the subjects of which the master seldom spoke were-profitableness,and also the appointments of heaven, and perfect virtue.
a man of the village of ta-hsiang said, "great indeed is the philosopherk'ung! his learning is extensive, and yet he does not render his namefamous by any particular thing."the master heard the observation, and said to his disciples, "whatshall i practice? shall i practice charioteering, or shall i practicearchery? i will practice charioteering."the master said, "the linen cap is that prescribed by the rules ofceremony, but now a silk one is worn. it is economical, and i followthe common practice.
"the rules of ceremony prescribe the bowing below the hall, but nowthe practice is to bow only after ascending it. that is arrogant.
i continue to bow below the hall, though i oppose the common practice."there were four things from which the master was entirely free. hehad no foregone conclusions, no arbitrary predeterminations, no obstinacy,and no egoism.
the master was put in fear in k'wang.
he said, "after the death of king wan, was not the cause of truthlodged here in me?
"if heaven had wished to let this cause of truth perish, then i, afuture mortal! should not have got such a relation to that cause.
while heaven does not let the cause of truth perish, what can thepeople of k'wang do to me?"a high officer asked tsze-kung, saying, "may we not say that yourmaster is a sage? how various is his ability!"tsze-kung said, "certainly heaven has endowed him unlimitedly. heis about a sage. and, moreover, his ability is various."the master heard of the conversation and said, "does the high officerknow me? when i was young, my condition was low, and i acquired myability in many things, but they were mean matters. must the superiorman have such variety of ability? he does not need variety of ability.
lao said, "the master said, 'having no official employment, i acquiredmany arts.'"the master said, "am i indeed possessed of knowledge? i am not knowing.
but if a mean person, who appears quite empty-like, ask anything ofme, i set it forth from one end to the other, and exhaust it."the master said, "the fang bird does not come; the river sends forthno map:-it is all over with me!"when the master saw a person in a mourning dress, or any one withthe cap and upper and lower garments of full dress, or a blind person,on observing them approaching, though they were younger than himself,he would rise up, and if he had to pass by them, he would do so hastily.
yen yuan, in admiration of the master's doctrines, sighed and said,"i looked up to them, and they seemed to become more high; i triedto penetrate them, and they seemed to become more firm; i looked atthem before me, and suddenly they seemed to be behind.
"the master, by orderly method, skillfully leads men on. he enlargedmy mind with learning, and taught me the restraints of propriety.
"when i wish to give over the study of his doctrines, i cannot doso, and having exerted all my ability, there seems something to standright up before me; but though i wish to follow and lay hold of it,i really find no way to do so."the master being very ill, tsze-lu wished the disciples to act asministers to him.
during a remission of his illness, he said, "long has the conductof yu been deceitful! by pretending to have ministers when i havethem not, whom should i impose upon? should i impose upon heaven?
"moreover, than that i should die in the hands of ministers, is itnot better that i should die in the hands of you, my disciples? andthough i may not get a great burial, shall i die upon the road?"tsze-kung said, "there is a beautiful gem here. should i lay it upin a case and keep it? or should i seek for a good price and sellit?" the master said, "sell it! sell it! but i would wait for oneto offer the price."the master was wishing to go and live among the nine wild tribes ofthe east.
some one said, "they are rude. how can you do such a thing?" the mastersaid, "if a superior man dwelt among them, what rudeness would therebe?"the master said, "i returned from wei to lu, and then the music wasreformed, and the pieces in the royal songs and praise songs all foundtheir proper places."the master said, "abroad, to serve the high ministers and nobles;at home, to serve one's father and elder brothers; in all duties tothe dead, not to dare not to exert one's self; and not to be overcomeof wine:-which one of these things do i attain to?"the master standing by a stream, said, "it passes on just like this,not ceasing day or night!"the master said, "i have not seen one who loves virtue as he lovesbeauty."the master said, "the prosecution of learning may be compared to whatmay happen in raising a mound. if there want but one basket of earthto complete the work, and i stop, the stopping is my own work. itmay be compared to throwing down the earth on the level ground. thoughbut one basketful is thrown at a time, the advancing with it my owngoing forward."the master said, "never flagging when i set forth anything to him;-ah!
that is hui." the master said of yen yuan, "alas! i saw his constantadvance. i never saw him stop in his progress."the master said, "there are cases in which the blade springs, butthe plant does not go on to flower! there are cases where it flowersbut fruit is not subsequently produced!"the master said, "a youth is to be regarded with respect. how do weknow that his future will not be equal to our present? if he reachthe age of forty or fifty, and has not made himself heard of, thenindeed he will not be worth being regarded with respect."the master said, "can men refuse to assent to the words of strictadmonition? but it is reforming the conduct because of them whichis valuable. can men refuse to be pleased with words of gentle advice?
but it is unfolding their aim which is valuable. if a man be pleasedwith these words, but does not unfold their aim, and assents to those,but does not reform his conduct, i can really do nothing with him."the master said, "hold faithfulness and sincerity as first principles.
have no friends not equal to yourself. when you have faults, do notfear to abandon them."the master said, "the commander of the forces of a large state maybe carried off, but the will of even a common man cannot be takenfrom him."the master said, "dressed himself in a tattered robe quilted withhemp, yet standing by the side of men dressed in furs, and not ashamed;-ah!
it is yu who is equal to this!
"he dislikes none, he covets nothing;-what can he do but what is good!"tsze-lu kept continually repeating these words of the ode, when themaster said, "those things are by no means sufficient to constituteperfect excellence."the master said, "when the year becomes cold, then we know how thepine and the cypress are the last to lose their leaves."the master said, "the wise are free from perplexities; the virtuousfrom anxiety; and the bold from fear."the master said, "there are some with whom we may study in common,but we shall find them unable to go along with us to principles. perhapswe may go on with them to principles, but we shall find them unableto get established in those along with us. or if we may get so establishedalong with them, we shall find them unable to weigh occurring eventsalong with us.""how the flowers of the aspen-plum flutter and turn! do i not thinkof you? but your house is distant."the master said, "it is the want of thought about it. how is it distant?"
子罕篇第九
9.1 子罕言利与命与仁。
9.2 达巷党人曰：“大哉孔子！博学而无所成名。”子闻之，谓门弟子曰：“吾何执？执御乎？执射乎？吾执御矣。”
9.3 子曰：“麻冕，礼也；今也纯，俭，吾从众。拜下，礼也；今拜乎上，泰也。虽违众，吾从下。”
9.4 子绝四：毋意，毋必，毋固，毋我。
9.5 子畏于匡，曰：“文王既没，文不在兹乎？天之将丧斯文也，后死者不得与于斯文也；天之未丧斯文也，匡人其如予何？”
9.6 太宰问于子贡曰：“夫子圣者与？何其多能也？”子贡曰：“固天纵之将圣，又多能也。”子闻之，曰：“太宰知我乎！吾少也贱，故多能鄙事。君子多乎哉？不多也。”
9.7 牢曰：“子云：‘吾不试，故艺。’”
9.8 子曰：“吾有知乎哉？无知也。有鄙夫问于我，空空如也。我叩其两端而竭焉。”
9.9 子曰：“凤鸟不至，河不出图，吾已矣夫！”
9.10 子见齐衰者、冕衣裳者与瞽者，见之，虽少，必作；过之，必趋。
9.11 颜渊喟然叹曰：“仰之弥高，钻之弥坚。瞻之在前，忽焉在后。夫子循循然善诱之，博我以文，约我以礼，欲罢不能。既竭吾才，如有所立卓尔。虽欲从之。末由也矣。”
9.12 子疾病，子路使门人为臣。病间。曰：“久矣哉，由之行诈也！无臣而为有臣。吾谁欺？欺天乎？且予与其死于臣之手也，无宁死于二三子之手乎？且予纵不得大葬，予死于道路乎？”
9.13 子贡曰：“有美玉于斯，韫椟而藏诸？求善贾而沽诸？”子曰：“沽之哉！沽之哉！我待贾者也。”
9.14 子欲居九夷。或曰：“陋，如之何？”子曰：“君子居之，何陋之有？”
9.15 子曰：“吾自卫反鲁，然后乐正，《雅》《颂》各得其所。”
9.16 子曰：“出则事公卿，入则事父兄，丧事不敢不勉，不为酒困，何有于我哉？”
9.17 子在川上曰：“逝者如斯夫！不舍昼夜。”
9.18 子曰：“吾未见好德如好色者也。”
9.19 子曰：“譬如为山，未成一篑，止，吾止也。譬如平地，虽覆一篑，进，吾往也。”
9.20 子曰：“语之而不惰者，其回也与！”
9.21 子谓颜渊曰：“惜乎！吾见其进也，未见其止也。”
9.22 子曰：“苗而不秀者有矣夫！秀而不实者有矣夫！”
9.23 子曰：“后生可畏，焉知来者之不如今也？四十、五十而无闻焉，斯亦不足畏也已。”
9.24 子曰：“法语之言，能无从乎？改之为贵。巽与之言，能无说乎？绎之为贵。说而不绎，从而不改，吾未如之何也已矣。”
9.25 子曰：“主忠信，毋友不如已者，过则勿惮改。”
9.26 子曰：“三军可夺帅也，匹夫不可夺志也。”
9.27 子曰：“衣敝緼袍，与衣狐貉者立，而不耻者，其由也与？‘不忮不求，何用不臧？’”子路终身诵之。子曰：“是道也，何足以臧？”
9.28 子曰：“岁寒，然后知松柏之后凋也。”
9.29 子曰：“知者不惑，仁者不忧，勇者不惧。”
9.30 子曰：“可与共学，未可与适道；可与适道，未可与立；可与立，未可与权。”
9.31 “唐棣之华，偏其反而。岂不尔思？室是远而。”子曰：“未之思也，夫何远之有？”
