Book 7 述而篇第七

7.1 The Master said: "I transmit and do not make; I trust in and love the ancients. I venture to compare myself to our Old Peng."

7.2 The Master said: "To keep a thing in the mind in silence, to learn without wearying, to teach men without tiring — what difficulty is that to me?"

7.3 The Master said: "Not to cultivate virtue; not to discuss what I have learned; to hear what is right and be unable to follow it; to be unable to mend what is not good — these are my worries."

7.4 When the Master was at rest, he was relaxed and cheerful.

7.5 The Master said: "How far I have fallen! It is long since I dreamt of the Duke of Zhou."

7.6 The Master said: "Set your will on the Way, hold fast to virtue, lean on humaneness, wander in the arts."

7.7 The Master said: "From one who brings a bundle of dried meat and upward, I have never failed to teach."

7.8 The Master said: "I do not open the way for one who is not struggling to understand; I do not help one who is not struggling to speak. If I raise one corner and he cannot return with the other three, I do not repeat it."

7.9 When the Master ate beside one in mourning, he never ate his fill.

7.10 On a day when the Master had wept, he did not sing.

7.11 The Master said to Yan Yuan: "When used, act; when set aside, keep hidden. Only you and I can do this." Zilu said: "If you were to lead the three armies, whom would you take with you?" The Master said: "To wrestle a tiger bare-handed and ford a river, dying without regret — him I would not take. It must be one who faces the affair with care, who loves to plan, and so succeeds."

7.12 The Master said: "If wealth could be sought by right, I would do it, even as a whip-bearer. If it cannot be sought, I follow what I love."

7.13 The Master was careful in three things: fasting, war, sickness.

7.14 When the Master was in Qi and heard the Shao, for three months he did not know the taste of meat. He said: "I did not think music could reach such a height."

7.15 Ran You said: "Does the Master side with the prince of Wei?" Zigong said: "Yes — I will ask him." He went in and said: "What manner of men were Boyi and Shuqi?" The Master said: "Wise men of old." "Did they resent?" "They sought humaneness and found it — what resentment was there?" Zigong came out and said: "The Master does not side with him."

7.16 The Master said: "With coarse grain to eat, water to drink, a bent arm for a pillow — joy lies in that too. Wealth and honor won unjustly are to me as drifting clouds."

7.17 The Master said: "Give me a few more years, and fifty years of learning, and I might be free of great faults."

7.18 The Master's speech in the standard tongue: the Odes, the Documents, and the handling of ritual — all in the standard tongue.

7.19 The Duke of She asked Zilu about Confucius, and Zilu did not answer. The Master said: "Why did you not say: he is a man who forgets to eat in his eagerness, forgets sorrow in his joy, and does not know that old age is coming on."

7.20 The Master said: "I am not one who knows from birth; I love the ancients and am quick to seek them out."

7.21 The Master did not speak of: prodigies, feats of strength, disorder, spirits.

7.22 The Master said: "When three walk together, there must be my teacher among them: I choose out what is good in them and follow it; what is not good, I change."

7.23 The Master said: "Heaven gave me this virtue; what can Huan Tui do to me?"

7.24 The Master said: "Do you think I conceal anything from you? I conceal nothing from you. There is nothing I do that I do not share with you — that is who I am."

7.25 The Master taught four things: culture, conduct, loyalty, trust.

7.26 The Master said: "A sage I cannot hope to see; to see a noble man would be enough." The Master said: "A good man I cannot hope to see; to see a man of constancy would be enough. To be empty and pretend fullness, to be poor and pretend abundance — it is hard to have constancy."

7.27 The Master fished with a line but not with a net; he shot, but did not shoot at roosting birds.

7.28 The Master said: "There may be those who act without knowing; I am not such a one. To hear much and choose out what is good, to see much and remember it — this is next to knowing."

7.29 The people of Huxiang were hard to speak with. A youth came to see him, and the disciples were perplexed. The Master said: "I approve his coming in, not his going out; why be so severe? When a man has cleansed himself and comes in, I approve the cleansing; I do not vouch for his past."

7.30 The Master said: "Is humaneness far off? I wish for humaneness, and humaneness is here."

7.31 The Minister of Justice of Chen asked whether Duke Zhao knew ritual. Confucius said: "He knew ritual." When Confucius had withdrawn, he bowed to Wuma Qi and brought him forward, saying: "I have heard the noble man is not partisan — is the noble man partisan? The ruler took a wife from Wu, of the same surname, and called her Wu Mengzi. If the ruler knew ritual, who does not?" Wuma Qi told the Master. The Master said: "I am fortunate: if I have a fault, men are sure to know it."

7.32 When the Master sang with others and they sang well, he would always make them repeat it, and then join in the harmony.

7.33 The Master said: "In letters, perhaps I am like other men. The noble man's practice in his own person — of that I have not yet attained."

7.34 The Master said: "As for sagehood and humaneness — how dare I claim them? But to work at them without wearying, and to teach men without tiring, that may be said of me." Gongxi Hua said: "These are just what the disciples cannot learn."

7.35 The Master was gravely ill, and Zilu asked leave to pray. The Master said: "Is there such a thing?" Zilu answered: "There is. The eulogies say: 'Pray to the spirits above and below.'" The Master said: "My praying has long been done."

7.36 The Master said: "Extravagance leads to insubordination; thrift leads to meanness. Better meanness than insubordination."

7.37 The Master said: "The noble man is open and at ease; the small man is ever anxious and small."

7.38 The Master was warm yet stern, dignified yet not fierce, respectful yet at ease.

7.1 The Master said: "I pass on what was handed down; I don't invent. I trust the old ways and love them. I'd compare myself to our old Peng."

7.2 The Master said: "Keep it in mind quietly, learn without getting tired of it, teach people without getting worn out — what's hard about that for me?"

7.3 The Master said: "Not working on my character, not talking over what I've learned, hearing what's right and not following it, not fixing what's wrong with me — those are my worries."

7.4 When the Master was relaxing at home, he was easy and cheerful.

7.5 The Master said: "I've really gone downhill! It's been ages since I dreamed of the Duke of Zhou."

7.6 The Master said: "Aim at the Way, hold on to goodness, stay close to kindness, and enjoy the arts."

7.7 The Master said: "I've never refused to teach anyone who brought even a small gift of dried meat."

7.8 The Master said: "I don't explain things to someone who isn't struggling to get it; I don't help someone who isn't struggling to say it. If I show one corner and they can't figure out the other three, I don't go over it again."

7.9 When the Master ate next to someone in mourning, he never ate his fill.

7.10 On a day the Master had cried, he didn't sing.

7.11 The Master said to Yan Yuan: "When they use you, you act; when they don't, you keep it to yourself. Only you and I can do that." Zilu said: "If you were leading the army, who would you take?" The Master said: "Someone who wrestles tigers bare-handed and swims across rivers and dies without regret — I wouldn't take him. I'd take someone who's careful when things get serious and likes to plan, and gets it done."

7.12 The Master said: "If wealth could be gotten honestly, I'd do it, even as a guy holding a whip. But since it can't, I'll just do what I like."

7.13 The Master was careful about three things: fasting, war, and sickness.

7.14 When the Master was in Qi and heard the Shao music, for three months he didn't notice the taste of meat. He said: "I never imagined music could get that good."

7.15 Ran You said: "Does the Master support the prince of Wei?" Zigong said: "I'll go ask him." He went in and said: "What kind of men were Boyi and Shuqi?" The Master said: "Wise men of long ago." "Did they resent anything?" "They wanted to be good and they got there — what's to resent?" Zigong came out and said: "The Master doesn't support him."

7.16 The Master said: "Plain rice to eat, water to drink, your arm for a pillow — there's happiness right there. Wealth and rank that come from doing wrong are like clouds drifting by to me."

7.17 The Master said: "Give me a few more years, fifty years of study, and I could get past the big mistakes."

7.18 The Master used standard speech for the Odes, the Documents, and anything to do with ritual — always standard speech.

7.19 The Duke of She asked Zilu about Confucius, and Zilu didn't answer. The Master said: "Why didn't you say: he's a man who gets so into it he forgets to eat, gets so happy he forgets to worry, and never notices that he's getting old."

7.20 The Master said: "I wasn't born knowing things. I love the old ways and I work hard to find them out."

7.21 The Master didn't talk about: monsters, muscles, chaos, and spirits.

7.22 The Master said: "When three people walk together, one of them is my teacher. I pick out what's good in them and copy it; what's bad, I fix in myself."

7.23 The Master said: "Heaven gave me this goodness — what can Huan Tui do to me?"

7.24 The Master said: "Do you think I'm hiding something from you? I'm not hiding anything. I do nothing that I don't do with you all — that's just who I am."

7.25 The Master taught four things: culture, conduct, loyalty, and honesty.

7.26 The Master said: "I'll never get to meet a sage — meeting a gentleman would be enough." The Master said: "I'll never get to meet a truly good man — meeting someone steady would be enough. Pretending to have what you don't have, pretending to be full when you're empty, pretending to be rich when you're broke — it's hard to be steady like that."

7.27 The Master fished with a line, not a net; he hunted birds but never shot them while they were roosting.

7.28 The Master said: "There may be people who act without knowing; I'm not one of them. Hear a lot, pick out the good and follow it; see a lot and remember it — that's the next best thing to knowing."

7.29 The people of Huxiang were hard to talk to. A young guy from there came to see the Master and the students were confused. The Master said: "I'm for him coming in, not for pushing him out. Why be so harsh? When someone cleans themselves up and comes in, I accept the cleaning up; I don't guarantee their past."

7.30 The Master said: "Is goodness really far away? I want it, and it's here."

7.31 The Minister of Justice of Chen asked whether Duke Zhao knew ritual. Confucius said: "He knew ritual." After Confucius left, he bowed to Wuma Qi and said: "I've heard a gentleman doesn't take sides. Does a gentleman take sides? The duke married a woman from Wu — same family name — and called her Wu Mengzi. If he knows ritual, who doesn't?" Wuma Qi told the Master. The Master said: "I'm lucky: whenever I mess up, people are sure to hear about it."

7.32 When the Master sang with other people and they sang well, he always made them sing it again, and then he joined in.

7.33 The Master said: "In book learning, maybe I'm no better than anyone else. But actually living like a gentleman — I haven't managed that yet."

7.34 The Master said: "Sage and really good? How could I claim that? But working at it without getting sick of it, and teaching people without getting tired — that's fair to say of me." Gongxi Hua said: "That's exactly what we students can't do."

7.35 The Master got very sick and Zilu asked to pray for him. The Master said: "Is that a thing?" Zilu said: "Yes. The funeral prayers say: 'Pray to the spirits above and below.'" The Master said: "I've been praying for a long time."

7.36 The Master said: "Being extravagant makes you disrespectful; being cheap makes you stiff and stingy. Stingy is better than disrespectful."

7.37 The Master said: "A gentleman is relaxed and open. A small man is anxious all the time."

7.38 The Master was warm but firm, dignified but not fierce, respectful but comfortable.