师说 - 韩愈
闡述從師啟智與為學之道
師者，所以傳道、受業、解惑也。
A teacher is one who imparts the Way, passes on learning, and resolves doubts.
人非生而知之者，孰能無惑？
No one is born omniscient; who can be free of all confusion?
惑而不從師，其為惑也終不解矣。
If one remains puzzled yet refuses a teacher, that confusion will never be dispelled.
生乎吾前，其聞道也固先乎吾，吾從而師之；
Those born before me who have learned the Way earlier—if I follow them, they become my teachers.
生乎吾後，其聞道也亦先乎吾，吾從而師之。
Even those younger—if they grasp the Way before me, I shall learn from them as well.
吾師道也，夫庸知其年之先後生於吾乎？
It is the Way I honor as teacher; why should I care who is older or younger than I?
是故無貴無賤，無長無少，道之所存，師之所存也。
Hence, whether noble or humble, whether old or young, wherever the Way resides, there one finds a teacher.
嗟乎！師道之不復，可知矣。
Alas! The tradition of revering teachers has perished, that much is clear.
嗟乎！師道之不傳也久矣！欲人之無惑也難矣！
Indeed, the practice of looking to teachers has long ceased; how can we expect people to be free of confusion?
古之聖人，其出人也遠矣，猶且從師而問焉；
The sages of old, surpassing others by a great margin, still humbly sought instruction from teachers.
今之眾人，其下聖人也亦遠矣，而恥學於師。
People today lag far behind the sages, yet they are ashamed to learn from a teacher.
是故聖益聖，愚益愚。
Thus the wise grow wiser, and the foolish remain ever foolish.
聖人之所以為聖，愚人之所以為愚，其皆出於此乎？
Is this not precisely why the sage becomes a sage, and the fool remains a fool?
愛其子，擇師而教之；於其身也，則恥師焉，惑矣！
They love their children enough to find a teacher for them, yet personally they scorn having a teacher themselves—how perplexing!
彼童子之師，授之書而習其句讀者，
The teachers of children only teach them to read texts, guiding them in pronunciation and phrasing,
非吾所謂傳其道、解其惑者也。
But these are not the ones I refer to as imparting the Way and resolving doubts.
句讀之不知，惑之不解，或師焉，或不焉，
Some may seek them as teachers for minor clarifications, some may not,
小學而大遺，吾未見其明也。
Attending to small matters yet neglecting the great—this, to me, shows a lack of true insight.
巫、醫、樂師、百工之人，不耻相師。
Shamans, physicians, musicians, and artisans do not feel shame in learning from one another.
士大夫之族，曰師曰弟子云者，則群聚而笑之。
But when a scholar-official calls someone “teacher” or “disciple,” many will gather to mock him.
問之，則曰：「彼與彼年相若也，道相似也。
When questioned, they say: “They are roughly the same age, their knowledge is comparable.
位卑則足羞，官盛則近諛。」
If his rank is low, it is shameful; if high, then one seems obsequious.”
嗚呼！師道之不復可知矣。
Alas! Clearly the tradition of honoring teachers is no more.
嗟乎！師道之不傳也久矣！欲人之無惑也難矣！
Alas! For a long time, the Way of the teacher has not been followed. How can anyone avoid confusion?
聖人無常師。
A sage need not have just one teacher.
孔子師郯子、萇弘、師襄、老聃。
Confucius learned from Tan Zi, Chang Hong, Shi Xiang, and Lao Dan.
郯子之徒，其賢不及孔子。
Those like Tan Zi were not as virtuous or renowned as Confucius,
孔子曰：「三人行，則必有我師。」
Yet Confucius said, “Among any three people walking, one can be my teacher.”
是故弟子不必不如師，師不必賢於弟子。
Hence, a disciple is not necessarily inferior to his teacher, nor a teacher necessarily superior to his disciple.
聞道有先後，術業有專攻，如是而已。
One may learn the Way earlier or specialize in different fields; that is all there is to it.
李氏子蟠，年十七，好古文，六藝經傳皆通習之，
Li Pan, a young man of seventeen from the Li family, is fond of classical writings and has studied the Six Classics thoroughly.
不拘於時，學於余。
He is not constrained by convention and has come to learn from me.
余嘉其能行古道，作《師說》以貽之。
I appreciate how he upholds the ancient Way, so I composed “On the Teacher” to give to him.
《師說》是韓愈闡述「師道」的重要散文，強調為學必須尊師重道。韓愈一針見血地指出，人在學習過程中難免會遇到疑惑，若不向師長或明道者請教，疑慮終究無法化解；他並藉此抨擊當時士大夫恥於互稱師生的陋習。文章充分展現韓愈「古文運動」的精神，文辭簡潔有力，既蘊含對傳統師道不復的惋惜，也對未來仍抱持寄望。韓愈論點鮮明：不論身份、年齡，只要能授道解惑，就該尊其為師；若因世俗身分、官位而羞於求教，則不免陷於愚昧。又引孔子「三人行，則必有我師」之言與先賢事例，強化論述的正當性。同時，本文也是對古代學術風氣的一種反思與呼籲，希望重振從師求學的傳統。
重點
1. 尊師重道：強調向賢者或懂道理的人請教，乃為學問進步的基礎。
2. 不拘年齡官位：以道統論高下，而非以身份或年齡拘泥，彰顯平等好學之風。
3. 批判社會風氣：文中針對輕視師生關係的現象提出抨擊，呼籲重回淳厚學術精神。
4. 守正創新：通過古文形式與孔子名言，提升文章氣勢，並在古今對比中展現韓愈的改革與復古理念。