Chapter 36

Some things which are affirmed are affirmed simply and without combination, as are substance, accident, and the like. Others, however, are affirmed in combination, as ‘a horse runs’ or ‘Socrates philosophizes’. Of those things which are affirmed simply and without combination, one signifies substance, as, for example, man or horse; another, quantity, as, for example, two or three, two cubits long or three cubits long; another, relation, such as father or son; another, quality, such as white or black; another, place, such as in a temple or in a marketplace; another, time, such as last year, yesterday, or today; another, position; such as standing or sitting; another, state, such as being dressed or being shod; another, action, such as burning or cutting; another, passion, such as being burnt or being cut. In so far as these ten are affirmed of certain things, they are called categories, because to categorize is the same thing as to affirm.

One should know, moreover, that each of the ten categories is a most general genus. Now, of these ten categories, which are also most general genera, one is substance, whereas the other nine are accidents. The ten are: (1) substance, (2) quantity, (3) relation, (4) quality, (5) time, (6) place, (7) position, (8) state, (9) action, and (10) passion.

{Περὶ τῶν δέκα γενικωτάτων γενῶν.} Τῶν λεγομένων τὰ μὲν ἁπλῶς καὶ ἄνευ συμπλοκῆς λέγεται ὡς οὐσία, συμβεβηκὸς καὶ τὰ τοιαῦτα, τὰ δὲ μετὰ συμπλοκῆς, ὡς ἵππος τρέχει, Σωκράτης φιλοσοφεῖ. Τῶν δὲ ἁπλῶς λεγομένων καὶ ἄνευ συμπλοκῆς αʹ τὸ μὲν οὐσίαν σημαίνει οἷον ἄνθρωπος, ἵππος: βʹ τὸ δὲ ποσὸν οἷον δύο, τρία, δίπηχυ, τρίπηχυ: γʹ τὸ δὲ πρός τι ὡς πατήρ, υἱός: δʹ τὸ δὲ ποιὸν ὡς λευκόν, μέλαν: εʹ τὸ δὲ ποῦ ὡς ἐν ναῷ, ἐν ἀγορᾷ: Ϛʹ τὸ δὲ ποτὲ ὡς πέρυσι, σήμερον: ζʹ τὸ δὲ κεῖσθαι ὡς τὸ ἵστασθαι, καθῆσθαι: ηʹ τὸ δὲ ἔχειν ὡς τὸ ἐνδεδύσθαι, ὑποδεδύσθαι: θʹ τὸ δὲ ποιεῖν ὡς τὸ καίειν, τέμνειν: ιʹ τὸ δὲ πάσχειν ὡς τὸ καίεσθαι, τέμνεσθαι. Αὗται αἱ δέκα λέγονται κατηγορίαι ὡς ἐκ τοῦ λέγεσθαι κατά τινων: τὸ γὰρ ἀγορεύειν λέγειν ἐστίν. Χρὴ γινώσκειν, ὅτι ἕκαστον τούτων τῶν δέκα γενικώτατον γένος ἐστί. Τούτων οὖν τῶν δέκα κατηγοριῶν τῶν καὶ γενικωτάτων γενῶν ἡ μὲν μία οὐσία ἐστίν, αἱ δὲ ἐννέα συμβεβηκότα. Εἰσὶ δὲ αὗται: οὐσία, ποσόν, πρός τι, ποιόν, ποῦ, ποτέ, κεῖσθαι, ἔχειν, ποιεῖν, πάσχειν.