User blogs
The Master said, When those above love courtesy, the people are easy to lead.
憲問第十四
BOOK XIV
41. 子路宿於石門。晨門曰：「奚自？」子路曰：「自孔氏。」曰：「是知其不可而為之 者與？」
Tzu-lu spent a night at Shih-men. The gate-keeper asked him, Whence comest thou? From Confucius, answered Tzu-lu. The man that knows it is no good and yet must still be doing? said the gate-keeper.
42. 子擊磬於衛。有荷蕢而過孔氏之門者，曰：「有心哉，擊磬乎！」既而曰：「鄙哉， 硜硜乎！莫己知也，斯已而已矣！『深則厲，淺則揭。』」子曰：「果哉！末之難矣！」
When the Master was chiming his sounding stones in Wei, a basket-bearer said, as he passed the door, The heart is full that chimes those stones! But then he said, For shame! What a tinkling sound! If no one knows thee, have done! Wade the deep places, Lift thy robe through the shallows! The Master said, Where there's a will, that is nowise hard.
43. 子張曰：「書云：『高宗諒陰，三年不言』何謂也？」子曰：「何必高宗？古之人 皆然。君薨，百官總已以聽於冢宰三年。」
Tzu-chang said, What does the Book mean by saying that Kao-tsung in his mourning shed did not speak for three years? Why pick out Kao-tsung? said the Master. The men of old were all thus. For three years after their lord had died, the hundred officers did each his duty and hearkened to the chief minister.
44. 子曰：「上好禮，則民易使也。」
The Master said, When those above love courtesy, the people are easy to lead.
45. 子路問「君子」。子曰：「修己以敬。」曰：「如斯而已乎？」曰：「修己以安人。 」曰：「如斯而已乎？」曰：「修己以安百姓。修己以安百姓，堯舜其猶病諸。」
Tzu-lu asked, What makes a gentleman? The Master said, To be bent on becoming better. Is that all? said Tzu-lu. By becoming better to bring peace to men. And is that all? By becoming better to bring peace to all men, said the Master. Even Yao and Shun were still struggling to become better, and so bring peace to all men.
46. 原壤夷俟。子曰：「幼而不孫弟，長而無述焉，老而不死是為賊。」以杖叩其脛。
Yüan Jang awaited the Master squatting. Unruly when young, unmentioned as man, undying when old, spells good-for-nothing! said the Master, and he hit him on the leg with his staff.
47. 闕黨，童子將命。或問之曰：「益者與？」子曰：「吾見其居於位也，見其與先生並 行也；非求益者也，欲速成者也。」
When a lad from the village of Ch'üeh was made messenger, someone asked, saying, Is it because he is doing well? The Master said, I have seen him sitting in a man's seat, and seen him walking abreast of his elders. He does not try to do well: he wishes to be quickly grown up.
The Master said, Never murmuring against Heaven, nor finding fault with men; learning from the lowest, cleaving the heights. I am known but to one, but to Heaven.
憲問第十四
BOOK XIV
31. 子貢方人。子曰：「賜也，賢乎哉？夫我則不暇！」
Tzu-kung would liken this man to that. The Master said, What talents Tz'u has! Now I have no time for this.
32. 子曰：「不患人之不己知，患其不能也。」
The Master said, Sorrow not at being unknown; sorrow for thine own shortcomings.
33. 子曰：「不逆詐，不億不信。抑亦先覺者，是賢乎？」
The Master said, Not to expect to be cheated, nor to look for falsehood, and yet to see them coming, shows worth in a man.
34. 微生畝謂孔子曰：「丘何為是栖栖者與？無乃為佞乎？」孔子曰：「非敢為佞也，疾 固也。」
Wei-sheng Mou said to Confucius, How dost thou still find roosts to roost on, Ch'iu, unless by wagging a glib tongue? Confucius answered, I dare not wag a glib tongue; but I hate stubbornness.
35. 子曰：「驥不稱其力，稱其德也。」
The Master said, A steed is not praised for his strength, but praised for his mettle.
36. 或曰：「以德報怨，何如？」子曰：「何以報德？以直報怨，以德報德。」
One said, To mete out good for evil, how were that? And how would ye meet good? said the Master. Meet evil with justice; meet good with good.
37. 子曰：「莫我知也夫！」子貢曰：「何為其莫知子也？」子曰：「不怨天，不尤人， 下學而上達。知我者，其天乎！」
The Master said, Alas! no man knows me! Tzu-kung said, Why do ye say, Sir, that no man knows you? The Master said, Never murmuring against Heaven, nor finding fault with men; learning from the lowest, cleaving the heights. I am known but to one, but to Heaven.
38. 公伯寮愬子路於季孫，子服景伯以告曰：「夫子固有惑志於公伯寮，吾力猶能肆諸市 朝。」子曰：「道之將行也與？命也！道之將廢也與？命也！公伯寮其如命何！」
Liao, the duke's uncle, spake ill of Tzu-lu to Chi-sun. Tzu-fu Ching-po told this to Confucius, saying, My master's mind is surely being led astray by the duke's uncle, but I have still the strength to expose his body in the market-place. The Master said, If the Way is to be kept, that is the Bidding, and if the Way is to be lost, this is the Bidding. What can the duke's uncle do against the Bidding?
39. 子曰：「賢者辟世，其次辟地，其次辟色，其次辟言。」
The Master said, Men of worth flee the world; the next best flee the land. Then come those that go at a look, then those that go at words.
40. 子曰：「作者七人矣！」
The Master said, Seven men did so.
The Master said, In the way of the gentleman there are three things that I cannot achieve. Love is never troubled; wisdom has no doubts; courage is without fear.
憲問第十四
BOOK XIV
16. 子曰：「晉文公譎而不正，齊桓公正而不譎。」
The Master said, Duke Wen of Chin was deep, but dishonest; Duke Huan of Ch'i was honest, but shallow.
17. 子路曰：「桓公殺公子糾，召忽死之，管仲不死。」曰：「未仁乎！」子曰：「桓公 九合諸侯，不以兵車，管仲之力也。如其仁！如其仁！」
Tzu-lu said, When Duke Huan slew the young duke Chiu, and Shao Hu died with him, but Kuan Chung did not, was not this want of love? The Master said, Duke Huan gathered the great vassals round him, not by chariots of war, but through the might of Kuan Chung. What can love do more? What can love do more?
18. 子貢曰：「管仲非仁者與？桓公殺公子糾，不能死，又相之。」子曰：「管仲相桓公 ，霸諸侯，一匡天下，民到于今受其賜。微管仲，吾其被髮左衽矣！豈若匹夫匹婦之為諒也，自經於溝瀆，而莫之知也！」
Tzu-kung said, When Duke Huan slew the young duke Chiu, and Kuan Chung could not face death and even became his minister, surely he showed want of love? The Master said, By Kuan Chung helping Duke Huan to put down the great vassals and make all below heaven one, men have fared the better from that day to this. But for Kuan Chung our hair would hang down our backs and our coats would button to the left; or should he, like the bumpkin and his lass, their troth to keep, have drowned in a ditch, unknown to anyone?
19. 公叔文子之臣大夫僎，與文子同升諸公。子聞之曰：「可以為文矣！」
The minister Hsien, who had been steward to Kung-shu Wen, went to audience of the Duke together with Wen. When the Master heard of it, he said, He is rightly called Wen (well-bred).
20. 子言衛靈公之無道也，康子曰：「夫如是，奚而不喪？」孔子曰：「仲叔圉治賓客， 祝鮀治宗廟，王孫賈治軍旅，夫如是，奚其喪？」
The Master spake of Ling Duke of Wei's contempt for the Way. K'ang said, If this be so, how does he escape ruin? Confucius answered, With Chung-shu Yü in charge of the guests, the reader T'o in charge of the Ancestral Temple, and Wang-sun Chia in charge of the troops, how should he come to ruin?
21. 子曰：「其言之不怍，則為之也難！」
The Master said, When words are unblushing, they are hard to make good.
22. 陳成子弒簡公。孔子沐浴而朝，告於哀公曰：「陳恒弒其君，請討之。」公曰：「告 夫三子。」孔子曰：「以吾從大夫之後，不敢不告也！」君曰：「告夫三子者！之三子告，不可。」孔子曰：「以吾從大夫子後，不敢不告也！」
Ch'en Ch'eng murdered Duke Chien. Confucius bathed, and went to court and told Duke Ai, saying, Ch'en Heng has murdered his lord: pray, punish him. The Duke said, Tell the three chiefs. Confucius said, As I follow in the wake of the ministers, I dared not leave this untold; but the lord says, Tell the three chiefs. He told the three chiefs. It did no good. Confucius said, As I follow in the wake of the ministers, I dared not leave this untold.
23. 子路問「事君」。子曰：「勿欺也，而犯之。」
Tzu-lu asked how to serve a lord. The Master said, Never cheat him; stand up to him.
24. 子曰：「君子上達，小人下達。」
The Master said, A gentleman's life leads upwards; the small man's life leads down.
25. 子曰：「古之學者為己，今之學者為人。」
The Master said, The men of old learned for their own sake; to-day men learn for show.
26. 蘧伯玉使人於孔子，孔子與之坐而問焉。曰：「夫子何為？」對曰：「夫子欲寡其過 而未能也。」使者出。子曰：「使乎！使乎！」
Ch'ü Po-yü sent a man to Confucius. As they sat together, Confucius asked him, What does your master do? He answered, My master wishes to make his faults fewer, but cannot. When the messenger had left, the Master said, A messenger, a messenger indeed!
27. 子曰：「不在其位，不謀其政。」
The Master said, When not in office discuss not policy.
28. 曾子曰：「君子思不出其位。」
Tseng-tzu said, Even in his thoughts, a gentleman does not outstep his place.
29. 子曰：「君子恥其言而過其行。」
The Master said, A gentleman is shamefast of speech: his deeds go further.
30. 子曰：「君子道者三，我無能焉：仁者不憂，知者不惑，勇者不懼。」子貢曰：「夫 子自道也！」
The Master said, In the way of the gentleman there are three things that I cannot achieve. Love is never troubled; wisdom has no doubts; courage is without fear. That is what ye say, Sir, said Tzu-kung.
