Chapter 20

Chapter 1

1. Yao said, “Ah, Shun! Heaven’s order of succession now falls to you. Hold sincerely to the proper Mean. If there is hardship and want within the four seas, Heaven’s blessings on you will come to a permanent end.”

2. Shun used these same words when he handed authority to Yu.

3. T’ang said, “I, the child Li, venture to offer a dark-colored sacrifice, and venture to announce to you, most great and sovereign God, that I dare not pardon the guilty, and I do not keep your ministers, O God, hidden away. The judgment of them lies in your mind, O God. If I myself commit offenses, do not hold them against the people of the myriad regions. If the people in the myriad regions commit offenses, let the blame fall on me alone.”

4. Chau bestowed lavish gifts, and the good were made rich.

5. “Though he has close relatives, they cannot match my virtuous men. If the people lay blame, let it fall on me, the One man.”

6. He gave careful attention to weights and measures, reviewed the laws, restored officials who had been dismissed, and good government across the kingdom resumed its proper course.

7. He revived states that had been wiped out, restored families whose lines had been broken, and called back to office those who had withdrawn into obscurity, so that throughout the kingdom the hearts of the people turned toward him.

8. The things he treated as most important were: the people’s food, the duties of mourning, and sacrifices.

9. By his generosity, he won everyone over. By his sincerity, he gained the people’s trust. By his earnest activity, he accomplished much. By his fairness, all were pleased.

Chapter 2

1. Tsze-chang asked Confucius, “How should someone in authority act in order to govern properly?” The Master replied, “Let him honor the five excellent things and reject the four bad things; then he can govern properly.” Tsze-chang asked, “What are the five excellent things?” The Master said, “When the person in authority is generous without spending heavily; when he assigns tasks to the people without their complaining; when he pursues what he wants without being greedy; when he carries himself with dignified ease without being proud; when he is impressive without being harsh.”

2. Tsze-chang asked, “What does it mean to be generous without spending heavily?” The Master replied, “When the person in authority makes the things from which the people naturally benefit even more beneficial to them—isn’t that being generous without spending heavily? When he chooses tasks that are appropriate and sets the people to work on them, who will complain? When his desires are set on benevolent government, and he achieves it, who will accuse him of greed? Whether dealing with many people or few, with great matters or small, he never shows the slightest disrespect—isn’t that maintaining dignified ease without pride? He arranges his clothes and cap properly and gives his expression a dignity that makes people regard him with awe—isn’t that being impressive without being harsh?”

3. Tsze-chang then asked, “What are the four bad things?” The Master said, “To put the people to death without having taught them—this is called cruelty. To demand from them, all at once, a completed quota of work without having given them warning—this is called oppression. To issue commands casually at first, and then to enforce them strictly when the deadline arrives—this is called injury. And, in general, when giving pay or rewards to people, to do it in a stingy way—this is called acting like a mere clerk.”

Chapter 3

1. The Master said, “Without recognizing the decrees of Heaven, it is impossible to be a superior man.

2. “Without familiarity with the rules of Propriety, one’s character cannot be established.

3. “Without understanding the force of words, it is impossible to understand people.”