translation by A. Charles Muller<\/a>)<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
[2:2]\u00a0The Master said: \u201cThe 300 verses of the\u00a0Book of Odes\u00a0can be summed up in a single phrase: \u2018Don’t think in an evil way.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
[2:3]\u00a0The Master said: \u201cIf you govern the people legalistically and control them by punishment, they will avoid crime, but have no personal sense of shame. If you govern them by means of virtue and control them with propriety, they will gain their own sense of shame, and thus correct themselves.\u201d<\/p>\n
[2:4]\u00a0The Master said: \u201cAt fifteen my heart was set on learning; at thirty I stood firm; at forty I was unperturbed; at fifty I knew the mandate of heaven; at sixty my ear was obedient; at seventy I could follow my heart’s desire without transgressing the norm.\u201d<\/p>\n
[2:5]\u00a0Mengyi Zi asked about the meaning of filial piety. Confucius said, \u201cIt means \u2018not diverging (from your parents).\u2019\u201d Later, when Fan Chi was driving him, Confucius told Fan Chi, \u201cMengsun asked me about the meaning of filial piety, and I told him \u2018not diverging.\u2019\u201d Fan Chi said, \u201cWhat did you mean by that?\u201d Confucius said, \u201cWhen your parents are alive, serve them with propriety; when they die, bury them with propriety, and then worship them with propriety.\u201d<\/p>\n
[2:7]\u00a0Zi You asked about the meaning of filial piety. Confucius said, \u201cNowadays filial piety means being able to feed your parents. But everyone does this for even horses and dogs. Without respect, what’s the difference?\u201d<\/p>\n
[2:8]\u00a0Zi Xia asked about filial piety. Confucius said, \u201cWhat is important is the expression you show in your face. You should not understand \u2018filial\u2019 to mean merely the young doing physical tasks for their parents, or giving them food and wine when it is available.\u201d<\/p>\n
[2:13]\u00a0Zi Gong asked about the character of the noble man. Confucius said, \u201cFirst he practices what he preaches and then he follows it.\u201d<\/p>\n
[2:14]\u00a0The Master said: \u201cThe noble man is all-embracing and not partial. The inferior man is partial and not all-embracing.\u201d<\/p>\n
[2:15]\u00a0The Master said: \u201cTo study and not think is a waste. To think and not study is dangerous.\u201d<\/p>\n
[2:17]\u00a0The Master said: \u201cYou, shall I teach you about knowledge? What you know, you know, what you don’t know, you don’t know. This is knowledge.\u201d<\/p>\n
[2:19]\u00a0The Duke of Ai asked: \u201cHow can I make the people follow me?\u201d Confucius replied: \u201cAdvance the upright and set aside the crooked, and the people will follow you. Advance the crooked and set aside the upright, and the people will not follow you.\u201d<\/p>\n
[2:20]\u00a0Ji Kang Zi asked: \u201cHow can I make the people reverent and loyal, so they will work positively for me?\u201d Confucius said, \u201cApproach them with dignity, and they will be reverent. Be filial and compassionate and they will be loyal. Promote the able and teach the incompetent, and they will work positively for you.\u201d<\/p>\n
[7:4]\u00a0During the Master’s leisure time he was relaxed and enjoyed himself.<\/p>\n
[7:16]\u00a0The Master said: \u201cI can live with coarse rice to eat, water for drink and my arm as a pillow and still be happy. Wealth and honors that one possesses in the midst of injustice are like floating clouds.\u201d<\/p>\n
[7:17]\u00a0The Master said: \u201cIf I could add several years to my life, I would have studied the\u00a0Changes\u00a0from the age of fifty and become free of error.\u201d<\/p>\n
[7:18]\u00a0Topics which the Teacher regularly discussed were the\u00a0Book of Odes, the\u00a0Book of History, and the maintenance of propriety. These were the topics which he regularly discussed.<\/p>\n
[7:19]\u00a0The Duke of Sheh asked Zi Lu about Confucius. Zi Lu didn’t answer him. The Teacher said, \u201cWhy didn’t you just tell him that I am a man who in eagerness for study forgets to eat, in his enjoyment of it, forgets his problems and who is unaware of old age setting in?\u201d<\/p>\n
[7:20]\u00a0The Master said: \u201cI was not born with wisdom. I love the ancient teachings and have worked hard to attain to their level.\u201d<\/p>\n
[7:21]\u00a0The master never discussed strange phenomena, physical exploits, disorder or ghost stories.<\/p>\n
[7:22]\u00a0The Master said: \u201cWhen doing something together as a threesome, there must be one who will have something to teach me. I pick out people’s good and follow it. When I see their bad points, I correct them in myself.\u201d<\/p>\n
[7:26]\u00a0The Master said: \u201cI have not yet been able to meet a sage, but I would be satisfied to meet a noble man. I have not yet met a man of true goodness, but would be satisfied to meet a man of constancy. Lacking, yet possessing; empty, yet full; in difficulty yet at ease. How difficult it is to have constancy!\u201d<\/p>\n
[7:37]\u00a0The Master said: \u201cThe noble man is always at ease with himself. The inferior man is always anxious.\u201d<\/p>\n
[11:24]\u00a0Zi Lu (You), Zi Xi (Qiu), Zan You (Chi) and Gong Xihua (Dian) were sitting with the Master. Confucius said, \u201cAlthough I am a day or so older than you fellows, forget about it for the time being. You are all always saying: \u2018Our talents are unrecognized.\u2019 Suppose your abilities were fully acknowledged. What would you do then?\u201d<\/p>\n
Zi Lu jumped to reply first, saying: \u201cI would like to be in the position of the charge of a thousand-carriage state (a relatively small state) which was being threatened by the armies of the surrounding larger states, and suffering from crop failure. If I were in this position, within three years my people would be fearless and know how to take care of themselves.\u201d<\/p>\n
Confucius laughed at him.<\/p>\n
He turned to Qiu and said, \u201cWhat about you?\u201d<\/p>\n
Qiu said, \u201cLet me have the government of a territory of 60 to 70\u00a0li, or maybe 50 to 60\u00a0li, for three years, and the people would have all they need. As for handling the affairs of ritual and music, I would seek the services of a noble man.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cChi, what about you?\u201d<\/p>\n
Chi said, \u201cI cannot say I am capable of what the other two have proposed, though I would like to work toward it. At the services at the ancestral hall, or at the audiences with the Prince, I would like to serve as a minor assistant, dressed in the ceremonial gown and cap.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDian, what about you?\u201d<\/p>\n
Dian set his lute down with its strings still ringing, and stood up. \u201cWhat I would like to do,\u201dhe said, \u201cis quite different from these three.\u201dThe Master said, \u201cWhat harm can there be? Please speak as the others have.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dian said, \u201cAt the height of spring, all decked out in spring clothes, I would like to take five or six young men, and six or seven youngsters to go for a swim in the Yi river, enjoying the cool breeze at the Rain Dance Festival, and make our way back home, singing.\u201d<\/p>\n
Confucius sighed, and said, \u201cAh, lovely. I am with you, Dian (i.e. you are the man after my own heart).\u201d<\/p>\n
[4:9] \u201cA shi (scholar, noble man) who is set on the way, but is ashamed of old clothes and coarse food, is not worth consulting.\u201d<\/p>\n
[8:21]\u00a0The Master said: \u201cYu was flawless in character. Surviving on the simplest food and drink, yet perfect in his piety to the ancestral spirits. Normally wearing coarse clothing, he looked magnificent in his ceremonial cap and gown. Living in a humble abode, he exhausted himself in the excavation of drainage ways and canals. I cannot find a flaw in his character!\u201d<\/p>\n
[12:7]\u00a0Zi Gong asked about government.<\/p>\n
The Master said, \u201cEnough food, enough weapons and the confidence of the people.\u201d<\/p>\n
Zi Gong said, \u201cSuppose you had no alternative but to give up one of these three, which one would be let go of first?\u201d<\/p>\n
The Master said, \u201cWeapons.\u201d<\/p>\n
Zi Gong said \u201cWhat if you had to give up one of the remaining two which one would it be?\u201d<\/p>\n
The Master said, \u201cFood. From ancient times, death has come to all men, but a people without confidence in its rulers will not stand.\u201d<\/p>\n
[13:10]\u00a0The Master said: \u201cIf any of the rulers were to employ me, I would have control of the situation within a month, and would have everything straightened out within three years.\u201d<\/p>\n
[13:11]\u00a0The Master said: \u201cIf good men were to govern a country for a hundred years, they could overcome cruelty and do away with killing. How true this saying is!\u201d<\/p>\n
[13:15]\u00a0Duke Ding asked if there were a single phrase which could uplift a country.<\/p>\n
Confucius replied: \u201cWords in themselves cannot have such an effect. Nonetheless, there is a proverb which says, \u2018Being a ruler is difficult, and being a minister is not easy.\u2019 If you really understand the difficulties of rulership, might this not be enough to uplift a country?\u201d<\/p>\n
The Duke asked further: \u201cIs this not close to the saying \u2018there a single phrase which could ruin a country?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
Confucius answered, \u201cAgain, words in themselves cannot have such an effect, but the people also have a proverb which says: \u2018I do not enjoy ruling; I only enjoy people not disagreeing with me.\u2019 Now if you are a good man and no one disagrees with you, it is fine. But if you are evil, and no one disagrees with you, perhaps you could destroy the country with a single utterance.\u201d<\/p>\n
[13:16]\u00a0The Duke of She asked about government. Confucius said, \u201cIf you do it right, then those close to you will be happy, and those who are far away will come to you.\u201d<\/p>\n
[8:13]\u00a0The Master said: \u201cBe of unwavering good faith and love learning. Be steadfast unto death in pursuit of the good Way. Do not enter a state which is in peril, nor reside in one which people have rebelled. When the Way prevails in the world, show yourself. When it does not, then hide. When the Way prevails in your own state, to be poor and obscure is a disgrace. But when the Way does not prevail in your own state, to be rich and honored is a disgrace.\u201d<\/p>\n
[9:4]\u00a0There were four things the master had eliminated from himself: imposing his will, arbitrariness, stubbornness and egotism.<\/p>\n
[9:5] There was fear for the Master’s life when he was in the district of Guang. He said, \u201cKing Wen\u00a0has already died, but his learning abides within me. If Heaven intended to destroy this \u2018culture,\u2019 then it would have been unattainable for later generations. If Heaven does not want to destroy this learning, what can the men of Guang do to me?\u201d<\/p>\n
[6:11]\u00a0The Master said: \u201cHui was indeed a worthy! With a single bamboo bowl of rice and gourd-cup of water he lived in a back alley. Others could not have endured his misery, but Hui never changed from his happy disposition. Hui was a\u00a0worthy\u00a0indeed!\u201d<\/p>\n
[4:1]\u00a0The Master said: \u201cAs for a neighborhood, it is its\u00a0ren\u00a0that makes it beautiful. If you choose to live in a place that lacks\u00a0ren, how can you grow in wisdom?\u201d<\/p>\n
[4:5]\u00a0Confucius said, \u201cRiches and honors are what all men desire. But if they cannot be attained in accordance with the Way they should not be kept. Poverty and low status are what all men hate. But if they cannot be avoided while staying in accordance with the Way, you should not avoid them. If a noble man departs from his fundamental goodness, how can he be worthy of that name? A noble man never leaves his fundamental goodness for even the time of a single meal. In moments of haste he acts according to it. In times of difficulty or confusion he acts according to it.\u201d<\/p>\n
[4:11]\u00a0The Master said: \u201cThe noble man cares about virtue; the inferior man cares about material things. The noble man seeks discipline; the inferior man seeks favors.\u201d<\/p>\n
[8:8]\u00a0The Master said: \u201cBe aroused by poetry; structure yourself with propriety, refine yourself with music.\u201d<\/p>\n
[8:9]\u00a0The Master said: \u201cYou might force people act according a certain principle, but you won’t be able to force them to understand it.\u201d<\/p>\n
[4:15]\u00a0The Master said: \u201cShan, my Way is penetrated by a single thread.\u201d Ceng Zi said, \u201cYes.\u201d When the Master left, some disciples asked what he meant. Ceng Zi said, \u201cOur master’s Way is to be loyal and have a sense of reciprocity, and that’s it.\u201d<\/p>\n
[4:16]\u00a0The Master said: \u201cThe noble man is aware of fairness, the inferior man is aware of advantage.\u201d<\/p>\n
[4:17]\u00a0The Master said: \u201cWhen you see a good person, think of becoming like her\/him. When you see someone not so good, reflect on your own weak points.\u201d<\/p>\n
[4:18]\u00a0The Master said: \u201cWhen you serve your mother and father it is okay to try to correct them once in a while. But if you see that they are not going to listen to you, keep your respect for them and don’t distance yourself from them. Work without complaining.\u201d<\/p>\n
[12:2]\u00a0Zhong Gong asked about the meaning of\u00a0ren. The Master said: \u201cWhen you are out in the world, act as if meeting an important guest. Employ the people as if you were assisting at a great ceremony. What you don’t want done to yourself, don’t do to others. Live in your town without stirring up resentments, and live in your household without stirring up resentments.\u201d Zhong Gong said, \u201cAlthough I am not so smart, I will apply myself to this teaching.\u201d<\/p>\n
[17:5]\u00a0Zi Zhang asked Confucius about fundamental human goodness. Confucius said, \u201cIf you can practice these five things with all the people, you can be called a fundamentally good person.\u201d<\/p>\n
Zi Zhang asked what they were.<\/p>\n
Confucius said, \u201cCourtesy, generosity, honesty, persistence, and kindness. If you are courteous, you will not be disrespected; if you are generous, you will gain everything. If you are honest, people will rely on you. If you are persistent you will get results. If you are kind, you can employ people.\u201d<\/p>\n
[17:6]\u00a0The Master said: \u201cYou, have you heard the six phrases about the six distortions?\u201d You answered that he hadn’t. \u201cThen stay a moment,\u201d Confucius said, \u201cand I will tell you.\u201d<\/p>\n
If you love being kind to others, but don’t like to study, then your kindness will be distorted into simplicity.<\/p>\n
If you love wisdom, but don’t like to study, then your wisdom will be distorted into aimlessness.<\/p>\n
If you love trustworthiness, but don’t like to study, then your trust will be distorted into harm.<\/p>\n
If you love candor, but don’t like to study, your candor will be distorted into rudeness.<\/p>\n
If you love boldness, but don’t like to study, your boldness will be distorted into unruliness.<\/p>\n
If you love persistence, but don’t like to study, your persistence will be distorted into rashness.<\/p>\n
[14:34]\u00a0Someone said: \u201cWhat do you think of the saying: \u2018Repay harm with virtue\u2019?\u201d<\/p>\n
Confucius replied, \u201cThen how will you repay virtue? Repay harm with justice and repay virtue with virtue.\u201d<\/p>\n
[3:17]\u00a0Zi Gong wanted to do away with the sacrifice of the sheep on the first of the month. Confucius said, \u201cCi, you love the sheep; I love the ceremony.\u201d<\/p>\n
[13:18]\u00a0The Duke of She told Confucius: \u201cIn my land, there are righteous men. If a father steals a sheep, the son will testify against him.\u201d<\/p>\n
Confucius said, \u201cThe righteous men in my land are different from this. The father conceals the wrongs of his son, and the son conceals the wrongs of his father. This is the correct way!\u201d<\/p>\n
[11:12]\u00a0Chi Lu asked about serving the spirits. Confucius said, \u201cIf you can’t yet serve men, how can you serve the spirits?\u201d<\/p>\n
Lu said, \u201cMay I ask about death?\u201d Confucius said, \u201cIf you don’t understand what life is, how will you understand death?\u201d<\/p>\n
[17:15]\u00a0The Master said: \u201cSkillful speech and flattering expressions are seldom indicative of true goodness. \u201d<\/p>\n
[17:17]\u00a0The Master said: \u201cI wish I could avoid talking.\u201d<\/p>\n
Zi Gong said, \u201cMaster, if you didn’t speak, what would we disciples have to pass on?\u201d<\/p>\n
Confucius said, \u201cDoes Heaven speak? Yet the four seasons continue to change, and all things are born. Does Heaven speak?\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Excerpts from the Analects of Confucius (translation by A. Charles Muller) [2:2]\u00a0The Master said: \u201cThe 300 verses of the\u00a0Book of Odes\u00a0can be summed up in a single phrase: \u2018Don’t think in an evil way.\u2019\u201d [2:3]\u00a0The Master said: \u201cIf you govern the people legalistically and control them by punishment, they will avoid crime, but have […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":216,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-33","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.butler.edu\/ghs208reader\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.butler.edu\/ghs208reader\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.butler.edu\/ghs208reader\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.butler.edu\/ghs208reader\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/216"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.butler.edu\/ghs208reader\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=33"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.butler.edu\/ghs208reader\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":36,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.butler.edu\/ghs208reader\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33\/revisions\/36"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.butler.edu\/ghs208reader\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=33"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.butler.edu\/ghs208reader\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=33"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.butler.edu\/ghs208reader\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=33"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}