The Analects of Confucius

by Burton Watson

  Book Seventeen

  1 Yang Huo (Yang Hu?) wanted to see Confucius, but Confucius refused to see him. He then sent Confucius a suckling pig. Confucius, choosing a time when Yang was not at home, went to express thanks for the gift, but he happened to meet Yang in the street. Addressing Confucius, Yang Huo said, Come—I have something to say to you. You hide in your heart a wealth of talent and yet let your country go astray. Can that be called humaneness? Of course not! You long to hold office and yet time and again miss the chance to do so. Can that be called wisdom? Of course not! The days and months fly by, time does not work in our favor!

  Confucius said, Very well—I will take public office.

  2 The Master said, In nature close to one another, in practice far apart.1

  3 The Master said, Only the highest among the wise and the lowest among the stupid never change.

  4 When the Master visited Wucheng, he listened to the music of stringed instruments and a chorus. A smile came to his face, and he said, To cut up a chicken, why use an ox-cleaver?

  Ziyou replied, In the past I have heard you say, Master, that when the gentleman studies the Way, he learns to love others, and when the petty man studies the Way, he becomes easy to employ.

  The Master said, You young men, what Yan (Ziyou) says is right. My earlier remark was just meant as a joke.2

  5 Gongshan Furao headed a rebellion in the region of Bi and invited Confucius to join him.3 The Master wanted to go, but Zilu, displeased, said, Don’t go, and that will end the matter. What need is there to join someone like Gongshan?

  The Master said, He has invited me—how could it be a complete waste? If someone would only make use of me, I could create a Zhou of the east!4

  6 Zizhang asked Confucius about humaneness. Confucius said, A person who can exercise these five in his dealings with the world is acting humanely.

  When Zizhang asked what “these five” were, Confucius said, Courtesy, tolerance, trustworthiness, diligence, and kindness. Be courteous, and you avoid disrespect. Be tolerant, and you win over the multitude. Be trustworthy, and you are trusted by others. Be diligent, and your work will go well. Be kind, and you will be able to employ others.

  7 Bi Xi invited the Master to join him, and the Master wanted to go.5 Zilu said, In the past I have heard you say, When someone is personally doing what is not good, the gentleman will not go near him. Bi Xi has raised a revolt in Zhongmou. What reason could you have to go there?

  The Master said, You are right—that’s what I said. But don’t people say, So hard, file it, but it never wears thin? And don’t they say, So white, dirty it, but it never turns black? Am I some sort of bitter melon? Can I go on hanging here and never be eaten?

  8 The Master said, You (Zilu), have you heard of the six terms and the six flaws attending them?

  Zilu replied, No, not yet.

  Sit down, said the Master, and I will tell you. Love of humaneness without love of study invites the flaw of foolishness. Love of understanding without love of study invites the flaw of recklessness. Love of trustworthiness without love of study invites the flaw of injurious behavior. Love of uprightness without love of study invites the flaw of bluntness. Love of bravery without love of study invites the flaw of riotousness. Love of firmness without love of study invites the flaw of irrational action.

  9 The Master said, Young people, why do none of you study the Odes? The Odes train you in analogy, allow you to observe customs, teach you to be sociable, teach you to express anger. Close at hand, you learn how to serve your father; in more distant terms, how to serve the ruler. And you become familiar with the names of numerous birds, animals, plants, and trees.

  10 The Master said to [his son] Boyu, Have you studied the “Zhounan” and “Shaonan”?6 Anyone who doesn’t know the “Zhounan” and “Shaonan” is like a person who stands with a wall in front of him.

  11 The Master said, Ritual! ritual! they say. But is it just a matter of jades and silks? Music! music! they say. But is it just a matter of bells and drums?

  12 The Master said, Stern in aspect but weak inside—look for his likeness among petty men, and it would be the thief who breaks through or climbs over walls.

  13 The Master said, The self-righteous villager is the thief of virtue.

  14 The Master said, Hear it along the road and expound it in the byways—this is to throw virtue away.7

  15 The Master said, Can you serve the ruler with some mean-minded fellow as your companion? Before he has gotten what he wants, he worries he won’t get it. After he has gotten it, he worries he’ll lose it. And when he starts worrying about losing it, there’s nothing he won’t do!

  16 The Master said, In former times the common people had three weaknesses, but now even these seem to have largely disappeared.8 Assertive persons in the past were reckless; now they are downright overbearing. Firm-minded persons in the past were prudish; now they are testy and belligerent. Stupid persons in the past were at least upright; now all they do is try to deceive others.

  17 The Master said, Clever words and a pleasing countenance—little humaneness there.9

  18 The Master said, I hate the way the color purple detracts from red. I hate the way the tunes of Zheng throw the Ya music into confusion.10 I hate the way clever talkers bring ruin to the state and the leading families.

  19 The Master said, I wish I could just say nothing. Zigong said, But Master, if you do not say anything, what will we, your followers, have to pass on to others?

  The Master said, What does Heaven say? The four seasons proceed in order, the hundred creatures live their lives, but what does Heaven say?

  20 Ru Bei wanted to visit Confucius, but Confucius excused himself on the grounds of illness. Then, as the person who had delivered the message was going out the door, Confucius took up his zither and began to sing, making certain that the man heard him.

  21 Zai Wo asked about the three-year mourning period, saying that one year should be long enough.11 If the gentleman goes three years without performing rituals, the rituals are certain to decline; if he goes three years without performing music, music is certain to be lost. The old grain has been used up; the new grain has ripened; drills have kindled new fires to replace the old ones—surely one year is long enough!

  The Master said, Eating rice, wearing brocade—would you feel right doing that?

  Yes, I would, said Zai Wo.

  If you would feel right, then do so. But when a gentleman is in mourning, if he ate fine food, it would have no savor; if he listened to music, it would bring no joy; if he lived in ease, it would not feel right. Therefore, he does not do so. But now you would feel right, so you may do so.

  After Zai Wo had left, the Master said, Yu (Zai Wo) has no humaneness! Only after a child is three years old does he leave the bosom of his father and mother. The three-year mourning period is a custom common to everyone in the world. Surely Yu, too, enjoyed his three years of loving from father and mother!

  22 The Master said, Stuff yourself with food all day, never give your mind anything to do, and you’re a problem! There’s chess, isn’t there? There’s weiqi, isn’t there?—wiser at least to busy yourself with these.

  23 Zilu said, Does the gentleman esteem courage? The Master said, The gentleman holds rightness in highest esteem. A gentleman who possesses courage but lacks rightness will become rebellious. A petty man who possesses courage but lacks rightness will turn to thievery.

  24 Zigong asked, Does the gentleman too have things he hates? The Master said, He has his hates. He hates those who go on about what is hateful in others. He hates those in low position who revile those above them. He hates courage that ignores ritual decorum; he hates firmness and decision that is not open-minded.

  Zigong said, I too have things I hate. I hate plagiarists who pretend to be wise. I hate unruly people who pretend to be courageous. I hate scandal mongerers who pretend to be upright.

  25 The Master said, Women and petty persons are the hardest to look after. Treat them
in a friendly manner, and they become impertinent; keep them at a distance, and they take offense.

  26 The Master said, Forty and hated by others—and he’ll be so the rest of his life.12

  1 Confucius’s statement on the human condition.

  2 Ziyou, as we have seen in 6:14, had been made steward of the outlying region of Wucheng. Confucius’s remark on the knife used to cut up a chicken is usually interpreted to mean that the music performed for him in Wucheng was overly pretentious. Another interpretation would take it to mean that a man of Ziyou’s talents is wasted on a minor post in Wucheng.

  3 Gongshan Furao, like Yang Hu, had been a retainer of the Ji family, but in 502 B.C.E. he declared himself in revolt against them. Confucius perhaps thought that he was intending to restore power to the ruler of Lu.

  4 That is, Confucius could establish in the eastern state of Lu an ideal regime such as characterized the early Zhou dynasty.

  5 Bi Xi, like Gongshan Furao, had started a revolt, this one in Zhongmou in an area controlled by the state of Jin, and had summoned Confucius to join him. Once again, Confucius saw this as a possible chance to put his ideals into practice.

  6 The first and second sections of the Book of Odes.

  7 That is, come on some good idea and, before you understand it fully, begin expounding it to others.

  8 The weaknesses turn out to have been better than the traits that have supplanted them.

  9 Identical to 1:3.

  10 On the music of the state of Zheng, see 15:11. The Ya music is the elegant court music used to accompany the songs in the “Ya” section of the Book of Odes.

  11 The three-year mourning period for parents is generally interpreted to mean into the third year—that is, twenty-five or twenty-seven months.

  12 That is, by the age of forty one’s character is fixed.

  Book Eighteen

  1 Weizi left the state; Jizi became a slave; Bi Gan reprimanded him and was killed. Confucius said, The Yin had three who were humane.1

  2 When Liuxia Hui served as chief judge he was three times dismissed.2 Someone said, Wouldn’t you do better going elsewhere?

  Liuxia Hui said, If I apply the Way correctly in serving others, where can I go and not be dismissed three times? And if I applied the Way in a crooked fashion in serving others, what need would I have to leave the country of my father and mother?

  3 Duke Jing of Qi, speaking of the treatment that he was prepared to offer Confucius, said, I cannot give him the treatment accorded the senior branch of the Ji family.3 It would have to be the treatment accorded someone in between the senior and the junior branches. [To Confucius] he said, I’m old—I cannot make proper use of you.

  Confucius left the state of Qi.

  4 The men of Qi presented Lu with a troupe of women musicians. Ji Huanzi accepted them and for three days failed to appear at court.4 Confucius left the state.

  5 Jie Yu, the madman of Chu, passed by Confucius, singing these words:

  Phoenix, phoenix,

  how your virtue has ebbed away!

  What’s past has gone beyond mending

  but what’s to come is still within reach.

  Leave off! Leave off!

  Danger waits those who work at governing today!

  Confucius got down from his carriage, hoping to speak with him, but the madman ran away and hid, and he was never able to speak to him.

  6 Changju and Jieni5 had teamed up to do the plowing when Confucius passed by. He sent Zilu to ask them where the ford was.

  Changju said, Who is that driving the carriage?

  That’s Kong Qiu, said Zilu.

  Kong Qiu of Lu?

  Yes, Zilu replied.

  Then he must know where the ford is.

  Zilu put the same question to Jieni. Jieni said, Who are you?

  I’m Zhongyou (Zilu).

  Are you a follower of this Kong Qiu of Lu?

  I am, Zilu replied.

  Turmoil, turmoil, said Jieni—the whole world’s that way, and who’s going to change it? Rather than following someone who shuns this person or that, wouldn’t it be better to follow one who shuns the world itself? Then he went back to breaking up the clods, never stopping.

  Zilu returned and reported this to Confucius, who sighed and said, One cannot simply live with the birds and beasts. If I am not to join with my fellow men, who am I to join with? If the Way prevailed in the world, I would not try to change things.

  7 Zilu was accompanying the Master but had fallen behind when he came upon an old man carrying a pole with a basket dangling from it. Zilu said, Have you seen my Master?

  The old man said, Don’t know how to move your four limbs, can’t tell the five grains apart?6—who is your “Master”? Then he stuck the pole in the ground and went to weeding. Zilu folded his hands in a gesture of respect and stood waiting.

  The old man put Zilu up for the night, killed a chicken and cooked millet for a meal, and introduced him to his two sons.

  The following day, Zilu caught up with Confucius and reported what had happened. The Master said, He’s a recluse! and sent Zilu to look for the man again, but when he got to the place, the man was gone.

  Zilu said,7 If you fail to serve the ruler, you lack rightness. You understand that the etiquette between elder and younger cannot be set aside. How, then, can the right relations between ruler and subject be set aside? You want to keep yourselves unsullied, but you bring confusion to a much greater relationship. The gentleman, in serving the ruler, is carrying out his rightful duty. That the Way does not prevail today—we know that already!

  8 Those who withdrew from the world: Bo Yi, Shu Qi, Yu Zhong, Yi Yi, Zhu Zhang, Liuxia Hui, Shao Lian.

  The Master said, They never lowered their aims, never let themselves be disgraced—that would be Bo Yi and Shu Qi, would it not?

  He said, Liuxia Hui and Shao Lian lowered their aims and suffered disgrace. But they spoke in accordance with reason, acted in accordance with careful thought—that much can be said of them.

  And he said, Yu Zhong and Yi Yi lived in seclusion, gave up speaking, kept themselves free of stain, and in their withdrawal accorded with expediency. I myself differ from these men. I have no hard and fast dos and don’ts.

  9 The Grand Music Master Zhi went to Qi; Gan, musician of the second meal, went to Chu; Liao, musician of the third meal, went to Cai; Que, musician of the fourth meal, went to Qin. The drummer Fang Shu went to the Yellow River region. The hand-drum player Wu went to the Han River region. The Lesser Music Master Yang and Xiang, who played the chiming stones, went to the coast.8

  10 The duke of Zhou said to the duke of Lu, The gentleman does not neglect his relatives and does not cause his high officials to be resentful because he does not heed them. He does not dismiss old associates without good reason, and he does not demand perfection from one person.

  11 The Zhou had eight men of station: elder brother Da and elder brother Kuo; middle brother Tu and middle brother Hu; younger brother Ye and younger brother Xia; youngest brother Sui and youngest brother Kuo.9

  1 Weizi reprimanded his half-brother Zhou for his evil ways but, his advice unheeded, left the state. When his reprimands were ignored, Jizi, an uncle of Zhou, feigned madness and became a slave. Bi Gan, another uncle of Zhou, was put to death for his remonstrances.

  2 On Liuxia Hui, see 15:14.

  3 On Duke Jing, see 12:11 and 16:12.

  4 The musicians were intended to distract Ji Huanzi from affairs of state and weaken the power of the state of Lu.

  5 Long Marsh and Bravely Drowned, fanciful names suggestive of the fictional characters described in the Zhuangzi.

  6 The five grains are rice, millet, panicled millet, wheat, and pulse.

  7 It is unclear whether Zilu speaks these words to the two sons of the old man or to Confucius. I have translated as though the former were the case. If the latter, the word “you” would have to be changed to “they.”

  8 This describes a dispersal of court musicians in a
time of political decline. One theory is that it pertains to the troubled last days of the Yin dynasty; another that it refers to the state of Lu in Confucius’s time.

  9 That is, four sets of twins, all holding public office, said to be an auspicious sign of the flourishing years of the Zhou dynasty.

  Book Nineteen

  1 Zizhang said, When a man of station spies danger, he is prepared to give his life.1 When he spies gain, he thinks of what is right. At a sacrifice, he thinks of respectfulness; at a funeral, he thinks of grief. If he does this much, he will get by.

  2 Zizhang said, He adheres to virtue but not expansively; he trusts in the Way but not with conviction—how can you tell if he’s really there or not?

  3 A disciple of Zixia asked Zizhang about personal relations. Zizhang said, What does Zixia say? The disciple replied, Zixia says, Associate with those who are fit to be associated with; reject those who are not.

  Zizhang said, That’s different from what I’ve heard. The gentleman honors worthy persons and tolerates the multitude. He applauds good men and sympathizes with those who lack ability. Am I myself a person of great worth? If so, why shouldn’t I tolerate others? Am I a person who lacks worth? If so, others will reject me. What need is there for me to reject others?

  4 Zixia said, Although it may be a lesser Way, it must have things worth noting. But if pursued too far, there’s a danger of becoming mired in it—therefore, the gentleman does not do so.

  5 Zixia said, Day by day understanding what is beyond you, month by month never forgetting what you can do—you may be called a lover of learning.

  6 Zixia said, Broad in learning, dedicated in will, acute in questioning, reflecting on things close at hand—look for humaneness there.

  7 Zixia said, The hundred craftsmen stay in their workshops in order to accomplish their tasks. The gentleman studies in order to perfect his Way.

  8 Zixia said, When the petty man makes a mistake, he invariably tries to gloss it over.2