and white horse. Thus I say: "a white horse is not a horse". | |
| 9 | 白马论: | 曰：马未与白为马，白未与马为白。合马与白，复名白马。是相与以不相与为名，未可。故曰：白马非马未可。 |
| White Horse Discourse:...: | [A]: A horse not yet with white is a horse, and white not yet with a horse is white. Combining horse with white, it is together named a "white horse". This is to use an uncombined name for a combined thing, and is inadmissible. Thus I say: "a white horse is not a horse" is inadmissible. | |
| 10 | 白马论: | 曰：以“有白马为有马”，谓有白马为有黄马，可乎？ |
| White Horse Discourse:...: | [B]: Taking their being white horses as there being horses, as calling there being white horses there being brown horses - is this admissible? | |
| 11 | 白马论: | 曰：未可。 |
| White Horse Discourse:...: | [A]: No. | |
| 12 | 白马论: | 曰：以有马为异有黄马，是异黄马于马也；异黄马于马，是以黄马为非马。以黄马为非马，而以白马为有马，此飞者入池而棺椁异处，此天下之悖言乱辞也。 |
| White Horse Discourse:...: | [B]: Taking their being horses as different to there being brown horses, is to take brown horses as different to horses. Taking brown horses to be different to horses, is to take it that brown horses are not horses. To take brown horses as not horses, and yet take white horses as being horses, is to have the flying in a pond and the inner and outer coffins in different places: a contradictory claim and misuse of statements as there is under heaven! | |
| 13 | 白马论: | 曰：有白马，不可谓无马者，离白之谓也。不1离者有白马不可谓有马也。故所以为有马者，独以马为有马耳，非有白马为有马。故其为有马也，不可以谓马马也。 |
| White Horse Discourse:...: |
[A]: Having white horses cannot be called having no horses, this is what is meant by the separation of white. Not separating it, having white horses cannot be said to be having horses. Thus the reason why it is taken as having horses, is merely that "horses" are taken as "having horses", and "having white horses" is not "having horses". Thus on your taking it as having horses, one cannot call a horse a horse. 1. 不 : Another version reads: "是". 《百子全书》本“不”作“是”。 | |
| 14 | 白马论: | 曰：白者不定所白，忘之而可也。白马者，言白定所白也。定所白者，非白也。马者，无去取于色，故黄、黑皆所以应。白马者，有去取于色，黄、黑马皆所以色去，故唯白马独可以应耳。无去者非有去也；故曰：“白马非马”。 |
| White Horse Discourse:...: | [B]: White does not fix what is white, this can be put aside. "White horse" speaks of white fixing what is white. That which fixes what is white is not white. "Horse" does not pick or exclude color, thus a brown or black horse can be brought. "White horse" does pick or exclude color; brown and black horses are excluded by color, thus only a white horse can be brought. That which does not exclude is not that which does exclude. Thus I say: "a white horse is not a horse". |
URN: ctp:gongsunlongzi/bai-ma-lun