User blogs
The Master said, Wisdom has no doubts; love does not fret; the bold have no fears.
16. 子在川上曰：「逝者如斯夫！不舍晝夜。」
As he stood by a stream, the Master said, Hasting away like this, day and night, without stop!
17. 子曰：「吾未見好德如好色者也。」
The Master said, I have seen no one that loves mind as he loves looks.
18. 子曰：「譬如為山，未成一簣，止，吾止也！譬如平地，雖覆一簣，進，吾往也！」
The Master said, In making a mound, if I stop when one more basket would finish it, I stop. When flattening ground, if, after overturning one basket, I go on, I go ahead.
19. 子曰：「語之而不惰者，其回也與？」
The Master said, Never listless when spoken to, such was Hui.
20. 子謂顏淵曰：「惜乎！吾見其進也，吾未見其止也！」
Speaking of Yen Yüan, the Master said, The pity of it! I saw him go on, but I never saw him stop!
21. 子曰：「苗而不秀者，有矣夫！秀而不實者，有矣夫！」
The Master said, Some sprouts do not blossom, some blossoms bear no fruit!
22. 子曰：「後生可畏，焉知來者之不如今也？四十五十而無聞焉，斯亦不足畏也已！」
The Master said, Awe is due to youth. May not to-morrow be bright as to-day? To men of forty or fifty, who are still unknown, no awe is due.
23. 子曰：「法語之言，能無從乎？改之為貴！巽與之言，能無說乎？繹之為貴！說而不 繹，從而不改，吾末如之何也已矣！」
The Master said, Who would not give ear to a downright word? But to mend is better. Who would not be pleased by a guiding word? But to think it out is better. With such as are pleased but do not think out, or who listen but do not mend, I can do nothing.
24. 子曰：「主忠信，毋友不如己者，過則勿憚改。」
The Master said, Put faithfulness and truth first; have no friends unlike thyself; be not ashamed to mend thy faults.
25. 子曰：「三軍可奪帥也，匹夫不可奪志也。」
The Master said, Three armies may be robbed of their leader, no wretch can be robbed of his will.
26. 子曰：「衣敝縕袍，與衣孤貉者立，而不恥者，其由也與！不忮不求，何用不臧？」 子路終身誦之。子曰：「是道也，何足以臧！」
The Master said, Yu is the man to stand, clad in a worn-out quilted gown, unashamed, amid robes of fox and badger! Without hatred or greed, What but good does he do? But when Tzu-lu was everlastingly humming these words, the Master said, This is the way towards it, but how much short of goodness itself!
27. 子曰：「歲寒，然後知松柏之後彫也。」
The Master said, Erst the cold days show how fir and cypress are last to fade.
28. 子曰：「知者不惑，仁者不憂，勇者不懼。」
The Master said, Wisdom has no doubts; love does not fret; the bold have no fears.
29. 子曰：「可與共學，未可與適道；可與適道，未可與立；可與立，未可與權。」
The Master said, With some we can learn together, but we cannot go their way; we can go the same way with others, though our standpoint is not the same; and with some, though our standpoint is the same our weights and scales are not.
30. 「唐棣之華，偏其反而，豈不爾思？室是遠而。」子曰：「未之思也，未何遠之 有？」
The blossoms of the plum tree Are dancing in play; My thoughts are with thee, In thy home far away. The Master said, Her thoughts were not with him, or how could he be far away?
From four things the Master was quite free: by-ends and 'must' and 'shall' and 'I.'
子罕第九 BOOK IX
1. 子罕言利，與命與仁。
The Master seldom spake of gain, or love, or the Bidding.
2. 達巷黨人曰，「大哉孔子，博學而無所成名。」子聞之，謂門弟子曰，「吾何執？執御 乎，執射乎？吾執御矣。」
A man of the village of Ta-hsiang said, The great Confucius, with his vast learning, has made no name in anything. When the Master heard this, he said to his disciples, What shall I take up? Shall I take up driving, or shall I take up shooting? I shall take up driving.
3. 子曰：「麻冕，禮也。今也純儉，吾從眾。拜下，禮也。今拜乎上，泰也，雖違眾，吾 從下。」
The Master said, A linen cap is good form; now silk is worn. It is cheap, so I follow the many. To bow below is good form; now it is done above. This is arrogance, so, breaking with the many, I still bow below.
4. 子絕四，毋意，毋必，毋固，毋我。
From four things the Master was quite free: by-ends and 'must' and 'shall' and 'I.'
5. 子畏於匡。曰：「文王既沒，文不在茲乎，天之將喪斯文也。後死者不得與於斯文也。 天之未喪斯文也。匡人其如予何。」
When he was afraid in K'uang, the Master said, Since the death of King Wen, is not the seat of culture here? If Heaven had meant to destroy our culture, a later mortal would have had no part in it. Until Heaven condemns our culture, what can the men of K'uang do to me?
6. 大宰問於子貢曰：「夫子聖者與！何其多能也？」子貢曰：「固天縱之將聖，又多能 也。」子聞之曰：「大宰知我乎？吾少也賤，故多能鄙事。君子多乎哉？不多也！」牢曰：「子云：『吾不試，故藝。』
A high minister said to Tzu-kung, The Master must be a holy man, he can do so many things! Tzu-kung said, Heaven has, indeed, given him so much that he is almost holy, and he can do many things, too. When the Master heard this, he said, Does the minister know me? Because I was poor when young, I can do many paltry things. But does doing many things make a gentleman? No, not doing many does. Lao said, The Master would say, As I had no post I learned the crafts.
7. 子曰：「吾有知乎哉？無知也。有鄙夫問於我，空空如也；我叩其兩端而竭焉。」
The Master said, Have I in truth wisdom? I have no wisdom. But when a common fellow emptily asks me anything, I tap it on this side and that, and sift it to the bottom.
8. 子曰：「鳳鳥不至，河不出圖，吾已矣乎！」
The Master said, The phœnix comes not, the River gives forth no sign: all is over with me!
9. 子見齊衰者，冕衣裳者，與瞽者見之，雖少必作，過之必趨。」
When the Master saw folk clad in mourning, or in cap and gown, or a blind man, he always rose—even for the young,—or, if he was passing them, he quickened his step.
10. 顏淵喟然嘆曰：「仰之彌高，鑽之彌堅，瞻之在前，忽焉在後！夫子循循然善誘人， 博我以文，約我以禮。欲罷不能，既竭吾才，如有所立，卓爾。雖欲從之，末由也已！」
Yen Yüan heaved a sigh, and said, As I look up it grows higher, deeper as I dig! I catch sight of it ahead, and on a sudden it is behind me! The Master leads men on, deftly bit by bit. He widens me with culture, he binds me with courtesy. If I wished to stop I could not until my strength were spent. What seems the mark stands near; but though I long to reach it, I find no way.
11. 子疾病，子路使門人為臣，病間曰：「久矣哉，由之行詐也！無臣而為有臣，吾誰欺 ？欺天乎？且予與其死於臣之手也，無寧死於二三子之手乎？且予縱不得大葬，予死於道路乎？」
When the Master was very ill, Tzu-lu made the disciples act as ministers. During a better spell the Master said, Yu has long been feigning. This show of ministers, when I have no ministers, whom will it take in? Will Heaven be taken in? And is it not better to die in the arms of my two-three boys than to die in the arms of ministers? And, if I miss a big burial, shall I die by the roadside?
12. 子貢曰：「有美玉於斯，韞而藏諸？求善賈而沽諸？」子曰：「沽之哉！沽之哉！我 待賈者也！」
Tzu-kung said, If I had here a fair piece of jade, should I hide it away in a case, or seek a good price and sell it? Sell it, sell it! said the Master. I tarry for my price.
13. 子欲居九夷。或曰：「陋，如之何？」子曰：「君子居之，何陋之有！」
The Master wished to dwell among the nine tribes. One said, They are low; how could ye? The Master said, Wherever a gentleman lives, will there be anything low?
14. 子曰：「吾自衛反魯，然後樂正，雅頌，各得其所。」 The Master said. After I came back from Wei to Lu the music was set straight and each song found its place.
15. 子曰：「出則事公卿，入則事父兄，喪事不敢不勉，不為酒困，何有於我哉！」
The Master said, To serve dukes and ministers abroad and father and brothers at home; in matters of mourning not to dare to be slack; and to be no thrall to wine: to which of these have I won?
