Book 5 公冶長篇第五

5.1 The Master said of Gongye Chang: "He is fit for a wife. Though he lay in bonds, it was not his crime." He gave him his daughter in marriage.

5.2 The Master said of Nan Rong: "When the state has the Way, he is not cast aside; when the state lacks the Way, he escapes punishment and death." He gave him his elder brother's daughter in marriage.

5.3 The Master said of Zijian: "A noble man indeed is such a one! If Lu had no noble men, where would he have gotten this?"

5.4 Zigong asked: "And what of me?" The Master said: "You are a vessel." "What vessel?" "A jewelled vessel of the ancestral temple."

5.5 Someone said: "Yong is humane but not eloquent." The Master said: "What use has he for eloquence? Those who fend men off with a glib tongue are often hated. I do not know whether he is humane — but what use has he for eloquence?"

5.6 The Master sent Qidiao Kai to take office. He answered: "For that I have not yet trust enough in myself." The Master was pleased.

5.7 The Master said: "If the Way does not prevail, I will take a raft and drift to sea. He who would follow me — is it not You?" Zilu heard it and was glad. The Master said: "You loves courage more than I do; but there is no timber to be had."

5.8 Meng Wu asked: "Is Zilu humane?" The Master said: "I do not know." He asked again. The Master said: "You: in a state of a thousand chariots he could be set over its levies — but I do not know whether he is humane." "And Qiu?" "Qiu: in a town of a thousand households, in a house of a hundred chariots, he could serve as its steward — but I do not know whether he is humane." "And Chi?" "Chi: girt and standing in court, he could speak with guests and strangers — but I do not know whether he is humane."

5.9 The Master said to Zigong: "Who is the better, you or Hui?" He answered: "How dare I look to Hui? Hui hears one thing and knows ten; I hear one thing and know two." The Master said: "You are not his equal; you and I are not his equal."

5.10 Zai Yu slept in the daytime. The Master said: "Rotten wood cannot be carved; a wall of dung cannot be plastered. What is the use of reproving Yu?" The Master said: "At first, with men, I heard their words and trusted their deeds. Now, with men, I hear their words and watch their deeds. It was Yu who brought this change."

5.11 The Master said: "I have not seen a man of firmness." Someone answered: "Shen Cheng." The Master said: "Cheng is full of desire — how should he be firm?"

5.12 Zigong said: "What I do not wish laid upon me, I also wish not to lay upon others." The Master said: "Ci, that is beyond your reach."

5.13 Zigong said: "The Master's culture and outward works we may hear; the Master's words on human nature and the Way of Heaven we may not hear."

5.14 When Zilu heard a thing, if he had not yet been able to practice it, he feared only to hear something more.

5.15 Zigong asked: "Why was Kong Wenzi given the name 'Wen,' the Cultured?" The Master said: "He was quick and loved learning; he was not ashamed to ask those below him. Therefore he was called 'Wen.'"

5.16 The Master said of Zichan: "He had four ways of the noble man: in his own conduct, deference; in serving his superiors, reverence; in nurturing the people, kindness; in employing the people, righteousness."

5.17 The Master said: "Yan Pingzhong was good at dealings with men: the longer the acquaintance, the more they revered him."

5.18 The Master said: "Zang Wenzhong kept a great tortoise, with hills carved on the roof-beams and duckweed painted on the posts. What sort of wisdom was that?"

5.19 Zizhang asked: "The prime minister Ziwen was made prime minister three times and showed no joy; three times he was dismissed and showed no anger. He always told the new prime minister of the old prime minister's policies. What of him?" The Master said: "He was loyal." "Was he humane?" "I do not know — how should he be humane?" "When Cui killed the prince of Qi, Chen Wenzi, who had ten chariots of horses, abandoned them and left. Coming to another state, he said, 'These are like our great officer Cui,' and left. Coming to another state, he said again, 'These are like our great officer Cui,' and left. What of him?" The Master said: "He was pure." "Was he humane?" "I do not know — how should he be humane?"

5.20 Ji Wenzi thought three times before acting. The Master heard it and said: "Twice would do."

5.21 The Master said: "Ning Wuzi: when the state had the Way, he was wise; when the state lacked the Way, he was foolish. His wisdom can be matched; his foolishness cannot be matched."

5.22 The Master, in Chen, said: "Let us go home! Let us go home! The young men of my house are wild and simple; they have made a fine pattern, but they do not know how to cut it."

5.23 The Master said: "Boyi and Shuqi did not brood over old wrongs; hence their resentment was rare."

5.24 The Master said: "Who says Weisheng Gao is straight? Someone begged vinegar of him, and he begged it of his neighbor and gave it."

5.25 The Master said: "Clever words, a pleasing face, and excess of deference — Zuoqiu Ming was ashamed of them, and I too am ashamed of them. To hide a grudge and befriend the man — Zuoqiu Ming was ashamed of it, and I too am ashamed of it."

5.26 Yan Yuan and Jilu were in attendance. The Master said: "Why not each speak your aims?" Zilu said: "I would share my carriages and horses and light furs with my friends, and wear them out without regret." Yan Yuan said: "I would not boast of my goodness nor display my labors." Zilu said: "We would hear the Master's aims." The Master said: "To give the old peace, to give friends trust, to give the young tenderness."

5.27 The Master said: "It is over! I have not seen one who sees his own fault and arraigns himself within."

5.28 The Master said: "In a hamlet of ten houses there must be one as loyal and trustworthy as I; but not one so fond of learning."

5.1 The Master said about Gongye Chang: "He'd make a good husband. He was locked up once, but he hadn't done anything wrong." So he married his daughter to him.

5.2 The Master said about Nan Rong: "When the country is run well, he keeps his job; when the country is a mess, he still stays out of prison." So he married his brother's daughter to him.

5.3 The Master said about Zijian: "Now there's a real gentleman! If Lu had no gentlemen at all, where would he have learned to be one?"

5.4 Zigong asked: "What about me?" The Master said: "You're a vessel." "What kind?" "A precious ritual vessel."

5.5 Someone said: "Yong is good-hearted, but he can't talk well." The Master said: "Why does he need to talk well? People who argue others down with slick talk usually just get hated. I can't say he's good-hearted, but why does he need to talk well?"

5.6 The Master told Qidiao Kai to take a government job. He answered: "I'm not confident enough in myself yet." The Master was pleased.

5.7 The Master said: "If my way doesn't get anywhere, I'll get on a raft and drift out to sea. The one who'd come with me would be You, wouldn't it?" Zilu heard this and was thrilled. The Master said: "You loves bravery more than I do — but there's no wood to build it with."

5.8 Meng Wu asked: "Is Zilu good-hearted?" The Master said: "I don't know." He asked again. The Master said: "You could run the taxes for a big state of a thousand chariots — but I don't know if he's good-hearted." "What about Qiu?" "Qiu could be the manager of a town of a thousand families, or of a great family with a hundred chariots — but I don't know if he's good-hearted." "What about Chi?" "Chi could stand in court in his sash and talk with guests — but I don't know if he's good-hearted."

5.9 The Master said to Zigong: "Who's better, you or Hui?" He answered: "How could I dare compare myself to Hui? Hui hears one thing and understands ten; I hear one thing and understand two." The Master said: "You're not as good as he is. You and I both are not."

5.10 Zai Yu napped in the daytime. The Master said: "Rotten wood can't be carved. A wall of dung can't be whitewashed. What's the point of scolding Yu?" The Master said: "At first I took people at their word and trusted their actions. Now I listen to their words and watch their actions. Yu is the reason I changed."

5.11 The Master said: "I've never met a really strong person." Someone said: "Shen Cheng." The Master said: "Cheng is full of cravings — how could he be strong?"

5.12 Zigong said: "I don't want people doing things to me, so I don't want to do them to others." The Master said: "Ci, that's beyond you."

5.13 Zigong said: "We can hear the Master's learning and his style. We can't hear him talk about human nature or the way heaven works."

5.14 When Zilu heard something, if he hadn't yet put it into practice, he was afraid of hearing something else.

5.15 Zigong asked: "Why was Kong Wenzi given the name 'Wen' — the Cultured One?" The Master said: "He was quick and loved learning, and he wasn't embarrassed to ask people below him. That's why he got the name 'Wen.'"

5.16 The Master said about Zichan: "He had four gentlemanly qualities: he was humble in his own conduct, respectful to his superiors, kind in caring for the people, and fair in how he used them."

5.17 The Master said: "Yan Pingzhong was great at keeping friends: the longer people knew him, the more they respected him."

5.18 The Master said: "Zang Wenzhong kept a huge sacred tortoise in a house with carved hill shapes on the beams and painted duckweed on the posts. What kind of smart is that?"

5.19 Zizhang asked: "Ziwen was made prime minister three times and never looked pleased; he was fired three times and never looked angry. He always briefed the new prime minister on the old policies. What do you think of him?" The Master said: "He was loyal." "Was he good-hearted?" "I can't say — how would that make him good-hearted?" "When Cui murdered the prince of Qi, Chen Wenzi had ten chariots of horses and just walked away from them. Getting to one state he said, 'They're just like our big shot Cui,' and left. Getting to another, he said the same and left. What do you think of him?" The Master said: "He was clean." "Was he good-hearted?" "I can't say — how would that make him good-hearted?"

5.20 Ji Wenzi thought three times before acting. When the Master heard it he said: "Twice is enough."

5.21 The Master said: "Ning Wuzi was smart when the country was run well, and played dumb when it wasn't. Other people can match his smarts; nobody can match his playing dumb."

5.22 The Master, in Chen, said: "Let's go home! Let's go home! The young men back home are wild and bold, and they've made something beautiful — but they don't know how to cut it down to size."

5.23 The Master said: "Boyi and Shuqi didn't dwell on old grudges, so people rarely resented them."

5.24 The Master said: "Who says Weisheng Gao is honest? Someone asked him for vinegar and he went and asked his neighbor for it, then gave it away."

5.25 The Master said: "Slick talk, fake friendliness, and bowing way too much — Zuoqiu Ming was ashamed of that, and so am I. Hiding a grudge while acting like someone's friend — Zuoqiu Ming was ashamed of that, and so am I."

5.26 Yan Yuan and Zilu were sitting with him. The Master said: "Why don't you each say what you want to do?" Zilu said: "I'd share my carriages, horses, and nice furs with my friends, and not mind if they got wrecked." Yan Yuan said: "I'd want to never brag about what I'm good at, and never show off what I've done." Zilu said: "We'd like to hear what the Master wants." The Master said: "To give old people peace, friends trust, and young people someone to lean on."

5.27 The Master said: "That's it — I've never met anyone who sees their own mistake and takes themselves to court over it."

5.28 The Master said: "In a village of ten houses you'll find someone as loyal and trustworthy as I am. But not someone who loves learning as much."