Chapter 4
Chapter 1
The Master said, “What makes a neighborhood excellent is the virtue of its people. If someone choosing a place to live does not settle where virtue prevails, how can he be called wise?”
Chapter 2
The Master said, “People without virtue cannot endure for long in either hardship or comfort. The virtuous find peace in virtue; the wise pursue virtue.”
Chapter 3
The Master said, “Only the truly virtuous person is able to love others rightly or to hate others rightly.”
Chapter 4
The Master said, “If the will is fixed on virtue, there will be no doing of evil.”
Chapter 5
- The Master said, “Wealth and honor are what people want. But if they cannot be gotten in the right way, they should not be held. Poverty and obscurity are what people dislike. But if they cannot be escaped in the right way, they should not be escaped. 2. If a superior man abandons virtue, how can he live up to that name? 3. The superior man does not depart from virtue for even the length of a single meal. In moments of haste, he holds fast to it. In times of danger, he holds fast to it.”
Chapter 6
- The Master said, “I have never seen anyone who truly loved virtue, or who truly hated what is not virtuous. One who loved virtue would value nothing above it. One who hated what is not virtuous would practice virtue in such a way that nothing unvirtuous could come near him. 2. Is anyone able, even for a single day, to devote his strength to virtue? I have not seen a case where someone’s strength was inadequate. 3. Perhaps such cases exist, but I have not seen them.”
Chapter 7
The Master said, “People’s faults reflect the group they belong to. By observing a person’s faults, you can tell whether he is virtuous.”
Chapter 8
The Master said, “If a person hears the right way in the morning, he may die that evening without regret.”
Chapter 9
The Master said, “A scholar whose mind is set on truth, but who is ashamed of poor clothes and poor food, is not worth talking with.”
Chapter 10
The Master said, “The superior man, in dealing with the world, is neither set for nor against anything. He simply follows what is right.”
Chapter 11
The Master said, “The superior man thinks about virtue; the petty man thinks about comfort. The superior man thinks about the rules of law; the petty man thinks about favors he might receive.”
Chapter 12
The Master said, “Someone who acts with constant regard for his own advantage will provoke much resentment.”
Chapter 13
The Master said, “If a ruler can govern his kingdom with the deference appropriate to the rules of propriety, what difficulty will he face? If he cannot govern with that deference, what use are the rules of propriety to him?”
Chapter 14
The Master said, “A person should say: I am not concerned that I hold no position; I am concerned about being fit for one. I am not concerned that I am unknown; I seek to be worthy of being known.”
Chapter 15
- The Master said, “Shan, my teaching has a single thread running through it.” The disciple Tsang answered, “Yes.” 2. After the Master left, the other disciples asked, “What did he mean?” Tsang said, “Our Master’s teaching is simply this: being true to the principles of our nature, and extending them with kindness to others—nothing more.”
Chapter 16
The Master said, “The superior man’s mind is engaged with what is right; the petty man’s mind is engaged with what is profitable.”
Chapter 17
The Master said, “When we see people of worth, we should think about how to match them. When we see people of the opposite kind, we should look inward and examine ourselves.”
Chapter 18
The Master said, “In serving his parents, a son may offer correction, but gently. If he sees they are not inclined to take his advice, he should show even greater respect without giving up his intention; and if they punish him, he should not complain.”
Chapter 19
The Master said, “While his parents are living, a son should not travel far away. If he does travel, he must have a definite destination.”
Chapter 20
The Master said, “If for three years a son does not depart from his father’s ways, he may be called filial.”
Chapter 21
The Master said, “A child must always keep his parents’ age in mind—as a cause for joy on the one hand, and for concern on the other.”
Chapter 22
The Master said, “The ancients were reluctant to speak because they feared their actions might not measure up to their words.”
Chapter 23
The Master said, “Those who are careful seldom go wrong.”
Chapter 24
The Master said, “The superior man wishes to be slow in his words and diligent in his deeds.”
Chapter 25
The Master said, “Virtue is never left alone. Whoever practices it will have neighbors.”
Chapter 26
Tsze-yu said, “In serving a ruler, repeated remonstrance leads to disgrace. Among friends, repeated reproof makes the friendship grow distant.”
