And he gave him his own daughter for a wife.
2 The Master said of Nan Rong, If the state is ruled by the Way, he will not be overlooked. If the state is not ruled by the Way, he will still stay clear of penalties and punishments.
And he gave him the daughter of his elder brother for a wife.
3 The Master said of Zijian, A real gentleman, this one! If there were no gentlemen in Lu, how could he have become like this?
4 Zigong asked, What would you say of me?
The Master said, You are a vessel.
What kind of vessel? Zigong asked.
A fine sacrificial vessel, said the Master.
5 Someone said of Yong, He is humane but lacking in eloquence.
The Master said, Why does he need to be eloquent? People who overwhelm others with their glibness often end up hated by others. I don’t know if Yong is humane, but why does he need to be eloquent?
6 The Master urged Qidiao Kai to take an official position, but he replied, I am not yet confident I’m up to it. The Master was pleased.
7 The Master said, The Way does not go forward—I’ll get on a raft and set out to sea! And the one who will go with me will be You (Zilu), will it not?
When Zilu heard this, he was delighted.
The Master said, You outdoes me in love of bravery, though he doesn’t always think where that may lead him.
8 Meng Wu Bo questioned Confucius, saying, Is Zilu a humane person?
The Master said, I don’t know.
Meng Wu Bo asked again.
The Master said, In a state of a thousand war chariots, You (Zilu) could be put in charge of military levies. But I don’t know if he is humane.
What about Qiu (Ran You)?
The Master said, For a town of a thousand households or a clan of a hundred chariots, Qiu could act as overseer. But I don’t know if he is humane.
What about Chi (Gongxi Zihua)?
The Master said, Chi, dressed in formal robes, standing in court, would do very well to discourse with the visitors and guests. But I don’t know if he is humane.
9 The Master questioned Zigong, saying, Between you and Hui, which is the better man?
Zigong replied, How could I dare hope to equal Hui? Hui hears one part and understands ten. I hear one part and understand two.
The Master said, No, you are not his equal. You and I are neither of us his equal.
10 Zai Yu (Zai Wo) was given to sleeping in the daytime. The Master said, Rotten wood can’t be carved; a wall of stinking earth can’t be troweled. What’s the use of trying to reprimand Yu?
The Master said, At first, when it came to people, I listened to their words and trusted their conduct. Now, when it comes to people, I listen to their words and observe their conduct. It was Yu who brought about this change.
11 The Master said, I have never seen a person of true firmness. Someone said, What about Shen Cheng? The Master said, Cheng is all desires. How can he be called a man of firmness?
12 Zigong said, What I don’t want others to do to me, I want to avoid doing to others. The Master said, Si (Zigong), you haven’t gotten to that stage yet.
13 Zigong said, The Master’s views on cultural and emblematic matters—these we have heard. But his views on human nature and the Way of Heaven—these we have never been able to hear!
14 When Zilu had heard something and had not yet been able to put it into practice, his only fear was that he might hear something else.
15 Zigong asked, Why was Kong Wenzi given the posthumous name Cultured (Wen)?
The Master said, Clear-sighted and a lover of learning, he was not ashamed to ask questions of his inferiors. Therefore he was given the name Cultured.
16 The Master said of Zichan, He exemplified the Way of the gentleman in four respects. In conducting himself, he was prudent. In serving his superiors, he was respectful. In looking out for the common people, he was caring. And in employing the common people, he followed what was right.
17 The Master said, Yan Pingzhong was skilled in his dealings with others. Even toward those he had known for a long time, he remained respectful
18 The Master said, Zang Wenzhong housed a large tortoiseshell for divination in a hall whose pillars were capped with hill-shaped designs and whose joists had a duckweed pattern.1 What can one think of the wisdom of such a person?
19 Zizhang asked, saying, Ziwen, the prime minister of Chu, served three times as prime minister but showed no sign of delight, and three times was dismissed from the post but showed no sign of resentment. As former prime minister, he invariably reported to the new prime minister on affairs of state. What do you think of this?
The Master said, He acted with loyalty.
Was he humane?
I don’t know how he can be called humane.
Cui Zi assassinated the ruler of Qi. Chen Wen Zi, who for his carriages owned ten four-horse teams,2 abandoned them and left the state. When he arrived in another state, he said, The people here are no better than our high official Cui Zi! and he left that state. Arriving in another state, he said, More like our high official Cui Zi! and he left that state, too. What would you say of him?
The Master said, A man of integrity.
Was he humane?
I don’t know how he can be called humane.
20 Ji Wen Zi thought three times before he acted. When the Master heard of this, he said, Twice is enough.
21 The Master said, In the case of Ning Wu Zi, when the Way prevailed in the state, he was wise. When the Way did not prevail in the state, he was stupid. His wisdom can be equaled, but not his stupidity.
22 When the Master was in Chen, he said, Let’s go home, let’s go home! The young people of our district are in high spirits but hasty. The cloth has been handsomely woven, but no one knows how to cut it.3
23 The Master said, Bo Yi and Shu Qi did not dwell on old wrongs—so they had few feelings of rancor.
24 The Master said, Who claims that Weisheng Gao was honest? When someone came to borrow vinegar from him, he borrowed some from a neighbor and then gave it to the person.
25 The Master said, Clever words, a pleasing countenance, politeness overdone—Zuoqiu Ming would be ashamed of such, and I would be ashamed too. To hide your distaste for someone and become that person’s friend—Zuoqiu Ming would be ashamed of that, and I would be ashamed too.
26 Once, when Yan Yuan and Zilu were accompanying him, the Master said, Why don’t each of you speak of your desires?
Zilu said, I wish that I and my friends could share the same carriages and horses, robes and furs, and never worry if we wore them out.
Yan Yuan said, I would like never to boast of what good points I have and never cause trouble to others.
Zilu said, I would like to hear the Master’s desires.
The Master said, To free old people from worry, to be trustworthy toward my friends, and at all times solicitous of the young.
27 The Master said, It’s hopeless! I have yet to see anyone who can recognize his faults, look inside himself, and put the blame there.
28 The Master said, In a village of ten households there are certain to be those who are as loyal and trustworthy as I am, but none my equal in love of learning!
1 The use of a large tortoiseshell for divination and the architectural decorations mentioned were privileges reserved for the ruler of a state.
2 The number of horses Chen Wen Zi owned indicates how eminent he was.
3 That is, the people of Lu, and Confucius’s disciples in particular, are ready and eager to be led in the right direction, but they need Confucius to guide them.
Book Six
1 The Master said, Yong (Zhonggong Ran Yong) could be given a seat facing south.1
2 Zhonggong asked about Zisang Bozi. The Master said, He will do—he’s lenient in nature.
Zhonggong said, If he is strict with himself but lenient when it comes to overseeing the common people, will that be all right? If one is lenient with himself and behaves toward o
thers in a lenient manner, that’s too much leniency, isn’t it?
The Master said, What you say is correct.
3 Duke Ai questioned Confucius, saying, Who among your disciples loves learning?
Confucius replied, There was Yan Hui—he loved learning, never took his anger out on others, never repeated his mistakes. Regrettably, he had a short life and is dead now. Since then, there are none who love learning, or none I’ve heard of.
4 Zihua went on a mission to the state of Qi. Ran Qiu asked that Zihua’s mother be given an allowance of grain. The Master said, Give her a peck. When Ran Qiu asked for more, the Master said, Give her a bushel. Ran Qiu in the end gave her five large measures of grain.
The Master said, When Chi (Gongxi Zihua) set off for Qi, he had a team of fat horses and was wearing light furs. The way I’ve heard it, the gentleman helps out the needy but does not contribute to the upkeep of the rich.
5 When Yuan Si was given the post of steward, he was offered an allotment of nine hundred measures of grain, but he declined it.
The Master said, Oh, no! You could have shared it with your neighboring communities, couldn’t you?
6 The Master said of Zhonggong, The calf of an ordinary cow, if it is red in color and has proper horns, [is fit to be used as a sacrifice,] though people might hesitate to do so. Surely the gods of the mountains and rivers will not reject it.2
7 The Master said, As for Hui, he could go three months without in his mind ever departing from humaneness. The others can do so for a day or a month, but that is all!
8 Ji Kangzi asked, Would Zhongyou (Zilu) be suitable to hold government office?
The Master said, Zhongyou is decisive. Why wouldn’t he do for government office?
Would Si (Zigong) do for government office?
The Master said, Si is knowledgeable. Why wouldn’t he do for government office?
Would Qiu (Ran Qiu) do for government office?
The Master said, Qiu is talented. Why wouldn’t he do for government office?
9 The Ji family wanted to appoint Min Ziqian as steward of Bi. Min Ziqian said, Can someone kindly refuse this offer for me? If they continue to press me, I will have to retire to the banks of the Wen River.3
10 Boniu (Ran Boniu) had an illness.4 The Master went to ask how he was, holding his hand through the window. He said, We are going to lose him. It’s fate, is it not? Such a man, and to have such an illness. Such a man, and to have such an illness.
11 The Master said, What a fine man Hui was! One container of rice, one dipperful of drink, living in a back alley—others couldn’t have endured the gloom of it, but he never let it affect his happiness. What a fine man Hui was!
12 Ran Qiu said, It’s not that I don’t delight in the Master’s Way, but I don’t have sufficient strength for it.
The Master said, Those whose strength is insufficient go at least halfway before giving up. But now you are setting limits for yourself.
13 The Master said to Zixia, You should be a gentleman scholar. Don’t be a petty man scholar.5
14 Ziyou was made steward of Wucheng. The Master said, Have you come upon any good men?
Ziyou said, There’s Tantai Mieming. He doesn’t take any shortcuts, and he never comes to my room unless it is on official business.
15 The Master said, Meng Zhifan never boasted. When our forces fled in defeat, he guarded the rear. But when he was about to enter the city gates, he whipped up his horses, saying, I wasn’t deliberately lagging behind—my horses wouldn’t go any faster.6
16 The Master said, If you have the good looks of Song Zhao but lack the eloquence of Invocator Tuo, you’ll have a hard time escaping blame in the world today.
17 The Master said, Who can go out of a house without using the door? Why does no one use this Way of mine?
18 The Master said, Where solid qualities outweigh refinement, you have rusticity. Where refinement outweighs solid qualities, you have the clerkly style. Refinement and solid qualities beautifully balanced—then you have the gentleman.
19 The Master said, Human life is a matter of honesty. Live without it, and you’ll be lucky to escape with your life.
20 The Master said, To know it is not as good as to approve it. To approve it is not as good as to find joy in it.
21 The Master said, To persons of more than middling capability, you can talk of higher matters. To persons of less than middling capability, you cannot talk of such matters.
22 Fan Chi asked about wisdom. The Master said, Work to lead the people toward what is right. Respect the gods and spirits but keep them at a distance—this can be called wisdom.
When he asked about humaneness, the Master said, Humaneness means tending to difficulties first and leaving benefits for later—this can be called humaneness.
23 The Master said, The wise delight in water; the humane delight in mountains. The wise move; the humane are still. The wise are happy; the humane live long.
24 The Master said, With one change, Qi could measure up to Lu. And with one change, Lu could measure up to the Way.7
25 The Master said, A gu drinking cup that is not a gu drinking cup—what a gu, what a gu!8
26 Zai Wo asked, If you were to tell a humane person that there was a humane person in a well, would he go to the rescue?9
The Master said, Why would he do that? The gentleman can be made to go somewhere but not to fall into a trap. He can be deceived but not completely hoodwinked.
27 The Master said, If the gentleman acquires broad learning in cultural matters and focuses it through ritual, he is hardly likely to go far astray, is he?
28 The Master had an audience with Nanzi.10 Zilu was not pleased. Confucius swore an oath, saying, If I have done anything wrong, may Heaven cast me aside! May Heaven cast me aside!
29 The Master said, The virtue embodied in the doctrine of the Mean11 is of the highest order. But it has long been rare among people.
30 Zigong said, If someone could spread bounty abroad among the people and rescue the populace, how would that be? Could that be called humaneness?
The Master said, Why bring humaneness into the discussion? If you must have a label, call the man a sage. Even Yao and Shun had trouble doing that much.
The humane person wants standing, and so he helps others to gain standing. He wants achievement, and so he helps others to achieve. To know how to proceed on the analogy of what is close at hand—this can be called the humane approach.
1 The ruler sits facing south.
2 The implication is that Zhonggong Ran Yong, who was of humble origin, was nevertheless worthy to hold high office.
3 The river that formed the boundary between the states of Lu and Qi.
4 The illness is said to have been leprosy.
5 The word ru, translated here as “scholar,” designates a man who devotes himself to learning and the peaceful arts, as opposed to the military man.
6 Confucius is speaking of the battle in 484 B.C.E. when invading forces from Qi defeated those of Lu outside the gates of the Lu capital.
7 In Confucius’s time, Qi was, of course, much larger and more powerful than Lu, but Confucius is no doubt speaking in cultural terms.
8 Confucius is apparently complaining of instances in which the name does not match the reality.
9 A peculiar question. Commentators suggest emending the second “humane person,” to read “someone.” Zai Wo is asking how far one is expected to go in pursuit of humaneness.
10 The wife of Duke Ling of Wei, notorious for her adulterous conduct, which is why Zilu disapproved of the meeting.
11 Zhongyong, or “the doctrine of moderation,” an important concept in Confucian thought. But it is mentioned only this once in the Analects.
Book Seven
1 The Master said, A transmitter and not a maker, trusting in and loving antiquity, I venture to compare myself with our Old Peng.
2 The Master said, To be silent and understand, to learn without tiring, never to weary of teaching others
—this much I can do.
3 The Master said, Virtue not sufficiently practiced, learning not sufficiently digested, to hear what is right and not be able to do it, to have shortcomings and not be able to remedy them—these are the things that I worry about.
4 The Master when he was at leisure—very relaxed, very genial.
5 The Master said, How great is my decline! It’s been so long since I dreamed that I saw the duke of Zhou!
6 The Master said, Set your sights on the Way, base yourself on virtue, rely on humaneness, relax with the arts.
7 The Master said, If a person comes with a bundle of dried meat or better, I’ve never refused him instruction.1
8 The Master said, If they’re not eager to learn, I don’t enlighten them; if they’re not struggling to put it into words, I don’t assist them. I hold up one corner to show them, and if they can’t come back with the other three, then I don’t go on.
9 When the Master was eating at the side of a person in mourning, he never ate his fill. On a day when the Master had wept for someone, he never sang.
10 The Master said to Yan Yuan, When needed, to act; when cast aside, to retire—only you and I know how to do that—isn’t that so?
Zilu said, If you, Master, were directing the Three Armies,2 who would you take with you?
The Master said, Someone who faces a tiger bare-handed or wades the Yellow River, going to his death with no regrets—I wouldn’t take anyone like that. If I must answer, then I’d take someone who directs affairs in a mood of apprehension, who plans carefully and thereby succeeds.
11 The Master said, If one could get rich just by trying, then although it meant being a herald with whip in hand, I would go along with that. But if one can’t get rich just by trying, I prefer to follow my own desires.
12 The Master exercised great care with regard to the following: preparations for a sacrifice, warfare, and illness.
13 When the Master was in Qi, he heard the Shao music3 and for three months no longer knew what sort of meat he was eating. He said, I never supposed that music could reach such heights!
The Analects of Confucius Page 4
