II

[1] THE Master said: "In governing, cleave to good; as the north star holds his place, and the multitude of stars revolve upon him."

[2] The Master said: "To sum up the three hundred songs in a word, they are free from evil thought."

[3] The Master said: "Guide the people by law, subdue them by punishment; they may shun crime, but will be void of shame. Guide them by example, subdue them by court- ! esy; they will learn shame, and come to be good."

[4] The Master said: “At fifteen, I was bent on study; at thirty, I could stand; at forty, doubts ceased; at fifty, I understood the laws of Heaven; at sixty, my ears obeyed me; at seventy, I could do as my heart lusted, and never swerve from right."

[5] Meng Yi asked the duty of a son.

The Master said: "Obedience."

As Fan Ch'ih' was driving him, the Master said: "Mengsun' asked me the duty of a son; I answered ' Obedience. "What did ye mean?" said Fan Ch'ih.

"To serve our parents with courtesy whilst they live," said the Master; "to bury them with all courtesy when they die; and to worship them with all courtesy."

[6] Meng Wu asked the duty of a son,

The Master said: "What weighs on your father and mother is concern for your health.”

[7] Tzu-yu asked the duty of a son.

The Master said: “To-day a man is called dutiful if he keep his father and mother. But we keep both our dogs and horses, and unless we honour parents, is it not all one?" [8] Tzu-hsia asked the duty of a son.

The Master said: “Our manner is the hard part. For the young to be a stay in toil, and leave the wine and cakes to their elders, is this to fulfil their duty?”

[9] The Master said: "If I talk all day to dullard, he never stops me. But when he is pry into his life, I find he can do what I say. no dullard."

Hui,* like a gone, if I No, Hui is

7

[10] The Master said: "Look at a man's acts; watch his motives; find out what pleases him: can the man evade you? Can the man evade you?"

[11] The Master said: "Who keeps the old akindle and

<adds new knowledge is fitted to be a teacher."

<

[12] The Master said: "A gentleman is not a vessel." [13] Tzu-kung asked, What is a gentleman?

The Master said: "He puts words into deed first, and sorts what he says to the deed."

[14] The Master said: "A gentleman is broad and fair: the vulgar are biassed and petty."

[15] The Master said: "Study without thought is vain: thought without study is dangerous."

[16] The Master said: "Work on strange doctrines does harm."

[17] The Master said: "Yu," shall I teach thee what is understanding? To know what we know, and know what we do not know, that is understanding."

[18] Tzu-change studied with an eye to pay.

The Master said: "Listen much, keep silent when in doubt, and always take heed of the tongue; thou wilt make few mistakes. See much, beware of pitfalls, and always give heed to thy walk; thou wilt have little to rue. If thy words are seldom wrong, thy deeds leave little to rue, pay will follow."

[19] Duke Ai' asked: "What should be done to make the people loyal?"

Confucius answered: "Exalt the straight, set aside the crooked, the people will be loyal. Exalt the crooked, set aside the straight, the people will be disloyal.”

[20] Chi K'ang asked how to make the people lowly, faithful, and willing.

The Master said: "Behave with dignity, they will be lowly be pious and merciful, they will be faithful: exalt the good, teach the unskilful, they will grow willing."

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[21] One said to Confucius: Why are ye not in power, Sir?"

The Master answered: "What does the book say of a good

The disciple, Tzu-lu.

A disciple.

Duke of Lu, during Confucius' closing years.

8 Head of the Chi clan during Confucius' closing years.

son? An always dutiful son, who is a friend to his brothers, showeth the way to rule.' This also is to rule. What need to be in power?"

[22] The Master said: "Without truth I know not how man can live. A cart without a crosspole, a carriage without harness, how could they be moved?

[23] Tzu-chang asked whether we can know what is to be ten generations hence.

The Master said: "The Yin inherited the manners of the Hsia; the harm and the good that they wrought them is known. The Chou' inherited the manners of the Yin; the harm and the good that they wrought them is known. And we may know what is to be, even an hundred generations hence, when others follow Chou."

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[24] The Master said: To worship the ghosts of strangers is fawning. To see the right and not do it is want of courage."

III

[1] Or the Chi having eight rows of dancers' in his hall, Confucius said: "If this is to be borne, what is not to be borne ?"

[2] At the end of worship, the Three Clans made use of the Yung hymn.'

The Master said:

"The dukes and princes assist,

Solemn is the Son of Heaven;'

what sense has this in the hall of the Three Clans?"

[3] The Master said: "A man without love, what is courtesy to him? A man without love, what is music to him?"

[4] Lin Fang asked, What is the life of ceremony? The Master said: "A great question! At hightides, waste is worse than thrift: at burials, grief outweighs nicety." [5] The Master said: "The wild tribes have kings; whilst the realm of Hsia is without!"

[6] The Chi worshipped on Mount T'ai.'

The three dynasties that had ruled China up till the time of Confucius. 1 An imperial prerogative. 2 China. 3 A prerogative of the Duke of Lu.

The Master said to Jan Yu': "Canst thou not stop this?" He answered: "I cannot."

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Alas!" said the Master; "dost thou set Mount T'ai below Lin Fang?"

[7] The Master said: "A gentleman has no rivalriesexcept perhaps in archery; and then, as bowing he joins the winners, or steps down to see the loser drink, throughout the struggle he is still the gentleman."

[8] Tzu-hsia asked: “What is the meaning of:

'Her cunning smiles,

Her dimples light,
Her lovely eyes,
So clear and bright,
The ground, not yet

With colours dight'?"

The Master said: "Colouring follows groundwork." "Then does courtesy follow after?" said Tzu-hsia.

Shang,' ," said the Master, "thou hast hit my meaning! Now I can talk of poetry to thee."

[9] The Master said: "I can speak of the manners of Hsia; but for Chi witnesses fail. I can speak of the manners of Yin; but for Sung witnesses fail. This is due to their dearth of books and great men. Were there enough of these, they would witness for me."

[10] The Master said: "After the drink offering at the Great Sacrifice, I have no wish to see more."

[11] One asked about the words of the Great Sacrifice. The Master said: "I do not understand them. Could one understand them, he would overlook the world as I this "and he pointed to his palm.

[12] Worship as though those ye worship stood before you; worship the spirits, as though they stood before you. The Master said: "If I take no part in the sacrifice, it is none to me."

[13] Wang-sun Chia said: "What is the meaning of 'it is better to court the Kitchen God than the God of the Home'?"

Tzu-hsia.

A disciple, in the service of the Chi. Wang-sun Chia was minister of Wei, and more influential than his master. The Kitchen God is less honourable than the God of the Home (the Roman lares), but since he sees all that goes on in the house, and ascends to Heaven at the end of the year to report what has happened, it is well to be on good terms with him.

"Not at all," said the Master. "A sin against Heaven is past praying for."

[14] The Master said: "Two lines of kings have passed beneath the ken of Chou. How rich in art is Chou! It is Chou I follow."

[15] On entering the Great Temple, the Master asked how each thing was done.

One said: "Who says that the man of Tsou's son has a knowledge of ceremony? On entering the Great Temple, he asked how each thing was done!"

On hearing this, the Master said: "Such is the cere mony."

[16] The Master said: "To pierce through the target does not score in archery; because men differ in strength. This was the old rule."

[17] Tzu-kung wished to do away with the sheep offering at the new moon.

The Master said: "Thou lovest the sheep, Tz'u: I love the rite."

[18] The Master said: "Treat the king with all courtesy, men call it fawning."

[19] Duke Ting asked how a king should behave to his ministers; how ministers should serve their king?

Confucius answered: "A king should behave with courtesy to his ministers; ministers should serve their king faithfully."

[20] The Master said: "The poem 'The Osprey' is glad, but not wanton; it is sad, but not morbid."

[21] Duke Ai asked Tsai Wo' about the shrines of the guardian spirits.

Tsai Wo answered: "The Hsia Emperors grew firs round them; the men of Yin grew cypress; the men of Chou grew chestnut, meaning 'jest not over holy

matters.

On hearing this, the Master said: "I do not speak of what is ended, chide what is settled, or find fault with what is past."

A disciple of Confucius.

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8 Literally to cause the people to be in awe.' The commentators are more than usually learned over the Master's anger. I attribute it to the foolishness of the pun, and translate accordingly.