Book 14 憲問篇第十四

14.1 Xian asked about shame. The Master said: "When the state has the Way, to enjoy its pay; when the state lacks the Way, to enjoy its pay — that is shame." "If one can put aside self-assertion, boasting, resentment, and greed, may one be called humane?" The Master said: "One may be called hard to attain — but whether humane, I do not know."14.2 The Master said: "A scholar who clings to comfort is not fit to be called a scholar."14.3 The Master said: "When the state has the Way, speak boldly and act boldly; when it lacks the Way, act boldly but speak with deference."14.4 The Master said: "A man of virtue will surely have words; a man of words need not have virtue. A humane man will surely have courage; a man of courage need not have humaneness."14.5 Nangong Kuo asked Confucius: "Yi was a good archer, Ao could overturn boats and shove them across the water, yet neither died a natural death; Yu and Ji worked at the fields and gained the world." The Master did not answer. When Nangong Kuo had gone out, the Master said: "What a noble man he is! How he honors virtue!"14.6 The Master said: "A noble man lacking humaneness — there are such; but never a small man with humaneness."14.7 The Master said: "If you love him, can you spare him toil? If you are loyal to him, can you not instruct him?"14.8 The Master said: "In making proclamations, Pi Chen drafted them, Shi Shu discussed them, Ziyu the envoy polished them, and Zichan of Dongli gave them color."14.9 Someone asked about Zichan. The Master said: "A kind man." He asked about Zixi. He said: "That man! That man!" He asked about Guan Zhong. He said: "A man indeed. He took three hundred households of Pian from the head of the Bo family, so that they ate coarse food to the end of their days, and bore him no grudge."14.10 The Master said: "To be poor and free of resentment is hard; to be rich and free of pride is easy."14.11 The Master said: "Meng Gongchuo would be more than equal as a steward for the Zhao or Wei families; he could not serve as minister of Teng or Xue."14.12 Zilu asked what makes a complete man. The Master said: "The wisdom of Zang Wuzhong, the freedom from desire of Gongchuo, the courage of Bian Zhuangzi, the skill of Ran Qiu, graced with ritual and music — he might then be a complete man." He said: "But for a complete man today, why need it be so? To see gain and think of right, to see danger and offer one's life, and in old promises not to forget the words of a lifetime — such a one may be called a complete man."14.13 The Master asked Gongming Jia about Gongshu Wenzi, saying: "Is it true that he did not speak, did not laugh, did not take?" Gongming Jia answered: "Those who told you overshot. He spoke only at the right time, so men did not tire of his words; he laughed only when glad, so men did not tire of his laughter; he took only what was right, so men did not tire of his taking." The Master said: "Is that so? Is that so?"14.14 The Master said: "Zang Wuzhong, through his fief of Fang, begged that his descendants be established in Lu. Though he said it was not a demand, I do not believe it."14.15 The Master said: "Duke Wen of Jin was crafty and not upright; Duke Huan of Qi was upright and not crafty."14.16 Zilu said: "When Duke Huan killed Prince Jiu, Shao Hu died with him; Guan Zhong did not die." He said: "Was he not lacking in humaneness?" The Master said: "Duke Huan brought the lords together nine times without the chariots of war — that was Guan Zhong's strength. What humaneness! What humaneness!"14.17 Zigong said: "Guan Zhong was surely not humane? When Duke Huan killed Prince Jiu, he could not die with him, but served him as minister." The Master said: "Guan Zhong served Duke Huan, made him chief of the lords, and set the whole world in order; to this day the people receive his gifts. Were it not for Guan Zhong, we would wear our hair loose and fasten our coats on the left. Would he stoop to the trust of common men and women, strangling himself in a ditch where no one would know?"14.18 The officer Zhuan, retainer of Gongshu Wenzi, was raised with Wenzi to the rank of great officer. Hearing of it, the Master said: "He may be called 'Wen' — cultured."14.19 The Master spoke of the misrule of Duke Ling of Wei. Kangzi said: "If that is so, how is he not ruined?" Confucius said: "Zhongshu Yu handles the guests and envoys, Zhu Tuo the ancestral temple, Wangsun Jia the army. If that is so, how could he be ruined?"14.20 The Master said: "When a man speaks without shame, it is hard to carry out."14.21 Chen Chengzi murdered Duke Jian. Confucius fasted and bathed, then went to court and told Duke Ai: "Chen Heng has murdered his lord; I beg that he be punished." The Duke said: "Tell the three chief ministers." Confucius said: "Because I follow behind the great officers, I dare not leave it untold. Yet the lord says, 'Tell the three.'" He went to the three and told them; they refused. Confucius said: "Because I follow behind the great officers, I dare not leave it untold."14.22 Zilu asked about serving a lord. The Master said: "Do not deceive him; resist him to his face."14.23 The Master said: "The noble man rises upward; the small man sinks downward."14.24 The Master said: "Men of old learned for themselves; men today learn for others."14.25 Qu Boyu sent a messenger to Confucius. Confucius sat with him and asked: "What is your master doing?" He answered: "My master wishes to lessen his faults and has not yet done so." When the messenger had gone out, the Master said: "A messenger indeed! A messenger indeed!"14.26 The Master said: "Not in that office, do not plan its government." Zengzi said: "The noble man's thoughts do not go beyond his station."14.27 The Master said: "The noble man is ashamed if his words outrun his deeds."14.28 The Master said: "The Way of the noble man has three things, and I have none of them: the humane man is free of sorrow, the wise man of doubt, the courageous man of fear." Zigong said: "The Master is describing himself."14.29 Zigong compared men. The Master said: "Ci, are you so worthy? I have no time for that."14.30 The Master said: "Do not grieve that men do not know you; grieve that you have no ability."14.31 The Master said: "Not to suspect deceit, not to reckon on bad faith, yet to see it first — is that not worthy?"14.32 Weisheng Mu said to Confucius: "Qiu, why do you go about so busily? Is it not to show off your cleverness?" Confucius said: "I do not dare to be clever; I hate stubbornness."14.33 The Master said: "A swift horse is praised not for its strength but for its character."14.34 Someone said: "What of repaying injury with kindness?" The Master said: "With what then would you repay kindness? Repay injury with uprightness, and kindness with kindness."14.35 The Master said: "No one knows me!" Zigong said: "Why is it that no one knows you, Master?" The Master said: "I do not resent Heaven, nor blame men. I learn what is below and reach what is above. He who knows me — is it not Heaven?"14.36 Gongbo Liao slandered Zilu to Jisun. Zifu Jingbo told the Master, saying: "My master is surely unsettled by Gongbo Liao; I still have the power to have him cut down in the marketplace." The Master said: "If the Way is to prevail, that is fate; if the Way is to be set aside, that is fate. What can Gongbo Liao do against fate?"14.37 The Master said: "The worthy withdraw from the world; the next from a place; the next from a look; the next from a word." The Master said: "Those who did so were seven men."14.38 Zilu spent the night at Stone Gate. The gatekeeper said: "Where from?" Zilu said: "From the Kong household." He said: "Is that the one who knows it cannot be done and keeps doing it?"14.39 The Master was striking the chime-stone in Wei when a man carrying a basket passed by the door of the Kong house. He said: "Wholehearted, that striking of the stone!" Then he said: "How petty, and how stiff! If no one knows you, then let it be. 'Deep, and you wade through; shallow, and you lift your skirts.'" The Master said: "How firm! Nothing is hard for him."14.40 Zizhang said: "The Documents say: 'Gaozong kept his mourning hut and for three years did not speak.' What does that mean?" The Master said: "Why only Gaozong? The ancients all did so. When a lord died, the officers gathered under the prime minister for three years."14.41 The Master said: "When those above love ritual, the people are easy to direct."14.42 Zilu asked about the noble man. The Master said: "Cultivate yourself with reverence." He said: "Is that all?" He said: "Cultivate yourself so as to bring peace to others." He said: "Is that all?" He said: "Cultivate yourself so as to bring peace to the common people. To cultivate oneself so as to bring peace to the people — even Yao and Shun found that hard, did they not?"14.43 Yuan Rang sat waiting with his legs sprawled out. The Master said: "As a boy not respectful, as a man with nothing to show, and old without dying — this is a thief." He struck him on the shin with his staff.14.44 A boy from Que village was carrying messages. Someone asked: "Is he one who improves himself?" The Master said: "I have seen him sitting in a place of honor, and walking abreast of his elders. He does not seek to improve; he wants quick success."

14.1 Xian asked about shame. The Master said: "Getting paid while the state is well run, and getting paid while the state is a mess — that's shame." "If someone avoids showing off, bragging, resenting, and wanting — is that goodness?" The Master said: "That's hard to do — but whether it's goodness, I don't know."14.2 The Master said: "A scholar who cares about comfort isn't a scholar."14.3 The Master said: "When the state is well run, speak out and act boldly. When it's a mess, act boldly but talk carefully."14.4 The Master said: "A good person may have things to say; a talker isn't necessarily good. A good person is brave; a brave person isn't necessarily good."14.5 Nangong Kuo asked Confucius: "Yi was a great archer, Ao could push boats across the water, but neither died a natural death. Yu and Ji worked the fields and got the empire." The Master didn't answer. After Nangong Kuo left, the Master said: "What a gentleman! How he values virtue!"14.6 The Master said: "A gentleman can lack goodness, but a small person never has it."14.7 The Master said: "If you love someone, can you not give them work? If you're loyal to them, can you not teach them?"14.8 The Master said: "When they wrote a diplomatic message, Pi Chen drafted it, Shi Shu discussed it, Ziyu the envoy polished it, and Zichan of Dongli made it beautiful."14.9 Someone asked about Zichan. The Master said: "A generous man." About Zixi: "That guy! That guy!" About Guan Zhong: "A real man. He took three hundred households from the Bo family, and they ate plain food the rest of their lives without complaining."14.10 The Master said: "Being poor without complaining is hard; being rich without being arrogant is easy."14.11 The Master said: "Meng Gongchuo would be great as a steward for the Zhao or Wei families, but he couldn't be a minister for Teng or Xue."14.12 Zilu asked what makes a complete person. The Master said: "The wisdom of Zang Wuzhong, the self-control of Gongchuo, the courage of Bian Zhuangzi, the skill of Ran Qiu — all polished with ritual and music — that makes a complete person." He said: "But these days, why need all that? See profit and think of what's right; face danger and give your life; remember your old promises — that makes a complete person."14.13 The Master asked Gongming Jia about Gongshu Wenzi: "Is it true he never spoke, never laughed, never took anything?" Gongming Jia said: "Whoever told you exaggerated. He spoke at the right time, so no one got tired of his words; he laughed when he was happy, so no one got tired of his laughing; he took only what was fair, so no one got tired of his taking." The Master said: "Really? Really?"14.14 The Master said: "Zang Wuzhong used his town of Fang to ask Lu to give his family a permanent place. He said he wasn't demanding, but I don't believe it."14.15 The Master said: "Duke Wen of Jin was sneaky and not straight; Duke Huan of Qi was straight and not sneaky."14.16 Zilu said: "When Duke Huan killed Prince Jiu, Shao Hu died with him but Guan Zhong didn't." He said: "Wasn't that wrong?" The Master said: "Duke Huan united the lords nine times without a war — that was Guan Zhong. That's goodness! That's goodness!"14.17 Zigong said: "Guan Zhong wasn't good, was he? Duke Huan killed Prince Jiu and he didn't die, and then he served Duke Huan." The Master said: "Guan Zhong made Duke Huan leader of the lords and set the world straight; people still benefit today. Without Guan Zhong we'd all be wearing our hair loose and buttoning our coats on the wrong side. Would he throw his life away in a ditch like some nobody, and no one would even know?"14.18 The retainer Zhuan was promoted by Gongshu Wenzi to the rank of official. Hearing it, the Master said: "That deserves the name 'Cultured.'"14.19 The Master mentioned how badly Duke Ling of Wei ruled. Kangzi said: "Then why didn't he fall?" Confucius said: "Zhongshu Yu handles diplomacy, Zhu Tuo handles the temple, Wangsun Jia handles the army. So how would he fall?"14.20 The Master said: "If someone brags with no shame, it's hard to deliver."14.21 Chen Chengzi murdered Duke Jian. Confucius washed and fasted, went to court, and told Duke Ai: "Chen Heng has murdered his ruler. Please punish him." The Duke said: "Tell the three ministers." Confucius said: "Since I'm in the ranks of officials, I had to tell you. But you say, 'Tell the three.'" He told the three; they refused. Confucius said: "Since I'm in the ranks of officials, I had to tell them."14.22 Zilu asked about serving a ruler. The Master said: "Don't lie to him; stand up to him."14.23 The Master said: "A good person moves up; a small person moves down."14.24 The Master said: "People used to study to improve themselves; now they study to impress others."14.25 Qu Boyu sent a messenger to Confucius. Confucius sat with him and asked: "What's your master up to?" He said: "He wants to make fewer mistakes but hasn't managed it yet." After the messenger left, the Master said: "Now that's a messenger!"14.26 The Master said: "If you're not in the job, don't plan its work." Zengzi said: "A good person's thoughts don't go past his own position."14.27 The Master said: "A good person is ashamed if his words get ahead of his actions."14.28 The Master said: "The Way of a good person has three things and I have none of them: the good don't worry, the wise don't doubt, the brave don't fear." Zigong said: "That's him describing himself."14.29 Zigong was comparing people. The Master said: "Ci, are you really that good? I don't have the time."14.30 The Master said: "Don't worry that people don't know you; worry that you're not able."14.31 The Master said: "Not expecting lies and not assuming bad faith, but seeing it coming anyway — that's the smart one."14.32 Weisheng Mu said to Confucius: "Qiu, why do you run around like that? Aren't you just showing off?" Confucius said: "I'm not showing off; I just hate stubbornness."14.33 The Master said: "A fine horse is praised for its character, not its strength."14.34 Someone said: "What about repaying hate with kindness?" The Master said: "Then what do you repay kindness with? Repay hate with fairness, and kindness with kindness."14.35 The Master said: "Nobody knows me!" Zigong said: "Why does nobody know you?" The Master said: "I don't blame Heaven or complain about people. I study what's here below and reach what's above. Who knows me? Maybe Heaven."14.36 Gongbo Liao slandered Zilu to Jisun. Zifu Jingbo told the Master: "Jisun is shaken by Gongbo Liao, but I still have the power to have him killed in public." The Master said: "If the Way is going to work, that's fate; if it's going to fail, that's fate. What can Gongbo Liao do to fate?"14.37 The Master said: "The best avoid the whole world; then a place; then a bad look; then a bad word." The Master said: "Seven men did that."14.38 Zilu spent the night at Stone Gate. The gatekeeper asked: "Where from?" Zilu said: "From the Kong family." He said: "The one who knows it can't be done and keeps doing it anyway?"14.39 The Master was playing the stone chimes in Wei when a man carrying a basket passed the Kong family door and said: "He's really into that chime-playing!" Then: "How stubborn! If nobody knows you, just give it up. 'When it's deep, wade through; when it's shallow, hike up your robe.'" The Master said: "What a hard man! Nothing's a problem for him."14.40 Zizhang said: "The Book says: 'Gaozong stayed in his mourning hut and didn't speak for three years.' What does that mean?" The Master said: "Why just Gaozong? Everyone did that. When a ruler died, officials took orders from the prime minister for three years."14.41 The Master said: "When leaders respect ritual, the people are easy to lead."14.42 Zilu asked about being a good person. The Master said: "Improve yourself, respectfully." "That's all?" "Improve yourself and bring ease to others." "That's all?" "Improve yourself and bring ease to the whole people. Even Yao and Shun found that hard."14.43 Yuan Rang was sitting with his legs spread out. The Master said: "Rude as a kid, useless as an adult, and still alive when old — that's a pest." He whacked him on the shin with his stick.14.44 A boy from Que village was delivering messages. Someone asked: "Is he making progress?" The Master said: "I saw him sitting where adults sit and walking beside his elders. He's not after progress; he wants to be grown up fast."