Book 12 顏淵篇第十二

12.1 Yan Yuan asked about humaneness. The Master said: "To master oneself and return to ritual is humaneness. Once a man masters himself and returns to ritual, the world turns to humaneness. Humaneness comes from oneself — how could it come from others?" Yan Yuan said: "May I ask its particulars?" The Master said: "Look at nothing contrary to ritual; hear nothing contrary to ritual; speak nothing contrary to ritual; do nothing contrary to ritual." Yan Yuan said: "Though I am not quick, I will set myself to practice these words."12.2 Zhonggong asked about humaneness. The Master said: "Going out, behave as though meeting a great guest; directing the people, as though presiding at a great sacrifice. What you do not want for yourself, do not put upon others. Then in the state none will resent you, and in the family none will resent you." Zhonggong said: "Though I am not quick, I will set myself to practice these words."12.3 Sima Niu asked about humaneness. The Master said: "The humane man is slow to speak." He said: "Slow to speak — is that called humaneness?" The Master said: "When doing it is hard, can speaking of it be other than slow?"12.4 Sima Niu asked about the noble man. The Master said: "The noble man is free of sorrow and fear." He said: "Free of sorrow and fear — is that called a noble man?" The Master said: "When he examines himself and finds no fault, what has he to sorrow over or fear?"12.5 Sima Niu said with sorrow: "Every man has brothers; I alone have none." Zixia said: "I have heard: 'Death and life are fate; wealth and honor are from Heaven.' If a noble man is reverent and without fault, and toward others respectful and courteous, then within the four seas all men are his brothers. How should a noble man grieve that he has no brothers?"12.6 Zizhang asked about understanding. The Master said: "When slander that seeps in like water, and complaints that sting the skin, cannot get through — that may be called understanding. When such slander and complaints cannot get through — that may be called far-sighted."12.7 Zigong asked about government. The Master said: "Sufficient food, sufficient arms, and the trust of the people." Zigong said: "If one had to do without, which of these three first?" He said: "Do without arms." Zigong said: "If one still had to do without, which of the two first?" He said: "Do without food. From of old all men die; but a people without trust cannot stand."12.8 Ji Zicheng said: "A noble man is substance alone; what need has he of ornament?" Zigong said: "A pity that you should speak so of the noble man, sir! A team of four horses cannot overtake the tongue. Ornament is substance and substance is ornament. The hide of a tiger or leopard, stripped of its hair, is no different from that of a dog or sheep."12.9 Duke Ai asked Youzi: "This year the harvest fails and the revenues fall short — what should be done?" Youzi answered: "Why not tax a tenth?" The Duke said: "Two-tenths is not enough for me — how could a tenth do?" He answered: "When the people have enough, who is there to be without? When the people have not enough, who is there to have enough?"12.10 Zizhang asked about exalting virtue and distinguishing what confuses. The Master said: "To hold to loyalty and trust, and to move toward what is right — that is exalting virtue. To love a man and wish him life, to hate him and wish him death, and at once to wish him life and wish him death — that is confusion. 'Truly it is not for wealth, but only for the strangeness of it.'"12.11 Duke Jing of Qi asked Confucius about government. Confucius answered: "Let the ruler be a ruler, the minister a minister, the father a father, the son a son." The Duke said: "Excellent! Truly, if the ruler is no ruler, the minister no minister, the father no father, the son no son, though there be grain, could I eat it?"12.12 The Master said: "He who can settle a lawsuit with half a word — is it not You?" Zilu never slept on a promise.12.13 The Master said: "In hearing lawsuits I am like other men. What is needed is to make lawsuits cease."12.14 Zizhang asked about government. The Master said: "Abide in it without weariness; carry it out with loyalty."12.15 The Master said: "Learn widely in culture and hold it fast with ritual — then you will not go astray."12.16 The Master said: "The noble man completes what is beautiful in others and does not complete what is evil in them. The small man is the opposite."12.17 Ji Kangzi asked Confucius about government. Confucius answered: "Government is rectitude. If you lead with rectitude, who would dare not be upright?"12.18 Ji Kangzi was troubled by thieves and asked Confucius. Confucius answered: "If you yourself were free of desire, though you paid them they would not steal."12.19 Ji Kangzi asked Confucius about government, saying: "What if I kill the lawless to further the lawful?" Confucius answered: "In governing, why use killing? If you desire good, the people will be good. The virtue of the noble man is wind; the virtue of the small man is grass. Grass bent by wind must bow down."12.20 Zizhang asked: "How should a scholar be so as to be called distinguished?" The Master said: "What do you mean by distinguished?" Zizhang answered: "In the state he is sure to be known; in the family he is sure to be known." The Master said: "That is notoriety, not distinction. The distinguished man is upright and loves what is right, examines words and observes faces, and is careful to put himself below others. In the state he is sure to be distinguished; in the family he is sure to be distinguished. As for the notorious man, he takes on the look of humaneness while acting against it, and rests in it without doubt. In the state he is sure to be known; in the family he is sure to be known."12.21 Fan Chi was walking with the Master below the rain-altar. He said: "May I ask about exalting virtue, repairing secret faults, and distinguishing confusion?" The Master said: "A good question! To put the deed first and the reward after — is that not exalting virtue? To attack one's own evil and not the evil of others — is that not repairing secret faults? In a moment's anger to forget oneself and one's parents — is that not confusion?"12.22 Fan Chi asked about humaneness. The Master said: "To love men." He asked about knowledge. The Master said: "To know men." Fan Chi did not grasp it. The Master said: "Raise the straight and set them over the crooked, and you can make the crooked straight." Fan Chi withdrew and, seeing Zixia, said: "Just now I saw the Master and asked about knowledge; he said, 'Raise the straight and set them over the crooked, and you can make the crooked straight.' What does it mean?" Zixia said: "How rich in meaning! Shun had the world, chose from the multitude, and raised Gao Yao — and the inhuman drew away. Tang had the world, chose from the multitude, and raised Yi Yin — and the inhuman drew away."12.23 Zigong asked about friendship. The Master said: "Advise him loyally and guide him well; if that fails, stop — do not disgrace yourself."12.24 Zengzi said: "The noble man gathers friends by his culture, and by his friends supports his humaneness."

12.1 Yan Yuan asked about goodness. The Master said: "Control yourself and get back to proper behavior — that's goodness. Do it for one day and the whole world turns to goodness. Goodness comes from you — how could it come from others?" Yan Yuan said: "What are the steps?" The Master said: "Don't look at anything improper, don't listen to anything improper, don't say anything improper, don't do anything improper." Yan Yuan said: "I'm not smart, but I'll try to live by that."12.2 Zhonggong asked about goodness. The Master said: "Going out, act like you're meeting an important guest. Dealing with the people, act like you're at a big sacrifice. What you don't want for yourself, don't do to others. Then nobody in the state or in the family will resent you." Zhonggong said: "I'm not smart, but I'll try to live by that."12.3 Sima Niu asked about goodness. The Master said: "A good person speaks slowly." He said: "Speaking slowly — that's goodness?" The Master said: "If doing it is hard, shouldn't talking about it be slow?"12.4 Sima Niu asked about being a good person. The Master said: "A good person has no worries and no fears." He said: "No worries, no fears — that's it?" The Master said: "If you look inside and find nothing wrong, what's to worry or fear?"12.5 Sima Niu said sadly: "Everyone has brothers; I have none." Zixia said: "I've heard: 'Life and death are fate; wealth and rank come from Heaven.' If a good man is respectful and does nothing wrong, and treats people politely, then everyone in the world is his brother. Why would a good man worry about having no brothers?"12.6 Zizhang asked about being clear-sighted. The Master said: "When sly gossip and nasty complaints can't get through to you, that's clear-sighted. When they can't get through, you're seeing far ahead."12.7 Zigong asked about government. The Master said: "Enough food, enough weapons, and the people's trust." Zigong said: "If you had to drop one, which first?" He said: "Weapons." Zigong said: "If you had to drop another, which first?" He said: "Food. Everyone dies eventually, but a people without trust can't stand."12.8 Ji Zicheng said: "A gentleman just needs substance — what's the point of outward polish?" Zigong said: "Too bad you put it that way about a gentleman! A fast team of horses can't catch your tongue. Polish is substance and substance is polish. Strip the hair off a tiger's or leopard's hide and it looks like a dog's or sheep's."12.9 Duke Ai asked Youzi: "The harvest's bad and money's short — what do I do?" Youzi said: "Why not take a tenth?" The Duke said: "Twenty percent isn't enough for me — how would ten do?" He said: "If the people have enough, who's short? If the people are short, who has enough?"12.10 Zizhang asked about building character and spotting confusion. The Master said: "Put loyalty and honesty first and move toward what's right — that builds character. Loving someone and wanting them alive, hating them and wanting them dead, wanting both at once — that's confusion. 'It's not for wealth, it's just for the oddity.'"12.11 Duke Jing of Qi asked Confucius about government. Confucius said: "Let the ruler act like a ruler, the minister like a minister, the father like a father, the son like a son." The Duke said: "Great! If a ruler isn't a ruler, a minister isn't a minister, a father isn't a father, a son isn't a son — even if there's grain, could I eat it?"12.12 The Master said: "The guy who can settle a court case with half a sentence — is that You?" Zilu never made a promise and left it overnight.12.13 The Master said: "In judging court cases I'm like anyone else. What I want is to make cases stop happening."12.14 Zizhang asked about government. The Master said: "Do the work without getting bored, and do it with loyalty."12.15 The Master said: "Learn widely in culture and keep it in check with proper behavior — then you won't go wrong."12.16 The Master said: "A good person helps others do good things and doesn't help them do bad things. A small person does the opposite."12.17 Ji Kangzi asked Confucius about government. Confucius said: "Government means doing right. If you lead by doing right, who'd dare do wrong?"12.18 Ji Kangzi worried about thieves and asked Confucius. Confucius said: "If you didn't want things so much, they wouldn't steal even if you paid them."12.19 Ji Kangzi asked Confucius: "What if I kill the lawless to help the lawful?" Confucius said: "Why kill? If you want good, the people will be good. A good leader is wind; ordinary people are grass. Wind over grass, and the grass bends."12.20 Zizhang asked: "What makes a scholar distinguished?" The Master said: "What do you mean by distinguished?" Zizhang said: "In the state he's known, in his family he's known." The Master said: "That's fame, not distinction. A distinguished man is honest, loves what's right, reads people carefully, and puts himself last. In the state he's distinguished; in his family he's distinguished. A famous man pretends to be good but acts badly, and never doubts himself. In the state he's known; in his family he's known."12.21 Fan Chi was walking with the Master below the rain altar and said: "Can I ask about building character, fixing hidden faults, and spotting confusion?" The Master said: "Good question! Work first and think about rewards later — that's building character. Attack your own faults, not other people's — that's fixing hidden faults. Losing your temper for one moment and forgetting yourself and your family — that's confusion."12.22 Fan Chi asked about goodness. The Master said: "Love people." He asked about wisdom. The Master said: "Know people." Fan Chi didn't get it. The Master said: "Promote the honest and put them above the crooked, and you can make the crooked honest." Fan Chi left, saw Zixia, and said: "Earlier I asked the Master about wisdom, and he said, 'Promote the honest and put them above the crooked, and you can make the crooked honest.' What did he mean?" Zixia said: "What a deep saying! Shun had the empire, picked from the crowd, promoted Gao Yao, and bad people went away. Tang had the empire, picked from the crowd, promoted Yi Yin, and bad people went away."12.23 Zigong asked about friendship. The Master said: "Give honest advice and guide them well; if they won't listen, stop — don't humiliate yourself."12.24 Zengzi said: "A good person makes friends through learning, and uses friends to support his goodness."