Book 19 子張篇第十九

19.1 Zizhang said: "A scholar who, seeing danger, gives his life; who, seeing gain, thinks of what is right; who in sacrifice thinks of reverence and in mourning thinks of grief — this may suffice."

19.2 Zizhang said: "If you hold to virtue without enlarging it, if you believe in the Way without firmness, how can you be said to have anything? How can you be said to have nothing?"

19.3 The disciples of Zixia asked Zizhang about friendship. Zizhang said: "What does Zixia say?" They answered: "Zixia says: 'Make friends with those who are fit; refuse those who are not.'" Zizhang said: "This differs from what I have heard: 'The noble man honors the worthy and bears with the many; he praises the good and pities the incapable. If I am greatly worthy, whom among men can I not bear with? If I am unworthy, men will refuse me — how can I refuse them?'"

19.4 Zixia said: "Even the lesser ways must have something worth looking at; but in going far one may bog down in them, and so the noble man does not follow them."

19.5 Zixia said: "To know each day what one lacks, and each month not to forget what one can do — this may be called loving to learn."

19.6 Zixia said: "Learn widely and hold firmly to your purpose; ask earnestly and think of what is near — humaneness lies in this."

19.7 Zixia said: "The hundred craftsmen dwell in their workshops to complete their work; the noble man studies to bring his Way to fulfillment."

19.8 Zixia said: "The petty man's faults are always glossed over."

19.9 Zixia said: "The noble man has three changes: looked at from afar he is grave; drawn near he is warm; heard speaking he is stern."

19.10 Zixia said: "Only when the noble man is trusted does he put the people to toil; if he is not trusted, they think he is oppressing them. Only when trusted does he remonstrate; if he is not trusted, they think he is slandering them."

19.11 Zixia said: "In great virtue do not overstep the bounds; in small virtue, going out and in is allowed."

19.12 Ziyou said: "The young disciples of Zixia are fit for sweeping and answering, for coming forward and stepping back — but these are the branches. As for the root, they have nothing; what is to be done?" Zixia heard it and said: "Alas, Yan You is wrong! In the Way of the noble man, what is taught first and what is left until later? It is like plants and trees, which are distinguished by their kinds. The Way of the noble man — how can it be misrepresented? He who has both beginning and end is perhaps only the sage."

19.13 Zixia said: "When in office, if there is leisure, study; when studying, if there is leisure, take office."

19.14 Ziyou said: "In mourning, let grief be reached, and stop there."

19.15 Ziyou said: "My friend Zhang can do what is hard to do, but he is not yet humane."

19.16 Zengzi said: "How imposing Zhang is! It is hard to practice humaneness alongside him."

19.17 Zengzi said: "I have heard from the Master: 'No man gives of himself utterly; it must be at the mourning of a parent.'"

19.18 Zengzi said: "I have heard from the Master: 'In the filial piety of Meng Zhuangzi, other things may be equaled; but that he did not change his father's ministers or his father's government — that is hard to equal.'"

19.19 The Meng family appointed Yang Fu as chief judge, and he asked Zengzi. Zengzi said: "Those above have lost the Way, and the people have been scattered for long. If you get at the truth of a case, be grieved and pity them; do not be glad!"

19.20 Zigong said: "The wickedness of Zhou was not as great as all that. Hence the noble man hates to dwell in a low place, where all the world's filth collects."

19.21 Zigong said: "The faults of the noble man are like eclipses of the sun and moon: when he errs, all men see it; when he mends, all men look up to him."

19.22 Gongsun Chao of Wei asked Zigong: "Where did Zhongni learn?" Zigong said: "The Way of Wen and Wu has not fallen to the ground; it lives in men. The worthy grasp its great things; the unworthy grasp its small things. There is no one who does not have the Way of Wen and Wu. How could the Master not learn? And why should he have one constant teacher?"

19.23 Shusun Wushu said to the great ministers in court: "Zigong is worthier than Zhongni." Zifu Jingbo told Zigong. Zigong said: "Take the walls of a house: my wall reaches to the shoulder, so one can peer over and see the good things within the house. The Master's wall is many fathoms high; unless you enter by the gate you do not see the beauty of the ancestral temple or the richness of the hundred offices. Those who find the gate are few. Is not what the gentleman said most natural?"

19.24 Shusun Wushu spoke ill of Zhongni. Zigong said: "Do not do so! Zhongni cannot be defamed. The worth of other men is like a hill or a mound: it can still be climbed over. Zhongni is the sun and the moon: he cannot be climbed over. Though a man wish to cut himself off from them, what harm does it do the sun and moon? It only shows that he does not know his own measure."

19.25 Chen Ziqin said to Zigong: "You are being modest; can Zhongni really be worthier than you?" Zigong said: "By one word the noble man is judged wise, by one word judged unwise; words must be weighed. The Master cannot be equaled, just as Heaven cannot be climbed by a stair. If the Master had gained a state or a family, it is as the saying goes: 'Raise them, and they stand; lead them, and they follow; soothe them, and they come; stir them, and they are in harmony. In life he is honored, in death he is mourned — how could he be equaled?'"

19.1 Zizhang said: "A real scholar gives his life when he sees danger, thinks of what's right when he sees profit, thinks of respect when he sacrifices, and thinks of grief when he mourns. That's enough."

19.2 Zizhang said: "If you hold to goodness without broadening it, and believe in the Way without real commitment, how can anyone say you have it? How can anyone say you don't?"

19.3 Zixia's students asked Zizhang about friendship. Zizhang said, "What does Zixia say?" They said, "Zixia says, 'Be friends with the people you can be friends with; push away the ones you can't.'" Zizhang said, "That's not what I've heard: 'A good man respects the worthy and accepts everybody; he admires the good and pities the ones who can't manage. If I'm really good, who can't I accept? If I'm no good, people will push me away — so how could I push them away?'"

19.4 Zixia said: "Even little skills have something worth watching in them, but you'll get stuck if you go far with them, so a good man doesn't bother."

19.5 Zixia said: "Knowing each day what you still don't know, and not forgetting each month what you can already do — that's what loving to learn means."

19.6 Zixia said: "Study widely and hold to your aim firmly; ask hard questions and think about what's close at hand. Goodness is in there somewhere."

19.7 Zixia said: "Workers sit in their workshops to get the job done; a good man studies to get the Way done."

19.8 Zixia said: "A petty man always covers up his mistakes."

19.9 Zixia said: "A good man changes three times: from a distance he looks stern; up close he's warm; listening to him speak, he's sharp."

19.10 Zixia said: "A good man earns trust first, and only then puts people to work. Without trust, they'd think he was just being hard on them. He earns trust first, and only then gives advice. Without trust, they'd think he was insulting them."

19.11 Zixia said: "In big matters of goodness, don't step over the line. In small ones, a little in and out is fine."

19.12 Ziyou said, "Zixia's young students can sweep, take messages, and come and go politely — but those are just the branches. There's no root in them. What about that?" Zixia heard it and said, "Oh, Yan You is wrong! In a good man's Way, what gets taught first and what gets left till later? It's like plants and trees: they have to be told apart by kind. How can anyone misrepresent the Way of a good man? Someone who has both the beginning and the end — that's probably only a sage."

19.13 Zixia said: "If you're in office and have time to spare, study. If you're studying and have time to spare, take office."

19.14 Ziyou said: "In mourning, let it reach real grief, and stop there."

19.15 Ziyou said: "My friend Zhang can do things that are hard to do, but he isn't good yet."

19.16 Zengzi said: "Zhang is so grand — it's hard to practice goodness alongside him."

19.17 Zengzi said: "I heard the Master say: 'No one gives himself over completely — except, surely, at a parent's funeral.'"

19.18 Zengzi said: "I heard the Master say: 'In Meng Zhuangzi's dutifulness to his parents, other things could be equaled. But keeping his father's ministers and his father's policies — that's what's hard to equal.'"

19.19 The Meng family made Yang Fu chief judge, and he asked Zengzi. Zengzi said: "The people above have left the right path, and the people have been scattered for a long time. If you find out the truth of a case, feel sorry for them and don't be pleased with yourself!"

19.20 Zigong said: "King Zhou's wickedness wasn't really as extreme as all that. That's why a good man hates being in a low position — all the world's dirt flows down to it."

19.21 Zigong said: "A good man's mistakes are like eclipses of the sun and moon: when he gets it wrong, everybody sees it; when he fixes it, everybody looks up to him."

19.22 Gongsun Chao of Wei asked Zigong, "Where did Zhongni get his learning?" Zigong said: "The Way of King Wen and King Wu hasn't fallen to the ground — it lives in people. The able ones grasp the big parts; the lesser ones grasp the small parts. Nobody is without the Way of Wen and Wu. How could the Master not learn? And why would he need one regular teacher?"

19.23 Shusun Wushu told the ministers at court, "Zigong is better than Zhongni." Zifu Jingbo told Zigong. Zigong said: "Think of a house wall. My wall is shoulder-high, so you can look over it and see the nice things inside the house. The Master's wall is many times a man's height. If you can't get in by the gate, you don't see the beauty of the ancestral temple or the richness of the whole household. The people who find the gate are few. So no wonder the man said what he said!"

19.24 Shusun Wushu ran Zhongni down. Zigong said, "Don't bother! Zhongni can't be run down. Other good men are like hills and mounds — you can climb over them. Zhongni is the sun and the moon — you can't climb over them. A person can turn his back on them, but what harm does that do the sun and moon? It just shows he doesn't know his own size."

19.25 Chen Ziqin said to Zigong, "You're just being modest. Can Zhongni really be better than you?" Zigong said: "One word can make a good man look wise, and one word can make him look stupid, so you have to watch what you say. The Master is out of reach, like the sky — you can't get up there by ladder. If the Master had been given a state or a family, it would be as the saying goes: 'Put him up and the people stand; lead them and they follow; comfort them and they come; stir them and they pull together. In life he's honored, and in death he's mourned.' How could anyone reach that?"