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Author: Confucius (孔夫子); translated by James Legge

The Master said, What wisdom has got will be lost again, unless love hold it fast. Wisdom to get and love to hold fast, without dignity of bearing, will not be honoured among men. Wisdom to get, love to hold fast and dignity of bearing, without courteous ways are not enough.

衛靈公第十五

BOOK XV

31. 子曰:「君子謀道不謀食。耕也,餒在其中矣;學也,祿在其中矣。君子憂道不憂 貧。」

The Master said, A gentleman thinks of the Way; he does not think of food. Sow, and famine may follow; learn, and pay may come; but a gentleman grieves for the Way; to be poor does not grieve him.

32. 子曰:「知及之,仁不能守之,雖得之,必失之。知及之,仁能守之,不莊以 之,則民不敬。知及之,仁能守之,莊以 之,動之不以禮,未善也。」

The Master said, What wisdom has got will be lost again, unless love hold it fast. Wisdom to get and love to hold fast, without dignity of bearing, will not be honoured among men. Wisdom to get, love to hold fast and dignity of bearing, without courteous ways are not enough.

33. 子曰:「君子不可小知,而可大受也。小人不可大受,而可小知也。」

The Master said, A gentleman has no small knowledge, but he can carry out big things: the small man can carry out nothing big, but he may be knowing in small things.

34. 子曰:「民之於仁也,甚於水火。水火,吾見蹈而死者矣,未見蹈仁而死者也。」

The Master said, Love is more to the people than fire and water. I have seen men come to their death by fire and water: I have seen no man that love brought to his death.

35. 子曰:「當仁不讓於師。」

The Master said, When love is at stake yield not to an army.

36. 子曰:「君子貞而不諒。」

The Master said, A gentleman is consistent, not changeless.

37. 子曰:「事君敬其事而後其食。」

The Master said, A servant of the king honours his work, and puts food after it.

38. 子曰:「有教無類。」

The Master said, Learning knows no rank.

39. 子曰:「道不同,不相為謀。」

The Master said, Mingle not in projects with a man whose way is not thine.

40. 子曰:「辭,達而已矣!」

The Master said, The whole end of speech is to be understood.

41. 師冕見。及階,子曰:「階也!」及席,子曰:「席也!」皆坐,子告之曰:「某在 斯!某在斯!」師冕出,子張問曰:「與師言之道與?」子曰:「然,固相師之道也。」

When he saw the music-master Mien, the Master said, as they came to the steps, Here are the steps. On coming to the mat, he said, Here is the mat. When all were seated, the Master told him, He and he are here. After the music-master had gone, Tzu-chang said, Is this the way to speak to a music-master? The Master said, Surely it is the way to help a music-master.

Author: Confucius (孔夫子); translated by James Legge

The Master said, A gentleman is firm, not quarrelsome; a friend, not a partisan.

衛靈公第十五

BOOK XV

21. 子曰:「君子矜而不爭,群而不黨。」

The Master said, A gentleman is firm, not quarrelsome; a friend, not a partisan.

22. 子曰:「君子不以言舉人,不以人廢言。」

The Master said, A gentleman does not raise a man for his words, nor spurn the speech for the man.

23. 子貢問曰:「有一言而可以終身行之者乎?」子曰:「其怒乎!己所不欲,勿施於 人。」

Tzu-kung said, Is there one word by which we may walk till life ends? The Master said, Fellow-feeling, perhaps. Do not do unto others what thou wouldst not have done to thee.

24. 子曰:「吾之於人也,誰毀誰譽?如有所譽者,其有所試矣。斯民也,三代之所以直 道而行也。」

The Master said, Of the men that I meet, whom do I cry down, whom do I overpraise? Or, if I overpraise them, it is after testing them. It was owing to this people that the three lines of kings went the straight way.

25. 子曰:「吾猶及史之闕文也。有馬者,借人乘之,今亡已夫!」

The Master said, I have still known historians that would leave a gap in their text, and men that would lend a horse to another to ride. Now it is so no more.

26. 子曰:「巧言亂德,小不忍則亂大謀。」

The Master said, Cunning words confound the mind; petty impatience confounds great projects.

27. 子曰:「眾惡之,必察焉;眾好之,必察焉。」

The Master said, The hatred of the many must be looked into; the love of the many must be looked into.

28. 子曰:「人能弘道,非道弘人。」

The Master said, The man can exalt the Way: it is not the Way that exalts the man.

29. 子曰:「過而不改,是謂過矣!」

The Master said, The fault is to cleave to a fault.

30. 子曰:「吾嘗終日不食,終夜不寢,以思。無益,不如學也。」

The Master said, I have spent whole days without food and whole nights without sleep, thinking, and gained nothing by it. Learning is better.

Author: Confucius (孔夫子); translated by James Legge

The Master said, Right is the stuff of which a gentleman is made. Done with courtesy, spoken with humility, rounded with truth, right makes a gentleman.

衛靈公第十五

BOOK XV

11. 子曰:「人無遠慮,必有近憂。」

The Master said. Without thought for far off things, there shall be trouble near at hand.

12. 子曰:「已矣乎!吾未見好德如好色者也!」

The Master said, All is ended! I have seen no one that loves mind as he loves looks!

13. 子曰:「臧文仲,其竊位者與?知柳下惠之賢而不與立也。」

The Master said, Did not Tsang Wen filch his post? He knew the worth of Liu-hsia Hui, and did not stand by him.

14. 子曰:「躬自厚,而薄責於人,則遠怨矣!」

The Master said, By asking much of self and little of other men ill feeling is banished.

15. 子曰:「不曰:『如之何,如之何』者,吾末如之何也已矣?」

The Master said, Unless a man say, Would this do? Would that do? I can do nothing for him.

16. 子曰:「群居終日,言不及義,好行小慧,難矣哉!」

The Master said, When all day long there is no talk of right, and little wiles find favour, the company is in hard case.

17. 子曰:「君子義以為質,禮以行之,孫以出之,信以成之,君子哉!」

The Master said, Right is the stuff of which a gentleman is made. Done with courtesy, spoken with humility, rounded with truth, right makes a gentleman.

18. 子曰:「君子病無能焉,不病人之不己知也。」

The Master said, His shortcomings trouble a gentleman; to be unknown does not trouble him.

19. 子曰:「君子疾沒世而名不稱焉。」

The Master said, A gentleman fears that his name shall be no more heard when life is done.

20. 子曰:「君子求諸己,小人求諸人。」

The Master said, A gentleman asks of himself, the small man asks of others.

Author: Confucius (孔夫子); translated by James Legge

The Master said, A high will, or a loving heart, will not seek life at cost of love. To fulfil love they will kill the body.

衛靈公第十五

BOOK XV

1. 衛靈公問陳於孔子,孔子對曰:「俎豆之事,則嘗聞之矣;軍旅之事,未之學也。」 明日遂行。在陳絕糧。從者病,莫能興。子路慍見曰:「君子亦有窮乎?」子曰:「君子固窮,小人窮斯濫矣。」

Ling, Duke of Wei, asked Confucius about the line of battle. Confucius answered. Of the ritual of dish and platter I have heard somewhat: I have not learnt warfare. He left the next day. In Ch'en grain ran out. His followers were too ill to rise. Tzu-lu showed that he was put out. Has a gentleman to face want too? he said. Gentlemen have indeed to face want, said the Master. The small man, when he is in want, runs to excess.

2. 子曰:「賜也,女以予為多學而識之者與?」對曰:「然,非與?」曰:「非也!予 一以貫之。」

The Master said, Tz'u, dost thou not take me for a man that has learnt much and thought it over? Yes, he answered: is it not so? No, said the Master. I string all into one.

3. 子曰:「由,知德者鮮矣!」

The Master said, Yu, how few men know great-heartedness!

4. 子曰:「無為而治者,其舜也與!夫何為哉?恭己正南面而已矣。」

The Master said, To rule doing nothing, was what Shun did. For what is there to do? Self-respect and to set the face to rule, is all.

5. 子張問「行」。子曰:「言忠信,行篤敬,雖蠻貊之邦行矣;言不忠信,行不篤敬, 雖州里行乎哉?立則見其參於前也,在輿則見其倚於衡也,夫然後行!」子張書諸紳。

Tzu-chang asked how to get on. The Master said, Be faithful and true of word, plain and lowly in thy walk; thou wilt get on even in tribal lands. If thy words be not faithful and true, thy walk not plain and lowly, wilt thou get on even in thine own town? Standing, see these words ranged before thee; driving, see them written upon the yoke. Then thou wilt get on. Tzu-chang wrote them on his girdle.

6. 子曰:「直哉史魚!邦有道如矢,邦無道如矢。君子哉蘧伯玉!邦有道則仕,邦無道 則可卷而懷之。」

The Master said, Straight indeed was the historian Yü! Like an arrow whilst the land kept the Way; and like an arrow when it lost the Way! What a gentleman was Ch'ü Po-yü! Whilst the land kept the Way he took office, and when the land had lost the Way he rolled himself up in thought.

7. 子曰:「可與言而不與之言,失人;不可與言而與之言,失言。知者不失人,亦不 失言。」

The Master said, Not to speak to him that has ears to hear is to spill the man. To speak to a man without ears to hear is to spill thy words. Wisdom spills neither man nor words.

8. 子曰:「志士仁人,無求生以害仁,有殺身以成仁。」

The Master said, A high will, or a loving heart, will not seek life at cost of love. To fulfil love they will kill the body.

9. 子貢問為仁。子曰:「工欲善其事,必先利其器。居是邦也,事其大夫之賢者,友其 士之仁者。」

Tzu-kung asked how to attain to love. The Master said, A workman bent on good work must first sharpen his tools. In the land that is thy home, serve those that are worthy among the great and make friends with loving knights.

10. 顏淵問為邦。子曰:「行夏之時,乘殷之輅,服周之冕。樂則韶舞,放鄭聲,遠佞人 。鄭聲淫,佞人殆。」

Yen Yüan asked how to rule a kingdom. The Master said, Follow the Hsia seasons, drive in the chariot of Yin, wear the head-dress of Chou, take for music the Shao and its dance. Banish the strains of Cheng and flee men that are glib; for the strains of Cheng are wanton and glib speakers are dangerous.