VIII
The Master said, “If a man in the morning hear the right way, he may die in the evening without regret.”
IX
The Master said, “A scholar, whose mind is set on truth, and who is ashamed of bad clothes and bad food, is not fit to be discoursed with.”
X
The Master said, “The superior man, in the world, does not set his mind either for anything, or against anything; what is right he will follow.”
XI
The Master said, “The superior man thinks of virtue; the small man thinks of comfort. The superior man thinks of the sanctions of law; the small man thinks of favours which he may receive.”
XII
The Master said: “He who acts with a constant view to his own advantage will be much murmured against.”
XIII
The Master said, “If a prince is able to govern his kingdom with the complaisance proper to the rules of propriety, what difficulty will he have? If he cannot govern it with that complaisance, what has he to do with the rules of propriety?”
XIV
The Master said, “A man should say, I am not concerned that I have no place, I am concerned how I may fit myself for one. I am not concerned that I am not known, I seek to be worthy to be known.”
XV
The Master said, “Shǎn, my doctrine is that of an all-pervading unity.” The disciple Tsǎng replied, “Yes.”
The Master went out, and the other disciples asked, saying, “What do his words mean?” Tsǎng said, “The doctrine of our master is to be true to the principles of our nature and the benevolent exercise of them to others—this and nothing more.”
XVI
The Master said, “The mind of the superior man is conversant with righteousness; the mind of the mean man is conversant with gain.”
XVII
The Master said, “When we see men of worth, we should think of equalling them; when we see men of a contrary character, we should turn inwards and examine ourselves.”
XVIII
The Master said, “In serving his parents, a son may remonstrate with them, but gently; when he sees that they do not incline to follow his advice, he shows an increased degree of reverence, but does not abandon his purpose; and should they punish him, he does not allow himself to murmur.”
XIX
The Master said, “While his parents are alive, the son may not go abroad to a distance. If he does go abroad, he must have a fixed place to which he goes.”
XX
The Master said, “If the son for three years does not alter from the way of his father, he may be called filial.”
XXI
The Master said, “The years of parents may by no means not be kept in the memory, as an occasion at once for joy and for fear.”
XXII
The Master said, “The reason why the ancients did not readily give utterance to their words, was that they feared lest their actions should not come up to them.”
XXIII
The Master said, “The cautious seldom err.”
XXIV
The Master said, “The superior man wishes to be slow in his speech and earnest in his conduct.”
XXV
The Master said, “Virtue is not left to stand alone. He who practises it will have neighbors.”
XXVI
Tsze-yû said, “In serving a prince, frequent remonstrances lead to disgrace. Between friends, frequent reproofs make the friendship distant.”
Book V
Kung-Ye Ch’ǎng
I
The Master said of Kung-yê Ch’ǎng that he might be wived; although he was put in bonds, he had not been guilty of any crime. Accordingly, he gave him his own daughter to wife.
Of Nan Yung he said that if the country were well governed he would not be out of office, and if it were ill-governed, he would escape punishment and disgrace. He gave him the daughter of his own elder brother to wife.
II
The Master said of Tsze-chien, “Of superior virtue indeed is such a man! If there were not virtuous men in Lü, how could this man have acquired this character?”
III
Tsze-kung asked, “What do you say of me, Ts’ze?” The Master said, “You are a utensil.” “What utensil?” “A gemmed sacrificial utensil.”
IV
Someone said, “Yung is truly virtuous, but he is not ready with his tongue.”
The Master said, “What is the good of being ready with the tongue? They who encounter men with smartnesses of speech for the most part procure themselves hatred. I know not whether he be truly virtuous, but why should he show readiness of the tongue?”
V
The Master was wishing Ch’î-tiâo K’âi to enter on official employment. He replied, “I am not yet able to rest in the assurance of this.” The Master was pleased.
VI
The Master said, “My doctrines make no way. I will get upon a raft, and float about on the sea. He that will accompany me will be Yû, I dare say.” Tsze-lû hearing this was glad, upon which the Master said, “Yû is fonder of daring than I am. He does not exercise his judgment upon matters.”
VII
Mǎng Wû asked about Tsze-lû, whether he was perfectly virtuous. The Master said, “I do not know.”
He asked again, when the Master replied, “In a kingdom of a thousand chariots, Yû might be employed to manage the military levies, but I do not know whether he be perfectly virtuous.”
“And what do you say of Ch’iû?” The Master replied, “In a city of a thousand families, or a clan of a hundred chariots, Ch’iû might be employed as governor, but I do not know whether he is
