Chapter 5
Chapter 1
- The Master said of Kung-ye Ch’ang that he was a suitable man to marry: although he had been imprisoned, he had committed no crime. And so Confucius gave him his own daughter in marriage. 2. Of Nan Yung he said that if the country were well governed, he would not be without a post, and if it were poorly governed, he would avoid punishment and disgrace. He gave him his elder brother’s daughter in marriage.
Chapter 2
The Master said of Tsze-chien, “What a man of superior virtue! If there were no virtuous men in Lu, how could he have developed such a character?”
Chapter 3
Tsze-kung asked, “What do you make of me, Ts’ze?” The Master said, “You are a vessel.” “What kind of vessel?” “A jeweled vessel used in sacrifice.”
Chapter 4
- Someone said, “Yung is truly virtuous, but he is not quick with his tongue.” 2. The Master said, “What is the use of being quick with the tongue? People who confront others with clever speech generally bring hatred upon themselves. I do not know whether he is truly virtuous, but why should he need to be quick with his tongue?”
Chapter 5
The Master wanted Ch’i-tiao K’ai to take up an official post. He replied, “I am not yet confident enough in myself for that.” The Master was pleased.
Chapter 6
The Master said, “My teachings are getting nowhere. I’ll climb on a raft and drift out to sea. The one who would come with me, I imagine, is Yu.” When Tsze-lu heard this, he was delighted. The Master then said, “Yu is fonder of daring than I am, but he does not weigh matters with judgment.”
Chapter 7
- Mang Wu asked whether Tsze-lu was perfectly virtuous. The Master said, “I do not know.” 2. He asked again, and the Master replied, “In a state of a thousand chariots, Yu could be put in charge of the military levies, but I do not know whether he is perfectly virtuous.” 3. “And what about Ch’iu?” The Master replied, “In a city of a thousand families, or a clan with a hundred chariots, Ch’iu could serve as governor, but I do not know whether he is perfectly virtuous.” 4. “And what about Ch’ih?” The Master replied, “With his sash on and standing in court, Ch’ih could be put in charge of conversing with visitors and guests, but I do not know whether he is perfectly virtuous.”
Chapter 8
- The Master said to Tsze-kung, “Which do you think is superior, you or Hui?” 2. Tsze-kung replied, “How could I dare compare myself with Hui? Hui hears one point and grasps the whole subject; I hear one point and grasp a second.” 3. The Master said, “You are not his equal. I grant you, you are not his equal.”
Chapter 9
- When Tsai Yu was sleeping during the daytime, the Master said, “Rotten wood cannot be carved; a wall of dirty earth cannot be smoothed with a trowel. This Yu—what is the use of my reproving him?” 2. The Master said, “At first, my approach with people was to hear their words and trust that their conduct matched. Now, my approach is to hear their words and then watch their conduct. It is from Yu that I have learned to make this change.”
Chapter 10
The Master said, “I have not seen a firm and unbending man.” Someone replied, “There is Shan Ch’ang.” “Ch’ang,” said the Master, “is ruled by his desires—how can he be called firm and unbending?”
Chapter 11
Tsze-kung said, “What I do not wish others to do to me, I also wish not to do to others.” The Master said, “Ts’ze, you have not yet reached that level.”
Chapter 12
Tsze-kung said, “The Master’s outward display of his principles and his ordinary teachings about them can be heard. But his discussions of human nature and the way of Heaven cannot be heard.”
Chapter 13
When Tsze-lu heard something, if he had not yet managed to put it into practice, his only fear was that he might hear something more.
Chapter 14
Tsze-kung asked, “Why was Kung-wan given the title ‘Wan’?” The Master said, “He was energetic by nature yet fond of learning, and he was not ashamed to ask and learn from those below him. For these reasons, he was styled ‘Wan.’”
Chapter 15
The Master said of Tsze-ch’an that he had four qualities of a superior man: in his own conduct, he was humble; in serving his superiors, he was respectful; in caring for the people, he was kind; in giving them orders, he was just.
Chapter 16
The Master said, “Yen P’ing knew how to keep up friendships well. The acquaintance might last a long time, but he showed the same respect as on the first day.”
Chapter 17
The Master said, “Tsang Wan kept a large tortoise in a house, with hills carved on the capitals of the pillars and pictures of duckweed on the small posts above the beams that support the rafters. What sort of wisdom was that?”
Chapter 18
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Tsze-chang asked, “The minister Tsze-wan took office three times and showed no joy in his face. Three times he stepped down, and showed no displeasure. He made it a point to inform the new minister of how he had run the government. What do you say of him?” The Master replied, “He was loyal.” “Was he perfectly virtuous?” “I do not know. How can he be called perfectly virtuous?”
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Tsze-chang went on, “When the officer Ch’ui killed the prince of Ch’i, Ch’an Wan, though he owned forty horses, abandoned them and left the country. Arriving in another state, he said, ‘They are just like our great officer Ch’ui here,’ and left it. He came to a second state, made the same remark, and left it as well. What do you say of him?” The Master replied, “He was pure.” “Was he perfectly virtuous?” “I do not know. How can he be called perfectly virtuous?”
Chapter 19
Chi Wan thought three times before acting. When the Master was told of this, he said, “Twice is enough.”
Chapter 20
The Master said, “When his country was well governed, Ning Wu played the wise man. When his country was in disorder, he played the fool. Others may match his wisdom, but they cannot match his foolishness.”
Chapter 21
When the Master was in Ch’an, he said, “Let me go home! Let me go home! The young followers in my school are ambitious and impetuous. They have made progress and are accomplished, but they do not know how to restrain and shape themselves.”
Chapter 22
The Master said, “Po-i and Shu-ch’i did not hold on to the past wrongs of others, and so there was little resentment directed against them.”
Chapter 23
The Master said, “Who calls Wei-shang Kao upright? Someone asked him for some vinegar, and he asked for it from a neighbor and gave it to the man.”
Chapter 24
The Master said, “Smooth words, an ingratiating manner, and excessive deference—Tso Ch’iu-ming was ashamed of these, and so am I. To hide resentment against someone while pretending to be their friend—Tso Ch’iu-ming was ashamed of such behavior, and so am I.”
Chapter 25
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Yen Yuan and Chi Lu were standing beside him, and the Master said to them, “Come, let each of you tell me what you wish for.” 2. Tsze-lu said, “I would like, having chariots and horses and light fur coats, to share them with my friends, and even if they ruined them, I would not be upset.” 3. Yen Yuan said, “I would like not to boast of my qualities, or make a display of my good deeds.”
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Tsze-lu then said, “Sir, we would like to hear your wishes.” The Master said, “They are: to give rest to the aged, to be sincere with friends, and to treat the young with tenderness.”
Chapter 26
The Master said, “It is all over! I have not yet seen anyone who can recognize his own faults and reproach himself inwardly.”
Chapter 27
The Master said, “In a hamlet of ten families, there may be one as honorable and sincere as I am, but not one as fond of learning.”
