Analects, Book 6 · Analects of Confucius – Legge & Chinese · Verses Across
Confucianism · The Four Books
Analects, Book 6
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Confucianism · The Four Books
Analects, Book 6
LeggeEnglish
ChineseChinese
1. The Master said, 'There is Yung!-- He might occupy the place of a prince.' 2. Chung-kung asked about Tsze-sang Po-tsze. The Master said, 'He may pass. He does not mind small matters.' 3. Chung-kung said, 'If a man cherish in himself a reverential feeling of the necessity of attention to business, though he may be easy in small matters in his government of the people, that may be allowed. But if he cherish in himself that easy feeling, and also carry it out in his practice, is not such an easy mode of procedure excessive?' 4. The Master said, 'Yung's words are right.'
The Duke Ai asked which of the disciples loved to learn. Confucius replied to him, 'There was Yen Hui; HE loved to learn. He did not transfer his anger; he did not repeat a fault. Unfortunately, his appointed time was short and he died; and now there is not such another. I have not yet heard of any one who loves to learn as he did.'
哀公問弟子孰為好學。孔子對曰、有顏回者好學、不遷怒、不貳過、不幸短命死矣、今也則亡、未聞好學者也。
1. Tsze-hwa being employed on a mission to Ch'i, the disciple Zan requested grain for his mother. The Master said, 'Give her a fu.' Yen requested more. 'Give her an yu,' said the Master. Yen gave her five ping. 2. The Master said, 'When Ch'ih was proceeding to Ch'i, he had fat horses to his carriage, and wore light furs. I have heard that a superior man helps the distressed, but does not add to the wealth of the rich.' 3. Yuan Sze being made governor of his town by the Master, he gave him nine hundred measures of grain, but Sze declined them. 4. The Master said, 'Do not decline them. May you not give them away in the neighborhoods, hamlets, towns, and villages?'
The Master, speaking of Chung-kung, said, 'If the calf of a brindled cow be red and horned, although men may not wish to use it, would the spirits of the mountains and rivers put it aside?'
子謂仲弓曰、犁牛之子騂且角、雖欲勿用、山川其舍諸。
The Master said, 'Such was Hui that for three months there would be nothing in his mind contrary to perfect virtue. The others may attain to this on some days or in some months, but nothing more.'
子曰、回也、其心三月不違仁、其餘、則日月至焉而已矣。
Chi K'ang asked about Chung-yu, whether he was fit to be employed as an officer of government. The Master said, 'Yu is a man of decision; what difficulty would he find in being an officer of government?' K'ang asked, 'Is Ts'ze fit to be employed as an officer of government?' and was answered, 'Ts'ze is a man of intelligence; what difficulty would he find in being an officer of government?' And to the same question about Ch'iu the Master gave the same reply, saying, 'Ch'iu is a man of various ability.'
The chief of the Chi family sent to ask Min Tsze-ch'ien to be governor of Pi. Min Tsze-ch'ien said, 'Decline the offer for me politely. If any one come again to me with a second invitation, I shall be obliged to go and live on the banks of the Wan.'
季氏使閔子騫為費宰、閔子騫曰、善為我辭焉、如有復我者、則吾必在汶上矣。
Po-niu being ill, the Master went to ask for him. He took hold of his hand through the window, and said, 'It is killing him. It is the appointment of Heaven, alas! That such a man should have such a sickness! That such a man should have such a sickness!'
伯牛有疾、子問之、自牖執其手、曰、亡之、命矣夫、斯人也、而有斯疾也、斯人也、而有斯疾也。
The Master said, 'Admirable indeed was the virtue of Hui! With a single bamboo dish of rice, a single gourd dish of drink, and living in his mean narrow lane, while others could not have endured the distress, he did not allow his joy to be affected by it. Admirable indeed was the virtue of Hui!'
子曰、賢哉回也、一簞食、一瓢飲、在陋巷、人不堪其憂、回也不改其樂、賢哉回也。
Yen Ch'iu said, 'It is not that I do not delight in your doctrines, but my strength is insufficient.' The Master said, 'Those whose strength is insufficient give over in the middle of the way but now you limit yourself.'
冉求曰、非不說子之道、力不足也。子曰、力不足者、中道而廢、今女畫。
The Master said to Tsze-hsia, 'Do you be a scholar after the style of the superior man, and not after that of the mean man.'
子謂子夏曰、女為君子儒、無為小人儒。
Tsze-yu being governor of Wu-ch'ang, the Master said to him, 'Have you got good men there?' He answered, 'There is Tan-t'ai Mieh-ming, who never in walking takes a short cut, and never comes to my office, excepting on public business.'
子游為武城宰、子曰、女得人焉耳乎。曰、有澹臺滅明者、行不由徑、非公事、未嘗至於偃之室也。
The Master said, 'Mang Chih-fan does not boast of his merit. Being in the rear on an occasion of flight, when they were about to enter the gate, he whipped up his horse, saying, "It is not that I dare to be last. My horse would not advance."'
子曰、孟之反不伐、奔而殿、將入門、策其馬、曰、非敢後也、馬不進也。
The Master said, 'Without the specious speech of the litanist T'o and the beauty of the prince Chao of Sung, it is difficult to escape in the present age.'
子曰、不有祝鮀之佞、而有宋朝之美、難乎免於今之世矣。
The Master said, 'Who can go out but by the door? How is it that men will not walk according to these ways?'
子曰、誰能出不由戶？何莫由斯道也。
The Master said, 'Where the solid qualities are in excess of accomplishments, we have rusticity; where the accomplishments are in excess of the solid qualities, we have the manners of a clerk. When the accomplishments and solid qualities are equally blended, we then have the man of virtue.'
子曰、質勝文則野、文勝質則史、文質彬彬、然後君子。
The Master said, 'Man is born for uprightness. If a man lose his uprightness, and yet live, his escape from death is the effect of mere good fortune.'
子曰、人之生也直、罔之生也、幸而免。
The Master said, 'They who know the truth are not equal to those who love it, and they who love it are not equal to those who delight in it.'
子曰、知之者、不如好之者、好之者、不如樂之者。
The Master said, 'To those whose talents are above mediocrity, the highest subjects may be announced. To those who are below mediocrity, the highest subjects may not be announced.'
子曰、中人以上、可以語上也、中人以下、不可以語上也。
Fan Ch'ih asked what constituted wisdom. The Master said, 'To give one's self earnestly to the duties due to men, and, while respecting spiritual beings, to keep aloof from them, may be called wisdom.' He asked about perfect virtue. The Master said, 'The man of virtue makes the difficulty to be overcome his first business, and success only a subsequent consideration;-- this may be called perfect virtue.'
樊遲問知。子曰、務民之義、敬鬼神而遠之、可謂知矣。問仁。曰、仁者先難而後獲、可謂仁矣。
The Master said, 'The wise find pleasure in water; the virtuous find pleasure in hills. The wise are active; the virtuous are tranquil. The wise are joyful; the virtuous are long-lived.'
子曰、知者樂水、仁者樂山、知者動、仁者靜。知者樂、仁者壽。
The Master said, 'Ch'i, by one change, would come to the State of Lu. Lu, by one change, would come to a State where true principles predominated.'
子曰、齊一變、至於魯、魯一變、至於道。
The Master said, 'A cornered vessel without corners.-- A strange cornered vessel! A strange cornered vessel!'
子曰、觚不觚、觚哉觚哉。
Tsai Wo asked, saying, 'A benevolent man, though it be told him,-- 'There is a man in the well' will go in after him, I suppose.' Confucius said, 'Why should he do so?' A superior man may be made to go to the well, but he cannot be made to go down into it. He may be imposed upon, but he cannot be fooled.'
The Master said, 'The superior man, extensively studying all learning, and keeping himself under the restraint of the rules of propriety, may thus likewise not overstep what is right.'
子曰、君子博學於文、約之以禮、亦可以弗畔矣夫。
The Master having visited Nan-tsze, Tsze-lu was displeased, on which the Master swore, saying, 'Wherein I have done improperly, may Heaven reject me, may Heaven reject me!'
子見南子、子路不說、夫子矢之、曰、予所否者、天厭之、天厭之。
The Master said, 'Perfect is the virtue which is according to the Constant Mean! Rare for a long time has been its practise among the people.'
子曰、中庸之為德也、其至矣乎、民鮮久矣。
1. Tsze-kung said, 'Suppose the case of a man extensively conferring benefits on the people, and able to assist all, what would you say of him? Might he be called perfectly virtuous?' The Master said, 'Why speak only of virtue in connexion with him? Must he not have the qualities of a sage? Even Yao and Shun were still solicitous about this. 2. 'Now the man of perfect virtue, wishing to be established himself, seeks also to establish others; wishing to be enlarged himself, he seeks also to enlarge others. 3. 'To be able to judge of others by what is nigh in ourselves;-- this may be called the art of virtue.'
