XIV
Yen Yû said, “Is our Master for the ruler of Wei?” Tsze-kung said, “Oh! I will ask him.”
He went in accordingly, and said, “What sort of men were Po-î and Shû-ch’î?” “They were ancient worthies,” said the Master. “Did they have any repinings because of their course?” The Master again replied, “They sought to act virtuously, and they did so; what was there for them to repine about?” On this, Tsze-kung went out and said, “Our Master is not for him.”
XV
The Master said, “With coarse rice to eat, with water to drink, and my bended arm for a pillow;—I have still joy in the midst of these things. Riches and honours acquired by unrighteousness, are to me as a floating cloud.”
XVI
The Master said, “If some years were added to my life, I would give fifty to the study of the Yî, and then I might come to be without great faults.”
XVII
The Master’s frequent themes of discourse were—the Odes, the History, and the maintenance of the Rules of Propriety. On all these he frequently discoursed.
XVIII
The Duke of Sheh asked Tsze-lû about Confucius, and Tsze-lû did not answer him.
The Master said, “Why did you not say to him—He is simply a man, who in his eager pursuit (of knowledge) forgets his food, who in the joy of its attainment forgets his sorrows, and who does not perceive that old age is coming on?”
XIX
The Master said, “I am not one who was born in the possession of knowledge; I am one who is fond of antiquity, and earnest in seeking it there.”
XX
The subjects on which the Master did not talk, were—extraordinary things, feats of strength, disorder, and spiritual beings.
XXI
The Master said, “When I walk along with two others, they may serve me as my teachers. I will select their good qualities and follow them, their bad qualities and avoid them.”
XXII
The Master said, “Heaven produced the virtue that is in me. Hwan T’ûi—what can he do to me?”
XXIII
The Master said, “Do you think, my disciples, that I have any concealments? I conceal nothing from you. There is nothing which I do that is not shown to you, my disciples;—that is my way.”
XXIV
There were four things which the Master taught—letters, ethics, devotion of soul, and truthfulness.
XXV
The Master said, “A sage it is not mine to see; could I see a man of real talent and virtue, that would satisfy me.”
The Master said, “A good man it is not mine to see; could I see a man possessed of constancy, that would satisfy me.
“Having not and yet affecting to have, empty and yet affecting to be full, straitened and yet affecting to be at ease:—it is difficult with such characteristics to have constancy.”
XXVI
The Master angled—but did not use a net. He shot—but not at birds perching.
XXVII
The Master said, “There may be those who act without knowing why. I do not do so. Hearing much and selecting what is good and following it; seeing much and keeping it in memory:—this is the second style of knowledge.”
XXVIII
It was difficult to talk (profitably and reputably) with the people of Hû-hsiang, and a lad of that place having had an interview with the Master, the disciples doubted.
The Master said, “I admit people’s approach to me without committing myself as to what they may do when they have retired. Why must one be so severe? If a man purify himself to wait upon me, I receive him so purified, without guaranteeing his past conduct.”
XXIX
The Master said, “Is virtue a thing remote? I wish to be virtuous, and lo! virtue is at hand.”
XXX
The minister of crime of Ch’ǎn asked whether the duke Châo knew propriety, and Confucius said, “He knew propriety.”
Confucius having retired, the minister bowed to Wû-mâ Ch’î to come forward, and said, “I have heard that the superior man is not a partisan. May the superior man be a partisan also? The prince married a daughter of the house of Wû, of the same surname with himself, and called her—‘The elder Tsze of Wû.’ If the prince knew propriety, who does not know it?”
Wû-mâ Ch’î reported these remarks, and the Master said, “I am fortunate! If I have any errors, people are sure to know them.”
XXXI
When the Master was in company with a person who was singing, if he sang well, he would make him repeat the song, while he accompanied it with his own voice.
XXXII
The Master said, “In letters I am perhaps equal to other men, but the character of the superior man, carrying out in his conduct what he professes, is what I have not yet attained to.”
XXXIII
The Master said, “The sage and the man of perfect virtue;—how dare I rank myself with them? It may simply be said of me, that I strive to become such without satiety, and teach others without weariness.” Kung-hsî Hwâ said, “This is just what we, the disciples, cannot imitate you in.”
XXXIV
The Master being very sick, Tsze-lû asked leave to pray for him. He said, “May such a thing be done?” Tsze-lû replied, “It may. In the Eulogies it is said, ‘Prayer has been made for thee to the spirits of the upper and lower worlds.’ ” The Master said, “My praying has been for a long time.”
XXXV
The Master said, “Extravagance leads to insubordination, and parsimony to meanness. It is better to be mean than to be insubordinate.”
XXXVI
The Master said, “The superior man is satisfied and composed; the mean man is always full of
