Chapter 8

Chapter 1

The Master said, “T’ai-po can be said to have reached the highest level of virtuous conduct. Three times he turned down the kingdom, and because the people did not know his reasons, they had no way to praise him for it.”

Chapter 2

1. The Master said, “Respectfulness without the rules of propriety turns into wearisome fuss; carefulness without them turns into timidity; boldness without them turns into rebellion; and frankness without them turns into rudeness.”
2. “When those in high positions fulfill their duties well toward their relatives, the people are stirred to virtue. When they do not neglect old friends, the people are kept from being petty.”

Chapter 3

When the philosopher Tsang was ill, he called the disciples of his school to him and said, “Uncover my feet, uncover my hands. The Book of Poetry says, ‘We should be anxious and careful, as if on the edge of a deep chasm, as if walking on thin ice.’ That is how I have lived. From now on, my young followers, I know I have escaped any harm to my body.”

Chapter 4

1. When the philosopher Tsang was ill, Meng Chang came to ask how he was doing.
2. Tsang said to him, “When a bird is about to die, its song is sad; when a man is about to die, his words are good.”
3. “There are three principles of conduct that a person of high rank should regard as especially important: in bearing and manner, to avoid violence and carelessness; in regulating his expression, to stay close to sincerity; and in his words and tone, to stay far from coarseness and impropriety. As for matters like managing the sacrificial vessels, there are proper officials to handle those.”

Chapter 5

The philosopher Tsang said, “Talented yet asking questions of those without talent; possessing much yet asking questions of those who possess little; having something yet acting as though he had nothing; full yet considering himself empty; offended against yet not arguing back—I once had a friend who lived this way.”

Chapter 6

The philosopher Tsang said, “Suppose there is someone who can be trusted with the care of a young orphan prince, who can be put in charge of a state of a hundred li, and whom no crisis, however severe, can drive away from his principles—is such a man a superior man? He is indeed a superior man.”

Chapter 7

1. The philosopher Tsang said, “An officer must have breadth of mind and strong endurance. His burden is heavy and his journey is long.”
2. “Perfect virtue is the burden he takes upon himself—is that not heavy? Only with death does his journey end—is that not long?”

Chapter 8

1. The Master said, “The mind is aroused by the Odes.”
2. “Character is established by the Rules of Propriety.”
3. “The finishing touch comes from Music.”

Chapter 9

The Master said, “The people can be made to follow a course of action, but they cannot be made to understand it.”

Chapter 10

The Master said, “A man who loves daring and is dissatisfied with poverty will turn to rebellion. So will a man who lacks virtue, if you push your dislike of him to extremes.”

Chapter 11

The Master said, “Even if a man has abilities as admirable as those of the Duke of Chau, if he is proud and stingy, the rest is really not worth looking at.”

Chapter 12

The Master said, “It is not easy to find a man who has studied for three years without his mind turning toward an official salary.”

Chapter 13

1. The Master said, “He combines sincere faith with a love of learning; he holds firm even unto death, perfecting the excellence of his way.”
2. “Such a person will not enter a tottering state, nor live in a disordered one. When right principles prevail in the kingdom, he comes forward; when they are overthrown, he keeps out of sight.”
3. “When a country is well governed, poverty and lowly status are things to be ashamed of. When a country is badly governed, wealth and honor are things to be ashamed of.”

Chapter 14

The Master said, “A person who does not hold a particular office has no business making plans about its duties.”

Chapter 15

The Master said, “When the music master Chih first took up his post, the closing section of the Kwan Tsu was magnificent—how it filled the ears!”

Chapter 16

The Master said, “Eager but not upright; ignorant but not attentive; simple-minded but not sincere—I do not understand such people.”

Chapter 17

The Master said, “Study as if you could never catch up to your goal, and as if you were always afraid of losing what you have gained.”

Chapter 18

The Master said, “How majestic was the way Shun and Yu held the empire, as if it meant nothing to them!”

Chapter 19

1. The Master said, “How great Yao was as a ruler! How majestic! Only Heaven is truly grand, and only Yao matched it. How vast his virtue was! The people could find no name for it.”
2. “How majestic the achievements he accomplished! How glorious the refined institutions he set up!”

Chapter 20

1. Shun had five ministers, and the empire was well governed.
2. King Wu said, “I have ten capable ministers.”
3. Confucius said, “Is it not true that talent is hard to find? Only at the meeting point of the T’ang and Yu dynasties was talent more plentiful than in this Chau era—and even then, one among them was a woman. So the capable ministers were really only nine men.”
4. “King Wan held two-thirds of the empire, and with that he still served the Yin dynasty. The virtue of the house of Chau can truly be said to have reached the highest point.”

Chapter 21

The Master said, “I can find no fault in the character of Yu. He ate and drank coarsely himself, but showed the utmost devotion to the spirits in his offerings. His everyday clothes were plain, but his sacrificial cap and apron were as elegant as could be. He lived in a low, humble house, but poured all his strength into the ditches and waterways. In Yu I can find nothing resembling a fault.”