The Analects of Confucius

by Burton Watson

  9 Zixia said, The gentleman has three changes of appearance. Seen from a distance, he is austere. Approach more closely, and he is mild. Listen to his words, and he is sharp-spoken.

  10 Zixia said, The gentleman must be trusted before he can demand labor from the common people. If he is not trusted, they will think he is being harsh with them. He must be trusted before he can remonstrate [with his superiors]. If he is not trusted, they will think he is speaking ill of them.

  11 Zixia said, If in regard to the major virtues you do not overstep the line, in regard to the minor virtues you may be permitted a little coming and going.

  12 Ziyou said, The young men who are followers of Zixia are competent at sprinkling and sweeping, receiving and responding to guests, advancing and retiring. But these are minor affairs. Question them on fundamentals, and they have no answer. How can that be?

  When Zixia heard this, he said, Ah—Ziyou is mistaken. In the Way of the gentleman, what is to be taught first, what can be put aside until later? It’s like the case of plants or trees, which require different types of handling. But the Way of the gentleman—how can it be handled incorrectly? And who understands it from beginning to end?—only the sage can do that!

  13 Zixia said, Hold public office, and if you have time left over, study. Study, and if you have time left over, hold public office.

  14 Ziyou said, In mourning, if grief is fully expressed, stop there.

  15 Ziyou said, My friend Zizhang can do difficult things, but he has not yet mastered humaneness.

  16 Master Zeng said, Zizhang is imposing indeed, but side by side with one like that it’s hard to achieve humaneness.

  17 Master Zeng said, I have heard our Master say, People never fully express what is in them. If one had to cite an exception, it would be when they are mourning a parent.

  18 Master Zeng said, I have heard our Master say, The filial piety displayed by Meng Zhuang Zi can be matched in other respects. But the way he refrained from dismissing the officials appointed by his father or departing from his father’s ways of governing—that would be hard to match.

  19 The Meng family appointed Yang Fu to the post of chief judge, and he questioned Master Zeng about the office.

  Master Zeng said, Those in high places have lost the Way, and the common people have long been without guidance. When you uncover the facts of a case, be sorrowful and compassionate, never pleased with yourself.

  20 Zigong said, Zhou was not really as evil as they say. That is why the gentleman hates to be held in low esteem—all the evil in the world ends up on him.

  21 Zigong said, The gentleman’s errors are like eclipses of the sun or moon. His errors can be seen by all, and when he corrects them, all look up in admiration.

  22 Gongsun Chao of Wei questioned Zigong, saying, Where did Zhongni (Confucius) study?

  Zigong said, The Way of Wen and Wu has not yet disappeared completely. Among the populace, worthy men remember the essentials, and those of little worth remember the minor points. There are none who do not possess the Way of Wen and Wu, so how could our Master fail to study it? But how can you say he studied with any particular teacher?

  23 Shusun Wushu, speaking to the high officials at court, said, Zigong is a worthier man than Zhongni. Zifu Jingbo reported this to Zigong.

  Zigong said, To use the simile of the wall surrounding a building, my wall is only shoulder-high, so you can get a good view of the living quarters inside. But Confucius’s wall is many feet high. Unless you enter by the gate, you can never see the beauty of the ancestral altar or the wealth of rooms for the hundred officials. And those who manage to enter that gate are likely to be few. So it’s not surprising that that gentleman said what he did.

  24 When Shusun Wushu spoke disparagingly of Zhongni, Zigong said, There’s no point in that. You can’t speak disparagingly of Zhongni. The worth of other persons is like a hill or knoll—you can still walk over it. But Zhongni is like the sun or the moon—no one can walk over them. Someone may decide to break off relations with the sun and moon, but what difference does that make to them? It only shows how little he understands his own capacity.

  25 Chen Ziqin said to Zigong, You are being too modest. How could Zhongni be a worthier man than you?

  Zigong said, The gentleman speaks one word and shows that he is wise, speaks one word and shows that he is unwise. Therefore, he must be careful how he speaks. Our Master can no more be equaled than one can mount a stairway to the sky. If our Master were to preside over a state or a powerful family, then, as the saying has it, If he raised them, they would stand; if he led, they would go forward; if he chose peace, they would flock around; if he moved, they would move in harmony. In life he is glorious; in death, deeply mourned. How, then, could he be equaled?

  1 Presumably, danger to the state.

  2 See 1:8.

  Book Twenty

  1 Yao said, Ah, you, Shun—the destiny decreed by Heaven rests with you. Hold sincerely to the center. If those within the four seas suffer hardship and want, Heaven’s bounty will end forever.

  And Shun voiced the same command [when he ceded the throne] to Yu.

  [Tang] said, I, the little one, Lu, venture to sacrifice this black ox, I venture to report clearly to the most august Lord above. The guilty one I have not ventured to pardon, but I do nothing to hinder the Lord’s officials. May they be chosen in accordance with the Lord’s will. If there is blame on my part, let the ten thousand regions not suffer. If the ten thousand regions have any blame, let that blame rest on me.

  Zhou has received great gifts; good persons are enriched. Although Zhou has kinsmen, they cannot equal persons of humaneness. If the people have any fault, may the blame be upon me alone.1

  2 Carefully adjust the weights and measures; clarify the laws and regulations; restore offices that have been discontinued—then the governing of the four directions will proceed. Reestablish states that have been wiped out; appoint heirs to successions that have come to an end; promote men who have gone into hiding—then the people of the empire will give their hearts to you. What is to be held in esteem: the people, food, mourning, and sacrifice.2

  3 Be tolerant, and you win over the multitude. Be trustworthy, and the people will trust you. Be diligent, and your work will go well. Be fair, and the people will rejoice.

  4 Zizhang questioned Confucius about government, saying, How should one proceed in order to govern effectively?

  The Master said, Honor the five desirables, avoid the four evils—then you can govern effectively.

  Zizhang said, What are the five desirables?

  The Master said, The gentleman is bountiful but not extravagant, exacts labor but rouses no resentment, has desires but is not covetous, is self-possessed but not arrogant, dignified but not oppressively so.

  Zizhang said, What do you mean by bountiful but not extravagant?

  The Master said, In bestowing benefit, go by what benefits the people—is this not what is meant by bountiful but not extravagant? Select those appropriate for the task and exact labor from them—then who can feel resentment? Desire humaneness, and you will achieve humaneness—how can you be called covetous? The gentleman does not discriminate between the many and the few, the little and the big, and would never be overbearing—is this not what is meant by self-possessed but not arrogant? The gentleman straightens his clothing and cap and is careful how he looks at others, so that just viewing him from a distance, people are impressed—is this not what is meant by dignified but not oppressively so?

  Zizhang said, What are the four evils?

  The Master said, To execute people without first instructing them—this is called tyranny. To demand to see results without first giving warning—this is called unreasonableness. To be lax in issuing orders and then suddenly call for results—this is called brigandage. When something has to be allotted anyway, to be stingy in allotting it—this is called the habit of government clerks.

  5 Confucius said, If you do not understand the will of H
eaven, you will have no way to become a gentleman. If you do not understand ritual, you will have nowhere to take your stand. If you do not understand words, you will have no way to know people.

  1 The statements in this passage are couched in the archaic style typical of the Book of Documents, though no exact parallels are found in the present text of that work. The first purports to be the words of the sage ruler Yao when he ceded the throne to Shun and repeated by Shun when he ceded it to Yu, the founder of the Xia dynasty. This is followed by a speech by Tang, who overthrew the evil last ruler of the Xia and founded the Yin dynasty. The third section presumably represents the words of King Wu, who overthrew the evil last ruler of the Yin and founded the Zhou dynasty.

  2 This and the following passage are often taken to be a continuation of the preceding passage and interpreted as describing the actions of the founders of the Zhou dynasty.

  Glossary of Persons and Places

  AO Legendary, rowdy strong man of antiquity who met a violent end [14:6].

  BI Town in the state of Lu controlled by the Ji family [6:9, 11:25, 16:1, 17:5].

  BI GAN Uncle of Zhou, last ruler of the Yin dynasty, who was killed by Zhou because of his remonstrances [18:1].

  BI XI Identity uncertain; started a revolution in Zhongmou in an area controlled by the state of Jin [17:7].

  BO Family of the state of Qi [14:10].

  BO YI AND SHU QI Sons of the ruler of a small state in Yin times. Their father intended the younger, Shu Qi, to succeed him, but Shu Qi deferred to Bo Yi and both brothers left the state. When King Wu overthrew the Yin dynasty, they admonished him for his violence, withdrew to Mount Shouyang, and died there of starvation [5:23, 7:14, 16:12, 18:8].

  BONIU See Ran Boniu.

  BOOK OF CHANGES (YIJING) Early text on divination, one of the Confucian Classics [7:16, 13:22].

  BOOK OF DOCUMENTS (SHUJING, OR CLASSIC OF HISTORY) Collection of historical documents pertaining to ancient times, one of the Confucian Classics [2:21, 7:17, 14:42, 20:1].

  BOOK OF ODES (SHIJING, OR CLASSIC OF POETRY) Collection of poems of ancient times, one of the Confucian Classics [1:15, 2:2, 3:2, 3:20, 7:17, 8:3, 8:8, 9:15, 9:28, 9:32, 11:6, 12:10, 13:5, 14:41, 15:11, 16:13, 17:9, 17:10, 17:18].

  BOQIN Son of the duke of Zhou and first ruler of the state of Lu [18:10].

  BOYU Personal name Li; son of Confucius [16:13, 17:10].

  CAI Small state to the southwest of Lu visited by Confucius [11:2, 18:9].

  CHAI See Zigao.

  CHANGJU Farmer recluse [18:6].

  CHE Grandson of Duke Ling of Wei [7:14].

  CHEN Ministerial family of the state of Qi; identical to Tian [14:22].

  CHEN Small state to the southwest of Lu visited by Confucius [5:22, 7:30, 11:2, 15:2].

  CHEN CHENGZI Official of the state of Qi who assassinated Duke Jian of Qi in 481 B.C.E [14:22].

  CHEN GANG See Ziqin.

  CHEN HENG See Chen Chengzi.

  CHEN WEN ZI Official of the state of Qi [5:19].

  CHEN ZIQIN Perhaps identical to Ziqin [19:25].

  CHI See Gongxi Zihua.

  CHU Large and important state in the Yangzi Valley [5:19, 13:16, 18:5, 18:9].

  CONFUCIUS (551–479 B.C.E) Latinized form of Kong fuzi, or Respected Master Kong; family name Kong, personal name Qiu, polite name Zhongni; often referred to simply as Zi, or the Master.

  CUI ZI Official of the state of Qi who assassinated Duke Zhuang of Qi in 548 B.C.E [5:19].

  DAN See Duke of Zhou.

  DAXIANG Village [9:2].

  DENG Small state to the south of Lu [14:12].

  DI Non-Chinese people who lived to the northwest of China [3:5, 13:19].

  DOCUMENTS See Book of Documents.

  DUKE AI Ruler of the state of Lu (494–468 B.C.E) when power was in the hands of the Ji family [2:19, 3:21, 6:3, 12:9, 14:22].

  DUKE DING Ruler of the state of Lu (509–495 B.C.E) [3:19, 13:15].

  DUKE HUAN OF LU Ruler of the state of Lu and ancestor of the three branches of the Ji family [16:3].

  DUKE HUAN OF QI Illustrious ruler of the state of Qi (685–643 B.C.E) [14:16–14:18].

  DUKE JIAN OF QI Ruler of the state of Qi (484–481 B.C.E) who was assassinated by Chen Chengzi [14:22].

  DUKE JING OF QI Ruler of the state of Qi (547–490 B.C.E) [12:11, 16:12, 18:3].

  DUKE LING OF WEI Ruler of the state of Wei (534–493 B.C.E) [6:28, 7:14, 14:20, 15:1].

  DUKE OF LU See Boqin.

  DUKE OF ZHOU Personal name Dan; younger brother of King Wu, founder of the Zhou dynasty, who was enfeoffed as the ruler of the state of Lu [3:15, 7:5, 8:11, 11:17, 13:7, 18:10].

  DUKE WEN OF JIN Illustrious ruler of the state of Jin (636–628 B.C.E) [14:16].

  DUKE ZHAO Ruler of the state of Lu (541–509 B.C.E) [7:30].

  FAN CHI Disciple of Confucius [2:5, 6:22, 12:21, 12:22, 13:4, 13:19].

  FAN XU See Fan Chi.

  FANG SHU Drummer [18:9].

  GAN Musician [18:9].

  GAO CHAI See Zigao.

  GAO YAO Minister to the sage ruler Shun [12:22].

  GAO ZONG Sage ruler of the Yin dynasty [14:42].

  GONGBO LIAO Identity uncertain [14:38].

  GONGMING JIA Identity unknown [14:14].

  GONGSHAN FURAO Retainer of the Ji family in the state of Lu who started a revolution in the region of Bi against the family in 502 B.C.E [17:5].

  GONGSHU WENZI Official of the state of Wei, considerably older than Confucius [5:15, 14:14, 14:19, 14:20].

  GONGSUN CHAO Official of the state of Wei [19:22].

  GONGXI HUA See Gongxi Zihua.

  GONGXI ZIHUA Personal name Chi; disciple of Confucius [5:8, 6:4, 7:33, 11:26].

  GONGYE CHANG Son-in-law of Confucius [5:1].

  GRAND MUSIC MASTER OF LU [3:23].

  GRAND MUSIC MASTER ZHI [8:15, 18:9].

  GUAN ZHONG Famous official under Duke Huan of Qi [3:22, 14:10, 14:17, 14:18].

  HAN Hand-drum player [18:9].

  HU Village whose location is uncertain [7:28].

  HUAN TUI Minister of war in the state of Song who threatened to kill Confucius [7:22].

  HUI See Yan Yuan.

  INVOCATOR TUO Noted for his eloquence [6:16, 14:20].

  JI Ancestor of the founders of the Zhou dynasty [14:6].

  JI Three ministerial families of the states of Lu and Wu descended from Duke Huan of Lu [3:1, 3:2, 3:6, 6:9, 7:30, 11:17, 12:2, 13:2, 14:22, 14:38, 16:1, 16:3, 17:1, 18:3].

  JI HUANZI Father of Ji Kangzi and head of the most important branch of the Ji family (505–492 B.C.E) [18:4].

  JI KANGZI Head of the Ji family (492–468 B.C.E) [2:20, 6:8, 10:12, 11:7, 12:17–12:19, 14:20].

  JI LI See King Wen.

  JI SUN See Ji Wen Zi.

  JI WEN ZI (D. 568 B.C.E.) Posthumous name of Ji Sun Xingfu of the Ji family of Lu [5:20, 14:38].

  JI ZICHENG Official of the state of Wei? [12:8].

  JI ZIRAN Member of the Ji family of Lu? [11:24].

  JIE YU Madman in the state of Chu [18:5].

  JIENI Farmer recluse [18:6].

  JILU See Zilu.

  JIN Powerful state in northeastern China [17:7].

  JING OF WEI Ducal son of Wei [13:8].

  JIU Ducal son of Qi who was killed on orders from his brother, Duke Huan of Qi [14:17, 14:18].

  JIZI, VISCOUNT OF JI Uncle of Zhou, last ruler of the Yin dynasty [18:1].

  JUFU Town in the state of Lu [13:17].

  KANGSHU Younger brother of the duke of Zhou who was enfeoffed as the ruler of the state of Wei [13:7].

  KING WEN Father of King Wu, founder of the Zhou dynasty [19:22].

  KING WU Founder of the Zhou dynasty. Confucius regarded him and his father, King Wen, as the creators of Zhou culture [8:20, 13:7, 19:22, 20:1].

  KONG QIU See Confucius.

  KONG WENZI See Gongshu Wenzi.

  KUAI KUI Son of Duke Ling of Wei [7:14].

  KUANG Town whose inhabitants threatened Confucius [9:5, 11:23]. />
  LAO Identity unknown [9:7].

  LESSER MUSIC MASTER YANG [18:9].

  LI See Boyu.

  LIAO Musician [18:9].

  LIN FANG Disciple of Confucius? [3:4, 3:6].

  LIUXIA HUI Official of the state of Lu before the time of Confucius who was much esteemed in the Confucian school [15:14, 18:2, 18:8].

  LORD OF SHE See Shen Juliang.

  LU See Tang.

  LU Small state in northeastern China that was the native state of Confucius [13:7].

  MAN Non-Chinese people who lived to the south of China [15:6].

  MASTER RAN See Ran You.

  MASTER YOU See You Ruo.

  MASTER ZENG Prominent disciple of Confucius [1:4, 1:9, 4:15, 8:3–8:7, 11:18, 12:24, 14:28, 19:17–19:19].

  MENG Senior branch of the Ji family of Lu [19:19].

  MENG GONGCHUO Member of the senior branch of the Ji family of Lu [14:12, 14:13].

  MENG JING ZI Son of Meng Wu Bo and official of the state of Lu [8:4].

  MENG WU BO Son of Meng Yi Zi and official of the state of Lu [2:6, 5:8].

  MENG YI ZI Official of the state of Lu [2:5].

  MENG ZHIFAN Official of the state of Lu [6:15].

  MENG ZHUANG ZI (D. 550 B.C.E.) Distinguished official of the state of Lu [19:18].

  MIN ZIQIAN Disciple of Confucius [6:9, 11:3, 11:5, 11:13, 11:14].

  MO Non-Chinese people who lived to the north of China [15:6].

  MOUNT DONGMENG Mountain in the Zhuanyu area of the state of Lu [16:1].

  MOUNT SHOUYANG Mountain whose location is unknown [16:12].

  MOUNT TAI Sacred mountain in the state of Qi [3:6].

  MUSIC MASTER MIAN [15:42].

  NAN RONG Disciple of Confucius, perhaps identical to Nangong Kuo [5:2, 11:6].

  NANGONG KUO Identity uncertain [14:6].

  NANZI Wife of Duke Ling of Wei [6:28].

  NING WU ZI Official of the state of Wei [5:21].

  ODES See Book of Odes.

  OLD PENG Identity uncertain; perhaps a long-lived sage of antiquity [7:1].

  PI CHEN Eminent official of the state of Zheng in the generation before that of Confucius [14:9].

  PIAN Village in the state of Qi [14:10].