Chapter 11

Chapter 1

1. The Master said, “People say that earlier generations were unrefined in their handling of ceremonies and music, while people of more recent times are polished gentlemen in these matters. 2. But if I had to choose, I would follow the earlier generations.”

Chapter 2

1. The Master said, “Of those who were with me during the troubles in Ch’an and Ts’ai, none are still at my door now.” 2. Outstanding for their virtuous character and conduct were Yen Yuan, Min Tsze-ch’ien, Zan Po-niu, and Chung-kung; for skill in speech, Tsai Wo and Tsze-kung; for talent in administration, Zan Yu and Chi Lu; and for scholarship, Tsze-yu and Tsze-hsia.

Chapter 3

The Master said, “Hui is no help to me. There is nothing I say that he doesn’t delight in.”

Chapter 4

The Master said, “What a model of filial piety Min Tsze-ch’ien is! No one ever contradicts what his parents and brothers say about him.”

Chapter 5

Nan Yung often recited the lines about the white scepter stone. Confucius gave him his elder brother’s daughter in marriage.

Chapter 6

Chi K’ang asked which of the disciples loved learning. Confucius replied, “There was Yen Hui—he loved learning. Sadly, his time was short, and he died. Now there is no one who loves learning the way he did.”

Chapter 7

1. When Yen Yuan died, his father Yen Lu asked the Master to sell his carriage so an outer shell could be added to the coffin. 2. The Master said, “A son is a son to his father, whether talented or not. When my own son Li died, he had a coffin but no outer shell. I did not go on foot to provide one, because, having held rank just behind the great officers, it was not fitting for me to walk.”

Chapter 8

When Yen Yuan died, the Master cried, “Alas! Heaven is destroying me! Heaven is destroying me!”

Chapter 9

1. When Yen Yuan died, the Master mourned him intensely, and the disciples with him said, “Master, isn’t your grief excessive?” 2. He replied, “Excessive?” 3. “If I am not to mourn deeply for this man, then for whom should I mourn?”

Chapter 10

1. When Yen Yuan died, the disciples wanted to give him a grand funeral. The Master said, “You should not.” 2. But they gave him a grand funeral anyway. 3. The Master said, “Hui treated me as a father. I have not been able to treat him as a son. The fault is not mine—it lies with you, my disciples.”

Chapter 11

Chi Lu asked about serving the spirits of the dead. The Master said, “You are not yet able to serve the living—how can you serve the spirits?” Chi Lu went on, “May I ask about death?” The Master replied, “You do not yet understand life—how can you understand death?”

Chapter 12

1. The disciple Min stood beside the Master looking calm and proper; Tsze-lu looked bold and soldierly; Zan Yu and Tsze-kung had an easy, candid manner. The Master was pleased. 2. He said, “As for Yu—he will not die a natural death.”

Chapter 13

1. Some people in Lu were planning to tear down and rebuild the Long Treasury. 2. Min Tsze-ch’ien said, “What if it were simply repaired in its original style? Why must it be torn down and built anew?” 3. The Master said, “This man rarely speaks; but when he does, he hits the mark.”

Chapter 14

1. The Master said, “What is Yu’s lute doing at my door?” 2. The other disciples then began to lose respect for Tsze-lu. The Master said, “Yu has climbed up to the hall, though he has not yet entered the inner rooms.”

Chapter 15

1. Tsze-kung asked which of the two, Shih or Shang, was better. The Master said, “Shih goes too far, and Shang falls short.” 2. Tsze-kung said, “Then Shih is the better, I suppose?” 3. The Master said, “Going too far is just as wrong as falling short.”

Chapter 16

1. The head of the Chi family was wealthier than the Duke of Chau had been, and yet Ch’iu collected taxes for him and added to his wealth. 2. The Master said, “He is no disciple of mine. My students, beat the drum and denounce him.”

Chapter 17

1. Ch’ai is simple. 2. Shan is slow-witted. 3. Shih is showy. 4. Yu is rough.

Chapter 18

1. The Master said, “There is Hui! He is nearly perfect in virtue. He is often in poverty. 2. Ts’ze does not accept what Heaven has decreed, and goes about increasing his wealth—yet his judgments are often on target.”

Chapter 19

Tsze-chang asked what marks out the truly good man. The Master said, “He does not simply follow in others’ footsteps, but neither does he enter the inner chamber of the sage.”

Chapter 20

The Master said, “If we judge a man to be good just because his talk seems solid and sincere, is he really a superior man? Or is his seriousness only on the surface?”

Chapter 21

Tsze-lu asked whether he should put into practice right away what he had heard. The Master said, “Your father and elder brothers are still there to consult—why should you immediately act on what you hear?” Zan Yu asked the same question, and the Master answered, “Yes, put it into practice at once.” Kung-hsi Hwa said, “Yu asked whether he should act at once on what he heard, and you told him to consult his father and elder brothers. Ch’iu asked the same question, and you told him to act at once. I am puzzled, and would like an explanation.” The Master said, “Ch’iu is retiring and hesitant, so I urged him forward. Yu has more than enough energy, so I held him back.”

Chapter 22

When the Master was in danger in K’wang, Yen Yuan fell behind. When he caught up, the Master said, “I thought you had died.” Hui replied, “While you are still alive, how would I dare to die?”

Chapter 23

1. Chi Tsze-zan asked whether Chung Yu and Zan Ch’iu could be called great ministers. 2. The Master said, “I thought you were going to ask about some remarkable people, but you only ask about Yu and Ch’iu! 3. A great minister is one who serves his ruler according to what is right, and resigns when he finds he cannot. 4. As for Yu and Ch’iu, they can be called ordinary ministers.” 5. Tsze-zan said, “Then they will simply follow their chief in anything?” 6. The Master said, “In killing a father or a ruler, they would not follow him.”

Chapter 24

1. Tsze-lu had Tsze-kao appointed governor of Pi. 2. The Master said, “You are harming another man’s son.” 3. Tsze-lu said, “There are people there, and officials; there are altars to the spirits of the land and grain. Why must someone read books before he can be said to have learned?” 4. The Master said, “This is exactly why I hate people with glib tongues.”

Chapter 25

1. Tsze-lu, Tsang Hsi, Zan Yu, and Kung-hsi Hwa were sitting with the Master. 2. He said to them, “Although I am a little older than you, set that aside for the moment. 3. You often say, ‘No one recognizes us.’ If some ruler did recognize you, what would you want to do?” 4. Tsze-lu quickly answered, “Suppose a state of ten thousand chariots, hemmed in by larger states, suffering from invading armies, and on top of that, a famine of grain and vegetables. If I were entrusted with its government, in three years I could make the people brave and teach them to follow right conduct.” The Master smiled at him. 5. Turning to Zan Yu, he said, “Ch’iu, what about you?” Ch’iu replied, “Suppose a territory of sixty or seventy li square, or fifty or sixty, and let me govern it. In three years I could make the people prosperous. As for teaching them the principles of ritual and music, I would have to wait for a superior man to do that.” 6. “What about you, Ch’ih?” the Master asked Kung-hsi Hwa. Ch’ih replied, “I won’t claim I’m capable of these things, but I would like to learn. At services in the ancestral temple, or at audiences between princes and the sovereign, I would like to wear the dark ceremonial robe and the black linen cap and serve as a junior assistant.” 7. Finally, the Master asked Tsang Hsi, “Tien, what about you?” Tien, who had been playing his lute, let the last note fade, set the instrument aside, and stood up. “My wishes,” he said, “are different from those of these three.” “What’s the harm in that?” said the Master. “Each is just speaking his own mind.” Tien then said, “In late spring, when the spring clothes are ready, with five or six young men who have come of age and six or seven boys, I would bathe in the I River, enjoy the breeze at the rain altars, and return home singing.” The Master sighed and said, “I’m with Tien.” 8. After the other three had left, Tsang Hsi stayed behind and asked, “What did you think of what the three of them said?” The Master replied, “Each simply spoke his own wishes.” 9. Hsi continued, “Master, why did you smile at Yu?” 10. The Master answered, “Governing a state requires the rules of propriety. His words were not humble, so I smiled.” 11. Hsi said, “But wasn’t Ch’iu also describing a state?” The reply was, “Yes—have you ever seen a territory of sixty or seventy li, or fifty or sixty, that wasn’t a state?” 12. Hsi asked again, “And wasn’t Ch’ih also describing a state?” The Master replied, “Yes—who else has anything to do with ancestral temples and audiences with the sovereign besides princes? If Ch’ih were only a junior assistant in those services, who could be a senior one?”