AN 4.42  Pañhabyākaraṇa sutta - Answering a Question

“Cattārimāni, bhikkhave, pañhabyākaraṇāni. Katamāni cattāri? Atthi, bhikkhave, pañho ekaṁsabyākaraṇīyo; atthi, bhikkhave, pañho vibhajjabyākaraṇīyo; atthi, bhikkhave, pañho paṭipucchābyākaraṇīyo; atthi, bhikkhave, pañho ṭhapanīyo.

“Bhikkhus, there are these four ways of answering questions. What four? 1.) There is a question that should be answered |categorically::straight, with absolute assurance [ekaṁsa]|. 2.) There is a question that should be answered |with a detailed analysis::after making a distinction [vibhajja]|. 3.) There is a question that should be answered with a counter-question. 4.) There is a question that should be set aside.

Imāni kho, bhikkhave, cattāri pañhabyākaraṇānīti.

These, bhikkhus, are the four ways of answering questions.

Ekaṁsavacanaṁ ekaṁ,
vibhajjavacanāparaṁ;
Tatiyaṁ paṭipuccheyya,
catutthaṁ pana ṭhāpaye.

One requires a categorical answer,
another a detailed analysis;
to the third, one should raise a counter-question,
and the fourth should be set aside.

Yo ca tesaṁ tattha tattha,
jānāti anudhammataṁ;
Catupañhassa kusalo,
āhu bhikkhuṁ tathāvidhaṁ.

And when a bhikkhu knows the appropriate method,
in each and every case;
they say that he is |skilled::expert, adept, competent [kusala]|,
in the four kinds of questions.

Durāsado duppasaho,
gambhīro duppadhaṁsiyo;
Atho atthe anatthe ca,
ubhayassa hoti kovido.

He is hard to challenge, hard to overpower,
profound, and difficult to defeat;
he is an expert in knowing both,
what is |beneficial::good, welfare, profit [attha]| and |what is unbeneficial::what is meaningless, what is not useful [anattha]|.

Anatthaṁ parivajjeti,
atthaṁ gaṇhāti paṇḍito;
Atthābhisamayā dhīro,
paṇḍitoti pavuccatī”ti.

The wise avoid the unbeneficial,
and take up what is beneficial;
By arriving at what is beneficial,
the |steadfast one::intelligent one, stable, wise [dhīra]| is said to be wise.”