The Analects of Confucius Part 8

'And what do you say of him who is hated by all the people of his neighborhood?' The Master said, 'We may not for that conclude that he is bad. It is better than either of these cases that the good in the neighborhood love him, and the bad hate him.'

CHAP. XXV. The Master said, 'The superior man is easy to serve and difficult to please. If you try to please him in any way which is not accordant with right, he will not be pleased. But in his

employment of men, he uses them according to their capacity. The mean man is difficult to serve, and easy to please. If you try to please him, though it be in a way which is not accordant with right, he may be pleased. But in his employment of men, he wishes them to be equal to everything.'

CHAP. XXVI. The Master said, 'The superior man has a dignified ease without pride. The mean man has pride without a dignified ease.'

CHAP. XXVII. The Master said, 'The firm, the enduring, the simple, and the modest are near to virtue.'

CHAP. XXVIII. Tsze-lu asked, saying, 'What qualities must a man possess to ent.i.tle him to be called a scholar?' The Master said, 'He must be thus,-- earnest, urgent, and bland:-- among his friends, earnest and urgent; among his brethren, bland.'

CHAP. XXIX. The Master said, 'Let a good man teach the people seven years, and they may then likewise be employed in war.'

CHAP. x.x.x. The Master said, 'To lead an uninstructed people to war, is to throw them away.'

BOOK XIV. HSIEN WAN.

CHAP. I. Hsien asked what was shameful. The Master said, 'When good government prevails in a state, to be thinking only of salary; and, when bad government prevails, to be thinking, in the same way, only of salary;-- this is shameful.'

CHAP. II. 1. 'When the love of superiority, boasting, resentments, and covetousness are repressed, this may be deemed perfect virtue.'

2. The Master said, 'This may be regarded as the achievement of what is difficult. But I do not know that it is to be deemed perfect virtue.'

CHAP. III. The Master said, 'The scholar who cherishes the love of comfort is not fit to be deemed a scholar.'

CHAP. IV. The Master said, 'When good government prevails in a state, language may be lofty and bold, and actions the same.

When bad government prevails, the actions may be lofty and bold, but the language may be with some reserve.'

CHAP. V. The Master said, 'The virtuous will be sure to speak correctly, but those whose speech is good may not always be virtuous. Men of principle are sure to be bold, but those who are bold may not always be men of principle.'

CHAP. VI. Nan-kung Kwo, submitting an inquiry to Confucius, said, 'I was skillful at archery, and Ao could move a boat along upon the land, but neither of them died a natural death. Yu and Chi personally wrought at the toils of husbandry, and they became possessors of the kingdom.' The Master made no reply; but when Nan-kung Kwo went out, he said, 'A superior man indeed is this! An esteemer of virtue indeed is this!'

CHAP. VII. The Master said, 'Superior men, and yet not always virtuous, there have been, alas! But there never has been a mean man, and, at the same time, virtuous.'

CHAP. VIII. The Master said, 'Can there be love which does not lead to strictness with its object? Can there be loyalty which does not lead to the instruction of its object?'

CHAP. IX. The Master said, 'In preparing the governmental notifications, P'i Shan first made the rough draft; s.h.i.+-shu examined and discussed its contents; Tsze-yu, the manager of Foreign intercourse, then polished the style; and, finally, Tsze-ch'an of Tung-li gave it the proper elegance and finish.'

CHAP. X. 1. Some one asked about Tsze-ch'an. The Master said, 'He was a kind man.'

2. He asked about Tsze-hsi. The Master said, 'That man! That man!'

3. He asked about Kwan Chung. 'For him,' said the Master, 'the city of Pien, with three hundred families, was taken from the chief of the Po family, who did not utter a murmuring word, though, to the end of his life, he had only coa.r.s.e rice to eat.'

CHAP. XI. The Master said, 'To be poor without murmuring is difficult. To be rich without being proud is easy.'

CHAP. XII. The Master said, 'Mang Kung-ch'o is more than fit to be chief officer in the families of Chao and Wei, but he is not fit to be great officer to either of the States Tang or Hsieh.'

CHAP. XIII. 1. Tsze-lu asked what const.i.tuted a COMPLETE man. The Master said, 'Suppose a man with the knowledge of Tsang Wu-chung, the freedom from covetousness of Kung-ch'o, the bravery of Chw.a.n.g of Pien, and the varied talents of Zan Ch'iu; add to these the accomplishments of the rules of propriety and music:-- such a one might be reckoned a COMPLETE man.'

2. He then added, 'But what is the necessity for a complete man of the present day to have all these things? The man, who in the

view of gain, thinks of righteousness; who in the view of danger is prepared to give up his life; and who does not forget an old agreement however far back it extends:-- such a man may be reckoned a COMPLETE man.'

CHAP. XIV. 1. The Master asked Kung-ming Chia about Kung- shu Wan, saying, 'Is it true that your master speaks not, laughs not, and takes not?'

2. Kung-ming Chia replied, 'This has arisen from the reporters going beyond the truth.-- My master speaks when it is the time to speak, and so men do not get tired of his speaking. He laughs when there is occasion to be joyful, and so men do not get tired of his laughing. He takes when it is consistent with righteousness to do so, and so men do not get tired of his taking.' The Master said, 'So! But is it so with him?'

CHAP. XV. The Master said, 'Tsang Wu-chung, keeping possession of Fang, asked of the duke of Lu to appoint a successor to him in his family. Although it may be said that he was not using force with his sovereign, I believe he was.'

CHAP. XVI. The Master said, 'The duke Wan of Tsin was crafty and not upright. The duke Hwan of Ch'i was upright and not crafty.'

CHAP. XVII. 1. Tsze-lu said, 'The Duke Hwan caused his brother Chiu to be killed, when Shao Hu died with his master, but Kwan Chung did not die. May not I say that he was wanting in virtue?'

2. The Master said, 'The Duke Hwan a.s.sembled all the princes together, and that not with weapons of war and chariots:-- it was all through the influence of Kwan Chung. Whose beneficence was like his? Whose beneficence was like his?'

CHAP. XVIII. 1. Tsze-kung said, 'Kwan Chung, I apprehend, was wanting in virtue. When the Duke Hwan caused his brother Chiu to be killed, Kwan Chung was not able to die with him.

Moreover, he became prime minister to Hwan.'

2. The Master said, 'Kwan Chung acted as prime minister to the Duke Hwan, made him leader of all the princes, and united and rectified the whole kingdom. Down to the present day, the people enjoy the gifts which he conferred. But for Kwan Chung, we should now be wearing our hair unbound, and the lappets of our coats b.u.t.toning on the left side.

3. 'Will you require from him the small fidelity of common

men and common women, who would commit suicide in a stream or ditch, no one knowing anything about them?'

CHAP. XIX. 1. The great officer, Hsien, who had been family- minister to Kung-shu Wan, ascended to the prince's court in company with Wan.

2. The Master, having heard of it, said, 'He deserved to be considered WAN (the accomplished).'

CHAP. XX. 1. The Master was speaking about the unprincipled course of the duke Ling of Wei, when Ch'i K'ang said, 'Since he is of such a character, how is it he does not lose his State?'

2. Confucius said, 'The Chung-shu Yu has the superintendence of his guests and of strangers; the litanist, T'o, has the management

of his ancestral temple; and w.a.n.g-sun Chia has the direction of the army and forces:-- with such officers as these, how should he lose his State?'

CHAP. XXI. The Master said, 'He who speaks without modesty will find it difficult to make his words good.'

CHAP. XXII. 1. Chan Ch'ang murdered the Duke Chien of Ch'i.

2. Confucius bathed, went to court, and informed the duke Ai, saying, 'Chan Hang has slain his sovereign. I beg that you will undertake to punish him.'

3. The duke said, 'Inform the chiefs of the three families of it.'

4. Confucius retired, and said, 'Following in the rear of the great officers, I did not dare not to represent such a matter, and my prince says, "Inform the chiefs of the three families of it."'

5. He went to the chiefs, and informed them, but they would not act. Confucius then said, 'Following in the rear of the great officers, I did not dare not to represent such a matter.'

CHAP. XXIII. Tsze-lu asked how a ruler should be served. The Master said, 'Do not impose on him, and, moreover, withstand him to his face.'

CHAP. XXIV. The Master said, 'The progress of the superior man is upwards; the progress of the mean man is downwards.'

CHAP. XXV. The Master said, 'In ancient times, men learned with a view to their own improvement. Now-a-days, men learn with a view to the approbation of others.'

CHAP. XXVI. 1. Chu Po-yu sent a messenger with friendly inquiries to Confucius.

2. Confucius sat with him, and questioned him. 'What,' said he, 'is your master engaged in?' The messenger replied, 'My master is

anxious to make his faults few, but he has not yet succeeded.' He then went out, and the Master said, 'A messenger indeed! A messenger indeed!'

CHAP. XXVII. The Master said, 'He who is not in any particular office, has nothing to do with plans for the administration of its duties.'

CHAP. XXVIII. The philosopher Tsang said, 'The superior man, in his thoughts, does not go out of his place.'

CHAP. XXIX. The Master said, 'The superior man is modest in his speech, but exceeds in his actions.'

CHAP. x.x.x. 1. The Master said, 'The way of the superior man is threefold, but I am not equal to it. Virtuous, he is free from anxieties; wise, he is free from perplexities; bold, he is free from fear.

2. Tsze-kung said, 'Master, that is what you yourself say.'

CHAP. x.x.xI. Tsze-kung was in the habit of comparing men together. The Master said, 'Tsze must have reached a high pitch of excellence! Now, I have not leisure for this.'

CHAP. x.x.xII. The Master said, 'I will not be concerned at men's not knowing me; I will be concerned at my own want of ability.'

CHAP. x.x.xIII. The Master said, 'He who does not antic.i.p.ate attempts to deceive him, nor think beforehand of his not being believed, and yet apprehends these things readily (when they occur);-- is he not a man of superior worth?'

CHAP. x.x.xIV. 1. Wei-shang Mau said to Confucius, 'Ch'iu, how is it that you keep roosting about? Is it not that you are an insinuating talker?'

2. Confucius said, 'I do not dare to play the part of such a talker, but I hate obstinacy.'

CHAP. x.x.xV. The Master said, 'A horse is called a ch'i, not because of its strength, but because of its other good qualities.'

CHAP. x.x.xVI. 1. Some one said, 'What do you say concerning the principle that injury should be recompensed with kindness?'

2. The Master said, 'With what then will you recompense kindness?

3. 'Recompense injury with justice, and recompense kindness with kindness.'

CHAP. x.x.xVII. 1. The Master said, 'Alas! there is no one that knows me.'

2. Tsze-kung said, 'What do you mean by thus saying-- that no one knows you?' The Master replied, 'I do not murmur against

Heaven. I do not grumble against men. My studies lie low, and my penetration rises high. But there is Heaven;-- that knows me!'

CHAP. x.x.xVIII. 1. The Kung-po Liao, having slandered Tsze-lu to Chi-sun, Tsze-fu Ching-po informed Confucius of it, saying, 'Our master is certainly being led astray by the Kung-po Liao, but I have still power enough left to cut Liao off, and expose his corpse in the market and in the court.'

2. The Master said, 'If my principles are to advance, it is so ordered. If they are to fall to the ground, it is so ordered. What can the Kung-po Liao do where such ordering is concerned?'

CHAP. x.x.xIX. 1. The Master said, 'Some men of worth retire from the world.

2. Some retire from particular states.

3. Some retire because of disrespectful looks.

4. Some retire because of contradictory language.'

CHAP. XL. The Master said, 'Those who have done this are seven men.'

CHAP. XLI. Tsze-lu happening to pa.s.s the night in s.h.i.+h-man, the gatekeeper said to him, 'Whom do you come from?' Tsze-lu said, 'From Mr. K'ung.' 'It is he,-- is it not?'-- said the other, 'who knows the impracticable nature of the times and yet will be doing in them.'

CHAP. XLII. 1. The Master was playing, one day, on a musical stone in Wei, when a man, carrying a straw basket, pa.s.sed the door