Book 13 子路篇第十三

13.1 Zilu asked about government. The Master said: "Go before them, and toil with them." He asked for more. He said: "Never flag."13.2 Zhonggong, as steward of the Ji family, asked about government. The Master said: "Set the officers first, pardon small faults, raise the worthy and able." He said: "How shall I know the worthy and able to raise them?" He said: "Raise those you know. And those you do not know — will others let them go?"13.3 Zilu said: "The lord of Wei awaits you to govern. What will you begin with?" The Master said: "The rectifying of names, surely!" Zilu said: "Is that so? How far you wander, Master! What is to be rectified?" The Master said: "Rude indeed are you, You! A noble man keeps silence about what he does not know. If names are not right, words are not smooth; if words are not smooth, deeds are not done; if deeds are not done, ritual and music do not flourish; if ritual and music do not flourish, punishments are not just; if punishments are not just, the people know not where to set hand or foot. Therefore a noble man must be able to speak of what he names, and what he speaks of must be doable. In his words a noble man leaves nothing to chance."13.4 Fan Chi asked to learn farming. The Master said: "I am not the equal of an old farmer." He asked to learn gardening. He said: "I am not the equal of an old gardener." Fan Chi went out. The Master said: "A small man indeed is Fan Xu! When those above love ritual, none of the people dare be disrespectful; when those above love what is right, none of the people dare disobey; when those above love trust, none of the people dare be insincere. Thus the people of the four quarters will come with their children strapped to their backs — what need of farming?"13.5 The Master said: "One who recites the three hundred Odes, yet is given government and cannot carry it out, or is sent to the four quarters and cannot answer alone — though he has read much, what of it?"13.6 The Master said: "If a man is upright in himself, things are done without orders. If he is not upright, though he orders, he is not obeyed."13.7 The Master said: "The governments of Lu and Wei are as brothers."13.8 The Master said of Prince Jing of Wei that he was good at ordering his household. When he first had something, he said: "It is just enough." When he had a little more: "It is nearly complete." When he was rich: "It is nearly beautiful."13.9 When the Master went to Wei, Ran You drove. The Master said: "How crowded!" Ran You said: "Since they are crowded, what next?" He said: "Enrich them." He said: "Since they are rich, what next?" He said: "Teach them."13.10 The Master said: "If only someone would use me, in a twelvemonth I could do something, and in three years something accomplished."13.11 The Master said: "'If good men governed a state for a hundred years, they could overcome cruelty and do away with killing.' How true that saying is!"13.12 The Master said: "If a true king arose, it would take a generation before humaneness prevailed."13.13 The Master said: "If a man sets himself right, what difficulty has he in governing? If he cannot set himself right, how can he set others right?"13.14 Ran You returned from court. The Master said: "Why so late?" He answered: "There were affairs of state." The Master said: "They were private matters. If there were affairs of state, though I am not in office, I would have heard of them."13.15 Duke Ding asked: "Is there a single word that can make a state flourish?" Confucius answered: "A word cannot be like that. But men say: 'To be a lord is hard; to be a minister is not easy.' If one knows how hard it is to be a lord — does that not come near to a single word making a state flourish?" He said: "Is there a single word that can ruin a state?" Confucius answered: "A word cannot be like that. But men say: 'I have no joy in being a lord, save that no one contradicts my words.' If the words are good and no one contradicts them, is that not good? If the words are not good and no one contradicts them — does that not come near to a single word ruining a state?"13.16 The Duke of She asked about government. The Master said: "Make those near happy, and those far away come."13.17 Zixia, as governor of Jufu, asked about government. The Master said: "Do not wish for speed; do not look at small gains. Wishing for speed, you do not reach; looking at small gains, great things are not done."13.18 The Duke of She told Confucius: "In my village there is a man of uprightness whose father stole a sheep, and the son bore witness against him." Confucius said: "In my village the upright are different from that: a father covers for his son, and a son for his father — and uprightness lies in this."13.19 Fan Chi asked about humaneness. The Master said: "In your dwelling be reverent; in handling affairs be respectful; toward others be loyal. Though you go among barbarians, do not cast these away."13.20 Zigong asked: "How should a man be so as to be called a scholar?" The Master said: "In his own conduct to have a sense of shame; sent to the four quarters, not to disgrace his lord's commission — that may be called a scholar." He said: "May I ask the next?" He said: "His clan calls him filial; his village calls him a good brother." He said: "May I ask the next?" He said: "His word is sure to be kept and his deed sure to follow through — stiff and unyielding, a small man, yet he may rank as the next." He said: "What of those who govern today?" The Master said: "Alas! Men of peck and bushel measure — how are they worth counting?"13.21 The Master said: "If I cannot find men of the middle way to work with, then the ardent and the cautious, surely! The ardent press forward; the cautious hold back from some things."13.22 The Master said: "The men of the south have a saying: 'A man without constancy cannot be a diviner or a healer.' Well said! 'If his virtue is not constant, he may yet bring shame on himself.'" The Master said: "It is simply that he is not divined for."13.23 The Master said: "The noble man is at harmony but not the same; the small man is the same but not at harmony."13.24 Zigong asked: "What if all the villagers love a man?" The Master said: "Not enough." "What if all the villagers hate him?" The Master said: "Not enough. It is better that the good among the villagers love him and the bad hate him."13.25 The Master said: "The noble man is easy to serve but hard to please. If you please him contrary to the Way, he is not pleased; and when he uses men, he gives each his measure. The small man is hard to serve but easy to please. If you please him though contrary to the Way, he is pleased; and when he uses men, he demands perfection."13.26 The Master said: "The noble man is at ease but not proud; the small man is proud but not at ease."13.27 The Master said: "Firmness, resolution, simplicity, and slowness of speech are near to humaneness."13.28 Zilu asked: "How should a man be so as to be called a scholar?" The Master said: "Earnest with his friends and warm with his brothers — that may be called a scholar. With friends, earnest urging; with brothers, cheerful warmth."13.29 The Master said: "When good men have taught the people for seven years, they may be sent to war."13.30 The Master said: "To send an untrained people into war — that is to throw them away."

13.1 Zilu asked about government. The Master said: "Lead them, then work hard alongside them." He asked for more. The Master said: "Don't get tired of it."13.2 Zhonggong was steward for the Ji family and asked about government. The Master said: "Use your officials, forgive small mistakes, promote good people." He said: "How do I know who's good enough to promote?" He said: "Promote the ones you know. And the ones you don't know — would people just let them go?"13.3 Zilu said: "The ruler of Wei is waiting for you to govern. What would you start with?" The Master said: "Getting the names right, definitely." Zilu said: "Really? You're off in the clouds, Master! What's there to fix?" The Master said: "You're a rough one, You! A gentleman doesn't talk about what he doesn't know. If names are wrong, words don't fit; if words don't fit, work doesn't get done; if work doesn't get done, ritual and music don't flourish; if ritual and music don't flourish, punishments aren't fair; if punishments aren't fair, people don't know what to do with themselves. So a gentleman has to be able to say what he means, and mean what he says. He's never careless with words."13.4 Fan Chi asked to learn farming. The Master said: "I'm not as good as an old farmer." He asked to learn gardening. The Master said: "I'm not as good as an old gardener." Fan Chi left. The Master said: "Fan Xu is a small man! When leaders respect ritual, the people won't dare be disrespectful; when leaders love what's right, the people won't dare disobey; when leaders are honest, the people will be honest too. Then people from everywhere will come carrying their kids on their backs — who needs farming?"13.5 The Master said: "Someone memorizes all three hundred poems, but when given a government job can't handle it, or sent abroad can't answer on his own — what good is all that learning?"13.6 The Master said: "If a leader is straight himself, things get done without orders. If he's not straight, nobody follows his orders."13.7 The Master said: "The government of Lu and Wei are like brothers."13.8 The Master said Prince Jing of Wei was good at managing his household. When he first had something he said: "It's enough." A little more: "It's nearly complete." Rich: "It's nearly beautiful."13.9 When the Master went to Wei, Ran You drove. The Master said: "What a crowd!" Ran You said: "Now that they're crowded, what next?" He said: "Make them rich." "Now that they're rich, what next?" He said: "Teach them."13.10 The Master said: "If someone would use me, in a year I'd have things working; in three years, real results."13.11 The Master said: "'If good people ran a state for a hundred years, they could stop cruelty and killing.' That saying is true!"13.12 The Master said: "If a real king came along, it'd take a generation before goodness spread."13.13 The Master said: "If you make yourself straight, what's hard about governing? If you can't make yourself straight, how can you straighten others?"13.14 Ran You came back from court. The Master said: "Why so late?" He said: "There were government matters." The Master said: "They were private matters. If there were real government matters, even out of office, I'd have heard about them."13.15 Duke Ding asked: "Is there one saying that can make a state thrive?" Confucius said: "No single saying can quite do that. But people say: 'Being a ruler is hard, being a minister isn't easy.' If you really know how hard it is to rule, that's close to one saying making a state thrive." "Is there one saying that can ruin a state?" Confucius said: "No single saying can quite do that. But people say: 'I don't enjoy ruling — except that nobody contradicts me.' If what you say is good and nobody contradicts you, great. If it's bad and nobody contradicts you, that's close to one saying ruining a state."13.16 The Duke of She asked about government. The Master said: "Make the people near you happy, and people far away will come."13.17 Zixia was governor of Jufu and asked about government. The Master said: "Don't rush, and don't chase small profits. Rush and you won't get there; chase small profits and big things don't get done."13.18 The Duke of She told Confucius: "In my village there's a really honest man. His father stole a sheep, and the son turned him in." Confucius said: "In my village honesty looks different: a father covers for his son and a son covers for his father — that's where honesty lives."13.19 Fan Chi asked about goodness. The Master said: "At home be respectful; at work be serious; with people be loyal. Even among barbarians, don't drop these."13.20 Zigong asked: "What makes someone a real scholar?" The Master said: "He has a sense of shame about himself, and when sent abroad he doesn't disgrace his ruler's mission — that's a scholar." "What's the next level?" "His family calls him a good son; his neighbors call him a good brother." "What's the next level?" "He keeps his word and finishes what he starts, stubbornly, like a small man — but he can count as the next level." "What about today's officials?" The Master said: "Ugh! Small-time nobodies — not worth counting."13.21 The Master said: "If I can't find steady middle-of-the-road people to work with, I'll take the eager and the cautious. The eager push forward; the cautious won't do certain things."13.22 The Master said: "People in the south say: 'A person with no steadiness can't be a fortune-teller or a doctor.' Well said! 'If you're not steady in your character, you'll bring shame on yourself.'" The Master said: "It just means you don't need to consult the oracle about him."13.23 The Master said: "A good person is in harmony but not a copy; a small person is a copy but not in harmony."13.24 Zigong asked: "What if everyone in town likes a man?" The Master said: "Not good enough." "What if everyone hates him?" The Master said: "Not good enough either. Better if the good people like him and the bad people hate him."13.25 The Master said: "A good person is easy to work for but hard to please. Please him the wrong way and he's not pleased; and when he uses people, he gives them the right job. A small person is hard to work for but easy to please — please him the wrong way and he's pleased, but when he uses people he demands perfection."13.26 The Master said: "A good person is calm, not arrogant. A small person is arrogant, not calm."13.27 The Master said: "Tough, determined, simple, and slow to talk — that's close to goodness."13.28 Zilu asked: "What makes someone a real scholar?" The Master said: "Warm and encouraging with friends, easy and happy with brothers — that's a scholar. With friends you push each other; with brothers you just enjoy each other."13.29 The Master said: "When good people have taught the people for seven years, they can be sent to war."13.30 The Master said: "Sending untrained people into war is throwing them away."