Zi Han

子罕言利與命與仁。

Confucius rarely spoke of profit, but he approved of fate and of benevolence.

達巷黨人曰：“大哉孔子！博學而無所成名。”子聞之，謂門弟子曰：“吾何執？執御乎，執射乎？吾執御矣。”

A man of Daxiang said: “Great indeed is Confucius! His learning is broad, yet there is no single skill by which he has made a name.” When Confucius heard this, he said to his disciples: “What should I specialize in? Charioteering? Archery? I will specialize in charioteering.”

子曰：“麻冕，禮也；今也純，儉，吾從眾。拜下，禮也；今拜乎上，泰也；雖違眾，吾從下。”

Confucius said: “A cap of linen is in accordance with ritual; now silk is used, which is more economical, and I follow the majority. For a minister to bow to the ruler first below the hall is in accordance with ritual; now people bow only above in the hall, which is rather arrogant. Though it goes against the majority, I still follow bowing below the hall.”

子絕四：毋意、毋必、毋固、毋我。

Confucius rid himself of four faults: he did not make groundless conjectures, did not insist on absolute certainty, was not stubborn, and was not self-centered.

子畏於匡，曰：“文王既沒，文不在茲乎？天之將喪斯文也，後死者不得與於斯文也；天之未喪斯文也，匡人其如予何？”

When Confucius was besieged in Kuang, he said: “After King Wen died, is not the culture of ritual and music here with me? If Heaven meant to destroy this culture, then I, a later mortal, would not have been able to hold it; since Heaven has not destroyed this culture, what can the people of Kuang do to me?”

太宰問於子貢曰：“夫子聖者與，何其多能也？”子貢曰：“固天縱之將聖，又多能也。”子聞之，曰：“太宰知我乎？吾少也賤，故多能鄙事。君子多乎哉？不多也。”

The grand steward asked Zigong: “Is your Master a sage? Why is he so versatile?” Zigong said: “Heaven certainly made him a sage, and also made him versatile.” When Confucius heard this, he said: “Does the grand steward really know me? When I was young I was of humble status, and so I learned many menial tasks. Is a gentleman versatile? He is not, in fact, versatile.”

牢曰：“子云：‘吾不試，故藝。’”

Zilao said: “The Master said: ‘I was not employed by the court, and so I learned a number of skills.’”

子曰：“吾有知乎哉？無知也。有鄙夫問於我，空空如也。我叩其兩端而竭焉。”

Confucius said: “Do I have knowledge? In fact I do not. A country fellow came to ask me, and my mind was completely empty; I merely questioned him from both ends of his question and so exhausted the matter.”

子曰：“鳳鳥不至，河不出圖，吾已矣夫！”

Confucius said: “The phoenix does not come, and the river does not produce its chart; I suppose that is the end of me!”

子見齊衰者、冕衣裳者與瞽者，見之，雖少，必作，過之必趨。

When Confucius saw someone in mourning dress, someone in full ceremonial dress, or a blind person, he would always rise when they met, even if the person was young; and when passing before them he would always hurry along.

顏淵喟然嘆曰：“仰之彌高，鑽之彌堅。瞻之在前，忽焉在後。夫子循循然善誘人，博我以文，約我以禮，欲罷不能。既竭吾才，如有所立卓爾，雖欲從之，末由也已。”

Yan Yuan sighed and said: “The Master's Way: the more I look up at it, the higher it seems; the more I bore into it, the harder it seems. I look and it seems to be in front, and suddenly it seems to be behind. The Master is good at leading people step by step: he broadens me with the classics and records, and restrains me with ritual, so that I cannot stop even if I wish to. I have already used up all my ability, yet the Master's Way still seems to stand towering there; though I want to follow it, I can find no path.”

子疾病，子路使門人為臣。病間，曰：“久矣哉，由之行詐也！無臣而為有臣，吾誰欺？欺天乎？且予與其死於臣之手也，無寧死於二三子之手乎！且予縱不得大葬，予死於道路乎？”

Confucius was gravely ill, and Zilu had the disciples act as household retainers to manage the funeral. When the illness eased a little, Confucius said: “Zhong You has been doing this deceitful thing for a long time! I have no retainers and yet pretended to have them; whom would I be deceiving? Heaven? And besides, rather than die in the hands of retainers, I would rather die in the hands of you few disciples! Moreover, even if I do not get a grand funeral, would I die by the roadside with no one to care?”

子貢曰：“有美玉於斯，韞櫝而藏諸？求善賈而沽諸？”子曰：“沽之哉，沽之哉！我待賈者也。”

Zigong said: “Here is a piece of fine jade: should it be stored away in a box, or should one find a merchant who knows its worth and sell it?” Confucius said: “Sell it, sell it! I am waiting for someone who knows its worth.”

子欲居九夷。或曰：“陋，如之何？”子曰：“君子居之，何陋之有！”

Confucius wanted to move to live among the nine Yi tribes. Someone said: “That place is crude and remote; how could you live there?” Confucius said: “If a gentleman lives there, what crudeness could there be?”

子曰：“吾自衛反魯，然後樂正，《雅》、《頌》各得其所。”

Confucius said: “It was only after I returned from Wei to Lu that I put music in order and made the Ya and the Song each find their proper place.”

子曰：“出則事公卿，入則事父兄，喪事不敢不勉，不為酒困，何有於我哉？”

Confucius said: “Abroad to serve dukes and ministers, at home to serve father and elder brothers, in funeral matters not to dare not to give my all, and not to be troubled by wine: how much of these have I achieved?”

子在川上曰：“逝者如斯夫！不捨晝夜。”

Confucius stood by a river and said: “That which passes is just like this river! It flows on day and night without stopping.”

子曰：“吾未見好德如好色者也。”

Confucius said: “I have never seen anyone who loves virtue as much as he loves beauty.”

子曰：“譬如為山，未成一簣，止，吾止也；譬如平地，雖覆一簣，進，吾往也。”

Confucius said: “It is like building a mountain of earth: if I stop with only one basket of earth short of completion, I have stopped myself; it is like leveling ground: though I have only just tipped in one basket, if I keep advancing, I am the one moving forward.”

子曰：“語之而不惰者，其回也與！”

Confucius said: “One who listens to what I say and never slackens is probably only Yan Hui!”

子謂顏淵，曰：“惜乎！吾見其進也，未見其止也。”

Speaking of Yan Yuan, Confucius said: “What a pity! I only saw him advance; I never saw him stop.”

子曰：“苗而不秀者有矣夫，秀而不實者有矣夫。”

Confucius said: “There are crops that sprout but do not flower, and there are crops that flower but do not bear fruit.”

子曰：“後生可畏，焉知來者之不如今也？四十、五十而無聞焉，斯亦不足畏也已。”

Confucius said: “The young are to be held in awe; how do we know that those who come later will not equal those of today? But if at forty or fifty they have still made no name, then they are not worth being in awe of.”

子曰：“法語之言，能無從乎？改之為貴。巽與之言，能無說乎？繹之為貴。說而不繹，從而不改，吾末如之何也已矣。”

Confucius said: “Admonitions in accord with ritual, who can fail to follow them? What matters is to correct oneself accordingly. Words of compliant praise, who is not pleased to hear them? What matters is to analyze their true meaning. One who is merely pleased and does not analyze, who merely agrees and does not correct himself: I truly can do nothing with such a person.”

子曰：“主忠信。毋友不如己者，過，則勿憚改。”

Confucius said: “Take loyalty and trustworthiness as the chief; do not befriend those who are not as good as yourself; and when you have made a mistake, do not be afraid to correct it.”

子曰：“三軍可奪帥也，匹夫不可奪志也。”

Confucius said: “The commander of the three armies can be taken away, but the will of an ordinary man cannot be taken away.”

子曰：“衣敝縕袍，與衣狐貉者立而不恥者，其由也與！‘不忮不求，何用不臧？’”子路終身誦之，子曰：“是道也，何足以臧？”

Confucius said: “To wear a tattered padded robe of old silk and stand beside people in fox and badger furs without feeling ashamed: probably only Zhong You could do that! ‘Not envious, not greedy, what could he do that is not good?’” Zilu, hearing this, recited these two lines for the rest of his life. Confucius said: “That is merely one principle of being a person; how is it good enough?”

子曰：“歲寒，然後知松柏之後凋也。”

Confucius said: “Only when the weather turns cold do we know that pines and cypresses are the last to lose their leaves.”

子曰：“知者不惑，仁者不憂，勇者不懼。”

Confucius said: “The wise are not confused, the benevolent do not worry, and the courageous do not fear.”

子曰：“可與共學，未可與適道；可與適道，未可與立；可與立，未可與權。”

Confucius said: “Those with whom you can study together may not yet be able to walk the right path together; those with whom you can walk the right path together may not yet be able to hold firm together; and those with whom you can hold firm together may not yet be able to weigh and adapt together.”

“唐棣之華，偏其反而。豈不爾思？室是遠爾。”子曰：“未之思也，夫何遠之有。”

An old poem says: “The flowers of the tangdi tree, how they sway and flutter. Do I not think of you? It is only that your home is too far away.” Confucius said: “That was just not truly thinking of someone; if one truly thought of someone, what distance would there be?”

孔子於鄉黨，恂恂如也，似不能言者；其在宗廟朝庭，便便言，唯謹爾。

In his home district, Confucius was gentle and deferential, seeming not very good at speaking; but in the ancestral temple and at court, his speech was clear and fluent, though very careful.

朝，與下大夫言，侃侃如也；與上大夫言，誾誾如也。君在，踧踖如也，與與如也。

At court, when speaking with the lower grade of high officials, he was gentle and cheerful; when speaking with the upper grade of high officials, he was upright and respectful. When the ruler was present, he was reverent and uneasy yet with measured bearing.

君召使擯，色勃如也，足躩如也。揖所與立，左右手，衣前後襜如也。趨進，翼如也。賓退，必覆命曰：“賓不顧矣。”

When the ruler summoned him to receive guests, his expression at once became solemn and his steps quickened. He bowed to those standing beside him, his hands going left and right, and his robe swung front and back yet stayed neat. When hurrying forward, his posture was like a bird spreading its wings. After the guests had left, he would always report back: “The guest no longer looks back.”

入公門，鞠躬如也，如不容。立不中門，行不履閾。過位，色勃如也，足躩如也，其言似不足者。攝齊升堂，鞠躬如也，屏氣似不息者。出，降一等，逞顏色，怡怡如也；沒階，趨進，翼如也；復其位，踧踖如也。

Entering the gate of the court, he bent his body respectfully, as if the gate could not hold him. In standing, he did not stand in the middle of the gate; in walking, he did not step on the threshold. Passing the ruler's seat, his expression at once became solemn, his steps quickened, and his speech seemed to lack strength. Lifting the hem of his robe to ascend the hall, he bent his body respectfully and held his breath as if not breathing. When he came out and had descended one step, his expression relaxed and showed a pleased look; at the foot of the steps he hurried forward with posture like a bird spreading its wings; returning to his place, he was again reverent and uneasy.

執圭，鞠躬如也，如不勝。上如揖，下如授。勃如戰色，足蹜蹜如有循。享禮，有容色。私覿，愉愉如也。

When holding the jade tablet, he bent his body respectfully as if unable to lift it. Raising it, it was as if bowing; lowering it, it was as if handing it to someone. His expression was solemn as in battle, and his steps were small as if following a line. When presenting gifts, his face showed a pleasant look. At private meetings, he was relaxed and cheerful.

君子不以紺緅飾，紅紫不以為褻服。當暑袗絺綌，必表而出之。緇衣羔裘，素衣麑裘，黃衣狐裘。褻裘長，短右袂。必有寢衣，長一身有半。狐貉之厚以居。去喪，無所不佩。非帷裳，必殺之。羔裘玄冠不以吊。吉月，必朝服而朝。

The gentleman did not use deep blue-red or black-red cloth for borders, and did not use red or purple for everyday wear at home. In hot weather he wore a single layer of fine or coarse kudzu cloth, and when going out would always put on an outer garment. With a black robe he wore a lambskin gown, with a white robe a fawn-skin gown, with a yellow robe a fox-fur gown. The gown for home wear was long, with the right sleeve shorter. For sleeping he always had a small quilt, one and a half times his body length. He used thick fox and badger fur as seat cushions. After mourning was over, he wore any ornaments. Except for the full-width skirt for court and sacrifice, he always cut away the extra cloth. He did not wear the lambskin gown and black cap when going to offer condolences. On the first day of every month he always put on court dress and went to court.

齊，必有明衣，布。齊必變食，居必遷坐。

When fasting, he always had a clean cloth garment to wear after bathing. When fasting, he always changed his usual diet, and always moved his sleeping place.

食不厭精，膾不厭細。食饐而餲，魚餒而肉敗，不食；色惡，不食；臭惡，不食；失飪，不食；不時，不食；割不正，不食；不得其醬，不食。肉雖多，不使勝食氣。唯酒無量，不及亂。沽酒市脯，不食。不撤姜食，不多食。

He did not mind grain being as finely hulled as possible or meat as finely cut as possible. He did not eat food that had gone off from standing, fish that had rotted, or meat that had spoiled; he did not eat what looked bad, or what smelled bad; he did not eat what was badly cooked; he did not eat out of season; he did not eat meat that was not cut properly; he did not eat without the proper sauce. However much meat there was, he did not let it exceed the amount of the staple food. Only with wine was there no limit, but he did not drink to confusion. He did not eat wine and dried meat bought in the market. Ginger was never removed from the table, but he did not eat much.

祭於公，不宿肉。祭肉不出三日，出三日不食之矣。

The meat received from sharing in the ruler's sacrifice he did not keep overnight. The meat from his own family's sacrifice he did not keep beyond three days; if kept beyond three days, he did not eat it.

食不語，寢不言。

When eating he did not converse, and when in bed he did not speak.

雖疏食菜羹，必祭，必齊如也。

Even with coarse rice and vegetable soup, he always made an offering before eating, and his manner was reverent as if fasting.

席不正，不坐。

If the mat was not set straight, he would not sit.

鄉人飲酒，杖者出，斯出矣。

When drinking with fellow villagers, he would leave only after the elders who walked with staffs had gone out.

鄉人儺，朝服而立於阼階。

When the villagers held the exorcism ceremony to drive away pestilence, he stood on the eastern steps in court dress.

問人於他邦，再拜而送之。

When he sent someone to another state to inquire after a friend, he always bowed twice in farewell before letting the messenger set out.

康子饋藥，拜而受之。曰：“丘未達，不敢嘗。”

Ji Kangzi sent medicine, and Confucius bowed in thanks and accepted it, saying: “I do not yet understand this medicine's nature, so I dare not taste it.”

廄焚，子退朝，曰：“傷人乎？”不問馬。

The stable caught fire. When Confucius returned from court, he asked: “Was anyone hurt?” He did not ask about the horses.

君賜食，必正席先嚐之；君賜腥，必熟而薦之；君賜生，必畜之。侍食於君，君祭，先飯。

When the ruler gave him cooked food, he always straightened his mat and tasted it first; when the ruler gave raw meat, he always cooked it and offered it to his ancestors; when the ruler gave a living creature, he always kept it alive. When dining with the ruler, as the ruler performed the sacrificial offering, he would eat first.

疾，君視之，東首，加朝服，拖紳。

When Confucius was ill and the ruler came to visit him, he lay with his head to the east, with court dress laid over him and the great sash drawn across.

君命召，不俟駕行矣。

When the ruler summoned him by command, he set out on foot without waiting for the carriage and horses to be ready.

入太廟，每事問。

On entering the Grand Temple, he asked about everything.

朋友死，無所歸，曰：“於我殯。”

When a friend died with no place to be buried, Confucius said: “I will take charge of the funeral.”

朋友之饋，雖車馬，非祭肉，不拜。

For gifts from friends, even if as valuable as a carriage and horses, unless it was sacrificial meat, he did not make a bow of thanks.

寢不屍，居不客。

In sleeping he did not lie stretched out like a corpse, and at home he was not as formal as a guest.

見齊衰者，雖狎，必變。見冕者與瞽者，雖褻，必以貌。凶服者式之，式負版者。有盛饌，必變色而作。迅雷風烈，必變。

On seeing someone in mourning dress, even a close acquaintance, he would always change his expression; on seeing someone in ceremonial cap or a blind person, even if he often saw them, he would always treat them with courtesy. In a carriage, when he met someone in mourning dress, he bent forward and held the crossbar in salute; when he met someone carrying the state's maps and records, he also bent forward in salute. At a lavish feast, he would always change his expression and rise. At a sudden thunderclap or violent wind, he would always change his expression.

升車，必正立，執綏。車中不內顧，不疾言，不親指。

On getting into the carriage, he always stood properly and held the strap. In the carriage he did not look about, did not speak hurriedly, and did not point with his hand.

色斯舉矣，翔而後集。曰：“山梁雌雉，時哉時哉！”子路共之，三嗅而作。

The pheasant, seeing a person with an unfriendly look, flew up, circled a while, and then landed. Confucius said: “The hen pheasant on the mountain ridge, how well she has chosen her time, how well she has chosen her time!” Zilu clasped his hands toward them; they flapped their wings a few times and flew away.