李照国
子曰：“父在，观其志。父没观其行。三年无改于父之道，可谓孝矣。”
孔子向来重视“忠孝”，这也成为儒家的基本观念。孔子曾经说过，“君待臣有礼，臣事上以忠”，这就是孔子所提倡的君臣关系。按照儒家的人事体系，君臣之外，便是父子。所谓的“君君臣臣，父父子子”，强调的就是这个意思。
孔子谢世之后，孔门的一些传人的传人，大约为了讨好领导吧，将孔子的这个观点篡改为“君叫臣死，臣不得不死；父叫子亡，子不得不亡”。虽然兴奋了领导，但却颠覆了孔子的思想，破坏了正统的儒学。
中华民族向来强调文化的传承，从而保证了中华文化的千古一脉、万世一系。子承父业，也是中华文化的一个重要传承基础。在中国，国和家始终密切地关联在一起，没有国就没有家，没有家也就没有国。所以，中华文化的传承，首先体现在家族的传承，父子的传承。这就是孔子特别重视子承父业、子随父志的重要原因。
“父在，观其志。父没，观其行。三年无改于父之道，可谓孝矣。”孔子的这句话，强调的就是子承父业的观念。意思是说，“作为一个儿子，父亲活着的时候，要观察他的志向；父亲去世之后，要考察他的行为。父亲去世三年后，如果他没有改变父亲为人处事的原则和方法，那么可以说他尽孝了。”
Arthur Waley 将其译为：
The Master said, While a man’s father is alive, you can only see his intentions; it is when his father dies that you discover whether or not he is capable of carrying them out. If for the whole three years for mourning he manages to carry on the household exactly as in his father’s day, then he is a good son indeed.
辜鸿铭将其译为：
Confucius remarked, “When a man’s father is living the son should have regard to what his father would have him do; when the father is dead, to what his father has done. A son who for three years after his father’s death does not in his own life change his father’s principle, may be said to be a good son.”
丘氏昆仲将其译为：
The Master said, “Observe a person’s ambition while his father is still alive. Observe his conduct when his father is dead. If for three years after his father’s death he does not change his father’s Way, he may be called filial.”
孔子的这句话还是比较见词明义的，所以一般的解读还是比较趋同的。从目前较为流行的译本来看，一般译者的翻译基本还是达意的。
在中国的古代，父亲只要健在，儿子就无权独立行动，就必须按照父亲的要求去做任何事情。因此，从儿子的行为举止就可以看出其是否完全遵从父亲的要求和想法。所谓“父在，观其志”，说的就是这个意思。Arthur Waley 将其译为While a man’s father is alive, you can only see his intentions，意思似乎不甚明确。丘氏昆仲将其译为Observe a person’s ambition while his father is still alive，字面上和原文似乎十分对应，但语义上还是有些隔膜。辜氏将其译作When a man’s father is living the son should have regard to what his father would have him do，与原文的喻意比较接近。
所谓“父没，观其行”，就是说父亲去世之后，要观察其儿子是否继续按照父亲健在时的要求和意愿行事。所以，这里的“行”是儿子的“行”，不是父亲的“行”。Arthur Waley将其译为it is when his father dies that you discover whether or not he is capable of carrying them out，将“行”理解成了践行儿子自己的意愿了，不大符合原文之意。辜氏将其译为when the father is dead, (the son should have regard ) to what his father has done，将“行”解读为儿子对父亲所作所为的尊奉，与原文之意略有关联。丘氏昆仲将其译为Observe his conduct when his father is dead，字面上和原文是对应的。但由于其对“父在，观其志”的翻译与原文形合而意背，使得“父没，观其行”的翻译在语义上与原意亦显游离。
所谓“三年无改于父之道”的“道”，其喻意其实是非常具体的，就是父亲做人的原则和做事的方法。Arthur Waley 将其翻译为the household，语义略显偏狭。辜氏将其译作principle，还是比较合乎实际的。丘氏昆仲将其译为Way，与西方译者的流行做法一致，但语义上略显空泛。
