3.24 仪封人请见1，曰：“君子之至于斯也，吾未尝不得见也。”从者见之。出曰：“二三子何患于丧乎2？天下之无道也久矣，天将以夫子为木铎3。”
【译文】
仪邑的边防官请求与孔子见面，说：“凡君子来到这里，我没有不相见的。”跟随孔子的学生带他见了孔子。他出来后对这些学生说：“你们这些人哪里用得着担心没有官位呢？天下无道的情况已经很久了，上天将要把你们老师当作木铎了。”
【YZG解释】
仪邑的边防官请求与孔子见面，说：“凡君子来到这里，我从来没有错过与君子相见的机会。”跟随孔子的学生带他见了孔子。他出来后对这些学生说：“你们这些人哪里需要担心丧失什么呢？天下无道已经很久了，上天正是要你们老师来做醒世的木铎啊。”
【English Translation】
The border official of Yi county requested to meet Confucius and said: “Whenever a noble person comes here, I have never missed the opportunity to meet him.” Then Confucius’s student took him to see Confucius. After the meeting, he said to Confucius’s students: “You all don’t need to worry about losing anything at all. Since the world has deviated from the Way of Heaven for a long time, the Heaven let your teacher awaken the world as a clarion.”