Shuo Yuan (說苑) · Volume 2

簡子有臣尹綽、赦厥。簡子曰：“厥愛我，諫我必不於眾人中；綽也不愛我，諫我必於眾人中。”尹綽曰：“厥也愛君之醜而不愛君之過也，臣愛君之過而不愛君之醜。”孔子曰：“君子哉！尹綽，面訾不譽也。”

Jianzi had two ministers, Yin Chuo and She Jue. Jianzi said: "Jue loves me, and when he remonstrates with me he surely does not do so in the midst of others; Chuo does not love me, and when he remonstrates with me he surely does so in the midst of others." Yin Chuo said: "Jue loves Your Lordship's disgrace and does not love Your Lordship's faults; I love Your Lordship's faults and do not love Your Lordship's disgrace." Confucius said: "A noble man indeed, Yin Chuo! He rebukes to one's face and does not praise."

高繚仕於晏子，晏子逐之，左右諫曰：“高繚之事夫子，三年曾無以爵位，而逐之，其義可乎？”晏子曰：“嬰仄陋之人也，四維之然後能直，今此子事吾三年，未嘗弼吾過，是以逐之也。”

Gao Liao served under Master Yan, and Master Yan dismissed him. His attendants remonstrated: "Gao Liao served the Master for three years and was never given a rank, yet you dismiss him; is this right?" Master Yan said: "Ying is a narrow and shallow person, and needs the four cords to hold me up before I can be straight. Now this man has served me for three years and has never corrected my faults, so I dismissed him."

子貢問孔子曰：“賜為人下，而未知所以為人下之道也？”孔子曰：“為人下者，其猶土乎！種之則五穀生焉，掘之則甘泉出焉，草木植焉，禽獸育焉，生人立焉，死人入焉，多其功而不言，為人下者，其猶土乎！”

Zigong asked Confucius: "Ci is in a position below others, but still does not know the principle of being below others." Confucius said: "Those below others are perhaps like the earth! Plant in it and the five grains grow, dig into it and sweet springs gush forth, grass and trees are planted on it, birds and beasts are raised on it, the living stand on it, and the dead are buried in it, and its merit is great yet it does not speak of it. Those below others are perhaps like the earth!"

孫卿曰：“少使長，賤事貴，不肖事賢，此天下之通義也。有人貴而不能為人上，賤而羞為人下，此奸人之心也，身不離奸心，而行不離奸道，然而求見譽於眾，不亦難乎？”

Master Sun said: "For the young to be directed by the old, the lowly to serve the honored, and the unworthy to serve the worthy is the universally accepted principle of the world. There are people who are of high rank but cannot be above others, and of low rank but are ashamed to be below others; this is the heart of a wicked person. If one's person does not leave a wicked heart and one's conduct does not leave the wicked way, yet one seeks praise among the people, is it not hard?"

公叔文子問於史叟曰：“武子勝事趙簡子久矣，其寵不解，奚也？”史叟曰：“武子勝，博聞多能而位賤，君親而近之，致敏以愻，藐而疏之，則恭而無怨色，入與謀國家，出不見其寵，君賜之祿，知足而辭，故能久也。”

Gongshu Wenzi asked Elder Shi: "Wuzi Sheng has served Zhao Jianzi for a long time and his favor has not faded; why?" Elder Shi said: "Wuzi Sheng has broad knowledge and many abilities, yet his position is low. When the lord is close to him he is extremely respectful and yielding; when the lord keeps his distance he is respectful and shows no resentment. Within, he plans for the state, and when he comes out, one does not see his favor. When the lord gives him salary he knows contentment and declines it. This is why he lasts."

泰誓曰：“附下而罔上者死，附上而罔下者刑；與聞國政而無益於民者退，在上位而不能進賢者逐。”此所以勸善而黜惡也。故傳曰：“傷善者國之殘也，蔽善者國之讒也，愬無罪者國之賊也。”

The Great Declaration says: "Those who echo those below and deceive those above are put to death; those who echo those above and deceive those below are punished; those who take part in government but do no good to the people are dismissed; those in high position who cannot recommend the worthy are driven out." This is used to encourage the good and dismiss the bad. So the tradition says: "One who harms good people is a ruinous brigand of the state; one who obstructs good people is a slanderer of the state; one who falsely accuses the innocent is a thief of the state."

王制曰：“假於鬼神時日卜筮以疑於眾者殺也。”子路為蒲令，備水災，與民春修溝瀆，為人煩苦，故予人一簞食，一壺漿，孔子聞之，使子貢復之，子路忿然不悅，往見夫子曰：“由也以暴雨將至，恐有水災，故與人修溝瀆以備之，而民多匱於食，故與人一簞食一壺漿，而夫子使賜止之，何也？夫子止由之行仁也，夫子以仁教而禁其行仁也，由也不受。”子曰：“爾以民為餓，何不告於君，發倉廩以給食之；而以爾私饋之，是汝不明君之惠，見汝之德義也，速已則可矣，否則爾之受罪不久矣。”子路心服而退也。

The Royal Regulations says: "Those who use spirits, auspicious days or divination to confuse the people are killed." Zilu, as magistrate of Pu, guarded against floods and in spring worked with the people to repair the ditches. The people were weary and bitter, so he gave each a bamboo basket of food and a flask of drink. Confucius heard of it and sent Zigong to stop him. Zilu was angry and displeased, and went to see the Master, saying: "You, because a violent storm was coming and I feared a flood, worked with the people on the ditches to guard against it, and since the people were mostly short of food I gave each a basket of food and a flask of drink. But the Master sends Ci to stop me; why? The Master stops You from practicing benevolence; the Master teaches with benevolence yet forbids the practice of benevolence, and You does not accept it." Confucius said: "You thought the people were hungry; why did you not tell the ruler and open the granaries to feed them? Instead you gave from your own goods, which fails to show the ruler's kindness and only displays your own virtue. If you stop quickly it is still acceptable; otherwise you will be punished before long." Zilu was convinced in his heart and withdrew.

孔子曰：“君子務本，本立而道生。”夫本不正者末必倚，始不盛者終必衰。詩云：“原隰既平，泉流既清”。本立而道生，春秋之義；有正春者無亂秋，有正君者無危國，易曰：“建其本而萬物理，失之毫釐，差以千里”。是故君子貴建本而重立始。

Confucius said: "The noble man devotes himself to the root; when the root is established, the Way grows." If the root is not straight, the tip is bound to be crooked; if the beginning is not flourishing, the end is bound to decline. The Book of Songs says: "The high and low ground are leveled, and the spring flow has cleared." When the root is established the Way grows; this is the principle of the Spring and Autumn Annals: where there is a proper spring there is no disordered autumn, and where there is a proper ruler there is no endangered state. The Changes says: "Establish the root, and the myriad things have order; if one errs by a hair's breadth, the miss is a thousand li." So the noble man values establishing the root and values laying down the beginning.

魏武侯問元年於吳子，吳子對曰：“言國君必慎始也。”“慎始奈何？”曰：“正之”，“正之奈何？”曰：“明智，智不明，何以見正，多聞而擇焉，所以明智也。是故古者君始聽治，大夫而一言，士而一見，庶人有謁必達，公族請問必語，四方至者勿距，可謂不壅蔽矣；分祿必及，用刑必中，君心必仁，思君之利，除民之害，可謂不失民眾矣；君身必正，近臣必選，大夫不兼官，執民柄者不在一族，可謂不權勢矣。此皆春秋之意，而元年之本也。”

Marquis Wu of Wei asked Master Wu about the "first year," and Master Wu replied: "It means that the ruler must be careful about the beginning." "What does being careful about the beginning involve?" He said: "Setting it right." "What does setting it right involve?" He said: "Making wisdom clear. If wisdom is not clear, by what does one see what is right? One listens widely and selects, and so wisdom is made clear. Thus when rulers of old began to hear and manage governance, if a grandee presented a word, a scholar had an audience, a commoner had a petition, it was surely conveyed, and when the ducal clan asked a question, it was surely answered, and those coming from the four quarters were not turned away; this can be called not being obstructed. In sharing out salaries all are surely included, in applying punishments they are surely moderate, the ruler's heart is surely benevolent, thinking of the ruler's benefit and removing the people's harm; this can be called not losing the people. The ruler's own person is surely upright, the close ministers are surely selected, grandees do not hold two offices, and those who hold the authority to govern the people are not of one clan; this can be called not concentrating power. All these are the meaning of the Spring and Autumn Annals, and the root of the first year."

孔子曰：行身有六本，本立焉，然後為君子立體有義矣，而孝為本；處喪有禮矣，而哀為本；戰陣有隊矣，而勇為本；政治有理矣，而能為本；居國有禮矣，而嗣為本；生才有時矣，而力為本。置本不固，無務豐末；親戚不悅，無務外交；事無終始，無務多業；聞記不言，無務多談；比近不說，無務修遠。是以反本修邇，君子之道也。天之所生，地之所養，莫貴乎人人之道，莫大乎父子之親，君臣之義；父道聖，子道仁，君道義，臣道忠。賢父之於子也，慈惠以生之，教誨以成之，養其誼，藏其偽，時其節，慎其施；子年七歲以上，父為之擇明師，選良友，勿使見惡，少漸之以善，使之早化。故賢子之事親，發言陳辭，應對不悖乎耳；趣走進退，容貌不悖乎目；卑體賤身，不悖乎心。君子之事親以積德，子者親之本也，無所推而不從命，推而不從命者，惟害親者也，故親之所安子皆供之。賢臣之事君也，受官之日，以主為父，以國為家，以士人為兄弟；故苟有可以安國家，利人民者不避其難，不憚其勞，以成其義；故其君亦有助之以遂其德。夫君臣之與百姓，轉相為本，如循環無端，夫子亦云，人之行莫大於孝；孝行成於內而嘉號佈於外，是謂建之於本而榮華自茂矣。君以臣為本，臣以君為本；父以子為本，子以父為本，棄其本，榮華槁矣。

Confucius said: In establishing oneself and acting, there are six roots; when the roots are established, one can then be a noble man. In establishing oneself and living in the world there is righteousness, and filial piety is its root; in mourning there is ritual, and grief is its root; in battle formation there are ranks, and courage is its root; in government there is order, and ability is its root; in running a state there is ritual, and the succession of heirs is its root; in the growth and cultivation of natural talent there are seasons, and effort is its root. If the root is not firmly placed, do not engage in the flourishing of the tip; if relatives are not pleased, do not engage in diplomacy; if matters have no beginning and end, do not engage in many enterprises; if one hears and memorizes but does not speak, do not engage in much talking; if those near are not pleased, do not engage in managing what is far. Therefore, returning to the root and cultivating what is near is the Way of the noble man. Of what Heaven brings forth and Earth nourishes, nothing is more precious than man. In the Way of being human, nothing is greater than the closeness of father and son and the righteousness of ruler and minister. The father's Way is sagehood, the son's Way is benevolence, the ruler's Way is righteousness, and the minister's Way is loyalty. A worthy father toward his son, raises him with kindness, accomplishes him with teaching, cultivates his goodness and stores away his falsehoods, restrains him in due time and is careful about what he does; when the son is over seven, the father chooses a clear-sighted teacher and good friends for him, so that he does not see evil, steeping him in goodness from childhood so that he is transformed early. So the worthy son in serving his parents, in speaking and answering, does not go against their ears; in hurrying and withdrawing, in appearance, does not go against their eyes; in lowering his body and making light of himself, does not go against their hearts. The noble man serves his parents so as to accumulate virtue. The son is the root of the parents, and none of them push him away and he disobeys; those who push them away and disobey are only those who harm their parents. So whatever puts the parents at ease, the son provides. The worthy minister, in serving his ruler, on the day he accepts office treats the sovereign as a father, the state as a family, and scholars as brothers; so wherever he can pacify the state and benefit the people, he does not avoid the difficulty or fear the toil, in order to complete his righteousness, and so his ruler also has help to complete his virtue. Ruler, ministers and people turn as roots of each other, like a cycle with no end. The Master also said: no conduct of man is greater than filial piety; when filial conduct is accomplished within and a fine name spreads without, this is called being established on the root and flourishing by itself. The ruler takes the ministers as the root and the ministers take the ruler as the root; the father takes the son as the root and the son takes the father as the root. If the root is discarded, the flowers wither.

子路曰：負重道遠者，不擇地而休；家貧親老者，不擇祿而仕。昔者由事二親之時，常食藜藿之實而為親負米百里之外，親沒之後，南遊於楚，從車百乘，積粟萬鍾，累茵而坐，列鼎而食，願食藜藿負米之時不可復得也；枯魚銜索，幾何不蠹，二親之壽，忽如過隙，草木欲長，霜露不使，賢者欲養，二親不待，故曰：家貧親老不擇祿而仕也。

Zilu said: One who bears a heavy load and travels far does not choose a place to rest; one who is poor and has aged parents does not choose his salary when taking office. Formerly when You was serving my parents, I often ate the seeds of goosefoot and bean leaves, yet carried rice for my parents from a hundred li away. After my parents died, I traveled south to Chu, with a hundred carriages following, with ten thousand zhong of grain stored, sitting on layered cushions and eating from lined-up cauldrons; if I wished to return to the time of eating goosefoot and carrying rice, I could never get it again. A dried fish strung on a rope, how long before the worms get at it? The span of parents' life is as fast as leaping a crack. Grass and trees wish to grow, but frost and dew do not allow it; a worthy son wishes to care for his parents, but his parents cannot wait. So it is said: if one is poor and has aged parents, one does not choose the salary when taking office.

伯禽與康叔封朝於成王，見周公三見而三笞，康叔有駭色，謂伯禽曰：“有商子者，賢人也，與子見之。”康叔封與伯禽見商子曰：“某某也，日吾二子者朝乎成王，見周公三見而三笞，其說何也？”商子曰：“二子盍相與觀乎南山之陽有木焉，名曰橋。”二子者往觀乎南山之陽，見橋竦焉實而仰，反以告乎商子，商子曰：“橋者父道也。”商子曰：“二子盍相與觀乎南山之陰，有木焉，名曰梓。”二子者往觀乎南山之陰，見梓勃焉實而俯，反以告商子，商子曰：“梓者、子道也。”二子者明日見乎周公，入門而趨，登堂而跪，周公拂其首，勞而食之曰：“安見君子？”二子對曰：“見商子。”周公曰：“君子哉！商子也。”

Bo Qin and Kang Shufeng went to court to see King Cheng, and saw the Duke of Zhou; three times they were presented and three times were whipped. Kang Shu looked alarmed and said to Bo Qin: "There is a man named Shang Zi, a worthy man; let us go and see him." Kang Shufeng and Bo Qin saw Shang Zi and said: "So-and-so. A few days ago we two went to court to see King Cheng and saw the Duke of Zhou; three times we were presented and three times were whipped. What does this mean?" Shang Zi said: "Why do you two not go together and look at the south side of South Mountain, where there is a tree called Qiao." The two went to the south side of South Mountain and saw the Qiao tree standing tall, full and upward, and came back and told Shang Zi. Shang Zi said: "The Qiao is the Way of the father." Shang Zi said again: "Why do you two not go together and look at the north side of South Mountain, where there is a tree called Zi." The two went to the north side of South Mountain and saw the Zi tree vigorous, full and bending downward, and came back and told Shang Zi. Shang Zi said: "The Zi is the Way of the son." The next day the two went to see the Duke of Zhou, hurried in at the door and knelt in the hall. The Duke of Zhou stroked their heads, consoled them and gave them food, saying: "Where did you see a noble man?" The two answered: "We saw Shang Zi." The Duke of Zhou said: "A noble man indeed, Shang Zi!"

曾子芸瓜而誤斬其根，曾皙怒，援大杖擊之，曾子仆地；有頃蘇，蹶然而起，進曰：“曩者參得罪於大人，大人用力教參，得無疾乎！”退屏鼓琴而歌，欲令曾皙聽其歌聲，令知其平也。孔子聞之，告門人曰：“參來勿內也！”曾子自以無罪，使人謝孔子，孔子曰：“汝聞瞽叟有子名曰舜，舜之事父也，索而使之，未嘗不在側，求而殺之，未嘗可得；小棰則待，大棰則走，以逃暴怒也。今子委身以待暴怒，立體而不去，殺身以陷父，不義不孝，孰是大乎？汝非天子之民邪？殺天子之民罪奚如？”以曾子之材，又居孔子之門，有罪不自知處義，難乎！

Zengzi was hoeing melons and mistakenly cut through the roots. Zeng Xi was angry, picked up a large staff and beat him, and Zengzi fell flat on the ground. After a while he revived, suddenly got up, stepped forward and said: "Just now Shen offended you, Father; you used your strength to teach Shen, surely you were not hurt!" He withdrew to a screen, played the zither and sang, wanting Zeng Xi to hear the song and know that he was all right. Confucius heard of it and told his disciples: "If Shen comes, do not let him in!" Zengzi thought he had no fault and sent someone to apologize to Confucius. Confucius said: "Have you heard that Gu Sou had a son named Shun? When Shun served his father, if sought for service he was never absent from his side; if sought to be killed, he could never be found. When the whip was small he waited, when it was large he ran, to escape the violent anger. Now you give your body over to violent anger and stand there without leaving; killing your body would trap your father in unrighteousness and unfilial conduct; which is greater? Are you not a subject of the Son of Heaven? What is the offense of killing a subject of the Son of Heaven?" With Zengzi's talent, and living at Confucius's door, to have a fault and himself not know that he was standing in righteousness; how hard it is!

伯俞有過，其母笞之泣，其母曰：“他日笞子未嘗見泣，今泣何也？”對曰：“他日俞得罪笞嘗痛，今母力不能使痛，是以泣。”故曰父母怒之，不作於意，不見於色，深受其罪，使可哀憐，上也；父母怒之，不作於意，不見其色，其次也；父母怒之，作於意，見於色，下也。

Boyu had a fault and his mother whipped him, and he wept. His mother said: "In the past when I beat you I never saw you weep; why do you weep now?" He replied: "In the past when Yu offended and was beaten, it hurt; now Mother's strength cannot make me hurt, so I weep." So it is said: when parents are angry, to not let it provoke one inwardly, not show it on the face, but deeply bear one's own blame, making oneself pitiable and worthy of sympathy, is the highest; when parents are angry, to not let it provoke one inwardly and not show it on the face, is the next; when parents are angry, to let it provoke one inwardly and show it on the face, is the lowest.

成人有德，小子有造，大學之教也；時禁於其未發之曰預，因其可之曰時，相觀於善之曰磨，學不陵節而施之曰馴。發然後禁，則扞格而不勝；時過然後學，則勤苦而難成；雜施而不遜，則壞亂而不治；獨學而無友，則孤陋而寡聞。故曰有昭辟雍，有賢泮宮，田裡周行，濟濟鏘鏘，而相從執質，有族以文。

Adults have virtue and children have accomplishment; this is the teaching of the great school: forbidding before something arises is called prevention; acting at the right time is called timeliness; observing one another's goodness is called polishing; and learning without exceeding the measure while carrying it out is called taming. If one forbids only after it has arisen, one clashes and cannot prevail; if one learns after the time has passed, one toils bitterly and is hard to accomplish; if one practices in confusion and without order, one is ruined and cannot be governed; if one studies alone without friends, one is isolated and ignorant. So it is said: there is the bright Biyong, there is the worthy Pangong; on the village roads and highways, they walk in dignified order, following one another and holding their gifts, and kinsmen gather them with refinement.

周召公年十九，見正而冠，冠則可以為方伯諸侯矣。人之幼稚童蒙之時，非求師正本，無以立身全性。夫幼者必愚，愚者妄行；愚者妄行，不能保身，孟子曰：人皆知以食愈飢，莫知以學愈愚，故善材之幼者必勤於學問以修其性。今人誠能砥礪其材，自誠其神明，睹物之應，信道之要，觀始卒之端，覽無外之境，逍遙乎無方之內，彷徉乎塵埃之外，卓然獨立，超然絕世，此上聖之所遊神也。然晚世之人，莫能閒居心思，鼓琴讀書，追觀上古，友賢大夫；學問講辯日以自虞，疏遠世事分明利害，籌策得失，以觀禍福，設義立度，以為法式；窮追本末，究事之情，死有遺業，生有榮名；此皆人材之所能建也，然莫能為者，偷慢懈墮，多暇日之故也，是以失本而無名。夫學者，崇名立身之本也，儀狀齊等而飾貌者好，質性同倫而學問者智；是故砥礪琢磨非金也，而可以利金；詩書壁立，非我也，而可以厲心。夫問訊之士，日夜興起，厲中益知，以分別理，是故處身則全，立身不殆，士苟欲深明博察，以垂榮名，而不好問訊之道，則是伐智本而塞智原也，何以立軀也？騏驥雖疾，不遇伯樂，不致千里；干將雖利，非人力不能自斷焉；烏號之弓雖良，不得排檠，不能自任；人才雖高，不務學問，不能致聖。水積成川，則蛟龍生焉；土積成山，則豫樟生焉；學積成聖，則富貴尊顯至焉。千金之裘，非一狐之皮；臺廟之榱，非一木之枝；先王之法，非一士之智也。故曰：訊問者智之本，思慮者智之道也。中庸曰：“好問近乎智，力行近乎仁，知恥近乎勇。”積小之能大者，其惟仲尼乎！學者所以反情治性盡才者也，親賢學問，所以長德也；論交合友，所以相致也。詩云：“如切如磋，如琢如磨”，此之謂也。

Duke Shao of Zhou, at nineteen, saw what was right and received his cap, and having received his cap he could serve as a regional lord. When a person is young and ignorant, if he does not seek a teacher to set his root straight, he has no way to establish himself and preserve his nature. The young are surely foolish, and the foolish act rashly; the foolish who act rashly cannot protect themselves. Mencius said: people all know to cure hunger with food and do not know to cure ignorance with learning. So good material must work diligently at learning in youth to cultivate its nature. If people today could truly whet their own talent, make their spirit sincere by themselves, see the confirmation of things, trust the crux of the Way, observe the beginnings and ends, gaze on realms with no outer edge, roam within what has no direction, and linger beyond the dust, standing alone and aloof, cut off from the world, this is where the highest sages roam in spirit. But the people of the late age have none who can live idly and use their minds to think, play the zither and read, look back at high antiquity, and befriend worthy officers; delighting daily in study and debate, keeping distance from worldly affairs and clarifying benefit and harm, calculating gain and loss to observe fortune and misfortune, establishing righteousness and laws as models, pursuing roots and branches, and probing the real state of affairs, so that in death they leave an enterprise and in life they have a name of glory: all of these are things human talent can establish, yet none can do them, because they are careless, lazy, slack, and fall into idle days, and so they lose the root and have no name. Learning is the root of valuing a name and establishing oneself. If appearance and form are equal, the one who adorns the outside looks better; if natures are of the same kind, the one who studies is wiser. Thus a whetstone and file are not gold but can make gold sharp; the Odes and Documents stand like walls and are not myself but can whet the mind. Scholars who inquire rouse themselves day and night, whet their hearts and add knowledge so as to distinguish the strands, and so in their conduct they are secure and in establishing themselves are not in danger. If a scholar wishes to understand deeply and examine widely and hand down a name of glory, yet does not love the way of asking, he is chopping down the root of wisdom and blocking its source; by what means will he establish himself? A fine steed, though swift, if it does not meet Bo Le, will not reach a thousand li; Ganjiang, though sharp, cannot cut by itself without human strength; the Wuhao bow, though good, cannot do the job by itself without a straightening frame; human talent, though high, if it does not turn to learning, cannot reach sagehood. Water gathers into a river and flood dragons are born; earth gathers into a mountain and camphor trees are born; learning gathers into sagehood and wealth, honor, and prominence arrive. A fur robe worth a thousand pieces of gold is not the pelt of a single fox; the rafters of a terrace and temple are not the branches of a single tree; the laws of the former kings are not the wisdom of a single officer. So it is said: inquiry is the root of wisdom and thinking is the road of wisdom. The Doctrine of the Mean says: "To love learning is to come near to wisdom; to act with effort is to come near to benevolence; to know shame is to come near to courage." Among those who accumulate the small and become great, there is probably only Zhongni! Learning is how one returns to feeling, governs one's nature, and exhausts one's own talent; drawing near worthy men to study is how one increases virtue; discussing and joining friends is how people draw one another in. The Book of Odes says: "As if cut, as if filed, as if carved, as if polished." This is what is meant.

今夫闢地殖穀，以養生送死，銳金石，雜草藥以攻疾，各知構室屋以避暑雨，累臺榭以避潤溼，入知親其親，出知尊其君，內有男女之別，外有朋友之際，此聖人之德教，儒者受之傳之，以教誨於後世。今夫晚世之惡人，反非儒者曰：何以儒為？如此人者，是非本也，譬猶食谷衣絲，而非耕織者也；載於船車，服而安之，而非主匠者也；食於釜甑，須以生活，而非陶冶者也；此言違於情而行蒙於心者也。如此人者，骨肉不親也，秀士不友也，此三代之棄民也，人君之所不赦也。故詩云：“投畀豺虎，豺虎不食，投畀有北，有北不受，投畀有昊。”此之謂也。

They clear land and plant grain to nurture the living and bury the dead; they sharpen metal and stone and combine herbs to cure illness; each knows to build houses to avoid heat and rain and to pile up terraces and halls to avoid damp; at home they know to love their own kin and abroad they know to honor their own ruler; inside there is the distinction between men and women and outside the intercourse of friends: these are the moral teachings of the sages, which the Confucians received and transmitted to instruct later ages. But now wicked people of the late age, on the contrary, criticize the Confucians, saying: what use are Confucians? Such people criticize the root, like those who eat grain and wear silk yet disparage those who plow and weave; who sit in boats and carriages, riding in safety, yet disparage the craftsmen who made them; who eat from cauldrons and steamers and live by them yet disparage the potters and smelters. These are people whose words go against the facts and whose conduct is blinded by their own minds. Such people are not close to their own flesh and blood and make no friends among fine scholars; they are people whom the Three Dynasties cast off and whom rulers do not pardon. Hence the Book of Odes says: "Throw him to the wolves and tigers, and the wolves and tigers will not eat him; throw him to the north, and the north will not accept him; throw him to Heaven." This is what is meant.

孟子曰：人知糞其田，莫知糞其心；糞田莫過利曲得粟，糞心易行而得其所欲。何謂糞心？博學多聞；何謂易行？一性止淫也。

Mencius said: people know how to fertilize fields but do not know how to fertilize the mind. Fertilizing fields only yields grain along the furrows; fertilizing the mind changes conduct and gets what one desires. What is it to fertilize the mind? Learning widely and hearing much. What is it to change conduct? Making one's nature single-minded and stopping licentious desire.

子思曰：學所以益才也，礪所以致刃也，吾嘗幽處而深思，不若學之速；吾嘗跂而望，不若登高之博見。故順風而呼，聲不加疾而聞者眾；登丘而招，臂不加長而見者遠。故魚乘於水，鳥乘於風，草木乘於時。

Zisi said: learning is how one adds to one's talent, and grinding is how one makes a blade sharp. I once lived in seclusion and thought deeply, which was not as quick as learning; I once stood on tiptoe and gazed far, which was not as broad as climbing high. So when one calls with the wind, the sound is not hurried but more people hear it; when one waves from a hill, the arm is no longer but people see it from afar. So fish ride the water, birds ride the wind, and plants and trees ride the seasons.

孔子曰：可以與人終日而不倦者，其惟學乎！其身體不足觀也，其勇力不足憚也，其先祖不足稱也，其族姓不足道也；然而可以聞四方而昭於諸侯者，其惟學乎！詩曰：“不僭不亡，率由舊章”，夫學之謂也。

Confucius said: what one can stay with all day without tiring is probably only learning! The body is not enough to look at, courage and strength are not enough to make people afraid, ancestors are not enough to boast of, and family name is not enough to speak of; yet what can make one known in all quarters and illustrious among the feudal lords is probably only learning! The Book of Odes says: "Without error, without forgetting, following the old rules." This speaks of learning.

孔子曰：鯉，君子不可以不學，見人不可以不飾；不飾則無根，無根則失理；失理則不忠，不忠則失禮，失禮則不立。夫遠而有光者，飾也；近而逾明者，學也。譬之如汙池，水潦注焉，菅蒲生之，從上觀之，知其非源也。

Confucius said: "Li, a gentleman must not fail to study, and when meeting people must not fail to be well groomed; without grooming there is no root, without a root one loses principle; losing principle there is no loyalty, without loyalty one loses ritual, and without ritual one cannot establish oneself. What shines when seen from afar is grooming; what grows even brighter when seen up close is learning. It is like a stagnant pond into which rainwater flows and on which rushes and sedges grow; seeing it from above, one knows it is not a spring."

公扈子曰：有國者不可以不學，春秋，生而尊者驕，生而富者傲，生而富貴，又無鑑而自得者鮮矣。春秋，國之鑑也，春秋之中，弒君三十六，亡國五十二，諸侯奔走不得保社稷者甚眾，未有不先見而後從之者也。

Gonghu Zi said: one who holds a state must not fail to study. In the Spring and Autumn Annals, those born noble are proud, those born rich are arrogant, and those born rich and noble who, with no model, act properly of themselves are few. The Spring and Autumn Annals is the mirror of a state; in it, rulers assassinated number thirty-six and states ruined fifty-two, and the feudal lords who ran away and could not keep their altars are many; none of them failed to see the earlier cases and then follow them.

晉平公問於師曠曰：“吾年七十欲學，恐已暮矣。”師曠曰：“何不炳燭乎？”平公曰：“安有為人臣而戲其君乎？”師曠曰：“盲臣安敢戲其君乎？臣聞之，少而好學，如日出之陽；壯而好學，如日中之光；老而好學，如炳燭之明。炳燭之明，孰與昧行乎？”平公曰：“善哉！”

Duke Ping of Jin asked Music Master Kuang: "At seventy I want to study; I fear it is already too late." Kuang said: "Why not light a torch?" The duke said: "How can a minister make fun of his ruler?" Kuang said: "How would a blind minister dare to make fun of his ruler? I have heard that learning in youth is like the sunlight of sunrise; learning in the prime of life is like the light of midday; learning in old age is like the brightness of a lit torch. Which is better, the brightness of a lit torch or walking in the dark?" The duke said: "Good!"

河間獻王曰：“湯稱學聖王之道者，譬如日焉；靜居獨思，譬如火焉。夫舍學聖王之道，若舍日之光，何乃獨思火之明也；可以見小耳，未可用大知，惟學問可以廣明德慧也。”

Prince Xian of Hejian said: "Tang said that one who studies the way of the sage kings is like the sun, and one who sits in quiet seclusion thinking alone is like a fire. To abandon the study of the way of the sage kings is like abandoning the light of the sun and thinking alone about the brightness of a fire; one can only see small things and cannot seek great wisdom by it; only learning can spread bright virtue and wisdom."

梁丘據謂晏子曰：“吾至死不及夫子矣。”晏子曰：“嬰聞之，為者常成，行者常至；嬰非有異於人也，常為而不置，常行而不休者，故難及也。”

Liangqiu Ju said to Master Yan: "Until my death I will not catch up with you, Master." Master Yan said: "I have heard that those who do constantly succeed and those who walk constantly arrive; I am no different from others; I am only one who constantly does and does not set down and constantly walks and does not stop, so I am hard to catch up with."

甯越，中牟鄙人也，苦耕之勞，謂其友曰：“何為而可以免此苦也？”友曰：“莫如學，學二十年則可以達矣。”甯越曰：“請十五歲，人將休，吾將不休；人將臥，吾不敢臥。”十五歲學而周威公師之。夫走者之速也，而過二里止；步者之遲也，而百里不止。今甯越之材而久不止，其為諸侯師，豈不宜哉！

Ning Yue was a rustic of Zhongmou, worn down by the toil of farming, and said to his friend: "How can I be freed from this suffering?" His friend said: "Nothing is better than study; after twenty years of study you can become prominent." Ning Yue said: "Let me do it in fifteen years: when others are about to rest, I will not rest; when others are about to lie down, I dare not lie down." After fifteen years of study, Duke Wei of Zhou took him as his teacher. A runner is fast but stops after two li; a walker is slow but does not stop even after a hundred li. Now with Ning Yue's talent and his refusal to stop for so long, was it not fitting that he became a teacher of lords!

孔子謂子路曰：“汝何好？”子路曰：“好長劍。”孔子曰：“非此之問也，請以汝之所能，加之以學，豈可及哉！”子路曰：“學亦有益乎？”孔子曰：“夫人君無諫臣則失政；士無教交，則失德；狂馬不釋其策，操弓不返於檠；木受繩則直，人受諫則聖；受學重問，孰不順成；毀仁惡士，且近於刑。君子不可以不學。”子路曰：“南山有竹，弗揉自直，斬而射之，通於犀革，又何學為乎？”孔子曰：“括而羽之，鏃而砥礪之，其入不益深乎？”子路拜曰：“敬受教哉！”

Confucius said to Zilu: "What do you like?" Zilu said: "I like long swords." Confucius said: "That is not what I asked; take what you are able to do and add study to it, and who could catch up with you!" Zilu said: "Does study also bring benefit?" Confucius said: "A ruler without remonstrating ministers loses his government; a scholar without friends to instruct him loses his virtue; a wild horse does not put down the whip, and one who holds a bow does not leave the bow frame; wood receiving the ink line becomes straight, and a person receiving remonstrance becomes a sage; one who accepts learning and values inquiry, who does not succeed smoothly? One who ruins benevolence and hates scholars comes close to punishment. The gentleman must not fail to study." Zilu said: "On the Southern Mountain there is bamboo that is straight of itself without being bent; cut and shot, it pierces rhinoceros hide; why need one study?" Confucius said: "If you fit it with a notch and feathers, add an arrowhead and sharpen it, would it not enter deeper?" Zilu bowed and said: "I respectfully accept your instruction!"

子路問於孔子曰：“請釋古之學而行由之意，可乎？”孔子曰：“不可，昔者東夷慕諸夏之義，有女，其夫死，為之內私婿，終身不嫁，不嫁則不嫁矣，然非貞節之義也；蒼梧之弟，娶妻而美好，請與兄易，忠則忠矣，然非禮也。今子欲釋古之學而行子之意，庸知子用非為是，用是為非乎！不順其初，雖欲悔之，難哉！”

Zilu asked Confucius: "May I set aside the ancient learning and act as You's own heart tells him?" Confucius said: "No. In the past the eastern Yi admired the righteousness of the Chinese states. There was a woman whose husband died, and a son-in-law was privately brought for her into the inner room; she did not remarry for the rest of her life; not remarrying she did not remarry, yet it was not the righteousness of chastity. The younger brother of Cangwu took a beautiful wife and asked to exchange her with his elder brother; loyal he was loyal, yet it was not ritual. Now you want to set aside ancient learning and act on your own heart; how do you know you are not taking the wrong for right and the right for wrong! If it starts out not smooth, even if you want to regret it, it will be hard!"

豐牆磽下未必崩也，流行潦至，壞必先矣；樹本淺，根垓不深，未必橛也，飄風起，暴雨至，拔必先矣。君子居於是國，不崇仁義，不尊賢臣，未必亡也；然一旦有非常之變，車馳人走，指而禍至，乃始幹喉燋唇，仰天而嘆，庶幾焉天其救之，不亦難乎？孔子曰：“不慎其前，而悔其後，雖悔無及矣。”詩曰：“啜其泣矣，何嗟及矣”？言不先正本而成憂於末也。

A wall may be thick and its foundation thin yet not necessarily collapse; but when flowing water and standing floods arrive, its ruin is sure to come first. A tree may have a shallow trunk and unsteady roots, yet not necessarily break; but when a great wind arises and a violent rain comes, it will certainly be uprooted first. A gentleman living in this state who does not esteem benevolence and righteousness and does not honor worthy ministers will not necessarily perish; but once an extraordinary change occurs, carriages race and people run, and in the span of a finger disaster arrives, then his throat is parched and his lips scorched, he sighs to the sky and hopes that Heaven will save him; is that not hard too? Confucius said: "One who is not careful beforehand regrets afterward, and even if he regrets, it is too late." The Book of Odes says: "Sobbing and weeping; what good does sighing do?" This speaks of not setting the root right first and then forming worry at the tip.

虞君問盆成子曰：“今工者久而巧，色者老而衰；今人不及壯之時，益積心技之術，以備將衰之色，色者必盡乎老之前，知謀無以異乎幼之時。可好之色，彬彬乎且盡，洋洋乎安托無能之軀哉！故有技者不累身而未嘗滅，而色不得以常茂。”

The Lord of Yu asked Pencheng Zi: "A craftsman becomes skilled with long practice, and a beauty declines with age; people today cannot match the time of their prime, so they should accumulate the arts of mind, wisdom, and skill, to guard against the decline of the beauty that is about to fade; beauty will surely be spent before old age, while wisdom and planning are no different from those of youth. The beauty one loves is gradually being used up, and where will the incompetent body entrust itself in its helplessness! So the one with skill is not burdened in body and the skill is never extinguished, whereas beauty cannot always flourish."

齊桓公問管仲曰：“王者何貴？”曰：“貴天。”桓公仰而視天，管仲曰：“所謂天者，非謂蒼蒼莽莽之天也；君人者以百姓為天，百姓與之則安，輔之則強，非之則危，背之則亡。”詩云：“人而無良，相怨一方”。民怨其上，不遂亡者，未之有也。

Duke Huan of Qi asked Guan Zhong: "What does a king value?" He replied: "He values Heaven." Duke Huan raised his head and looked at the sky, and Guan Zhong said: "What is called Heaven is not the vast blue sky; the ruler takes the people as his Heaven: when the people are close to him he is secure, when they help him he is strong, when they criticize him he is in danger, and when they turn away he is lost." The Book of Odes says: "People without goodness resent each other at one corner." There has never been a case where the people resent those above and the latter did not perish with them.

河間獻王曰：“管子稱倉廩實，知禮節；衣食足，知榮辱。”夫谷者，國家所以昌熾，士女所以姣好，禮義所以行，而人心所以安也。尚書五福以富為始，子貢問為政，孔子曰：富之，既富乃教之也，此治國之本也。

Prince Xian of Hejian said: "Guanzi said: when the granaries are full, people know ritual; when clothing and food are sufficient, people know honor and disgrace." Grain is what makes a state prosper, what makes men and women fine, what allows ritual and righteousness to be practiced, and what steadies people's hearts. The Book of Documents begins the Five Blessings with wealth; when Zigong asked about government, Confucius said: make them wealthy, and having made them wealthy, teach them; this is the root of ordering a state.

文公見咎季，其廟傅於西牆，公曰：“孰處而西？”對曰：“君之老臣也。”公曰：“西益而宅。”對曰：“臣之忠，不如老臣之力，其牆壞而不築。”公曰：“何不築？”對曰：“一日不稼，百日不食。”公出而告之僕，僕●首於軫曰：“呂刑云：‘一人有慶，兆民賴之。’君之明，群臣之福也，乃令於國曰：毋淫宮室，以妨人宅，板築以時，無奪農功。”

Duke Wen saw Jiu Ji, whose temple was close against the west wall, and said: "Who lives to the west?" He replied: "An old minister of Your Lordship." The duke said: "Extend your residence to the west." He replied: "My loyalty does not match the old minister's strength, and that wall is broken yet he does not repair it." The duke said: "Why does he not repair it?" He replied: "A day without plowing means a hundred days without food." The duke went out and told his driver, and the driver (the received text has a damaged character here, which by sense is 'bowed') touched his head to the carriage rail and said: "The Marquis of Lu's Punishments says: 'When one man has good fortune, the myriad people rely on him.' Your Lordship's clear sight is the blessing of the ministers." Then he gave an order throughout the state: do not build palaces excessively so as to harm others' dwellings, and build walls according to the season so as not to take away from farm work.

楚恭王多寵子，而世子之位不定。屈建曰：“楚必多亂。夫一兔走於街，萬人追之；一人得之，萬人不復走。分未定，則一兔走，使萬人擾；分已定，則雖貪夫知止。今楚多寵子而嫡位無主，亂自是生矣。夫世子者，國之基也，而百姓之望也；國既無基，又使百姓失望，絕其本矣。本絕則撓亂，猶兔走也。”恭王聞之，立康王為太子，其後猶有令尹圍，公子棄疾之亂也。

King Gong of Chu had many favored sons, and the position of heir was not settled. Qu Jian said: "Chu will surely have much disorder. A hare runs in the street and ten thousand people chase it; once one person has caught it, the ten thousand no longer run. When the allotment is not settled, one hare runs and throws ten thousand into confusion; when the allotment is settled, even the greedy know to stop. Now Chu has many favored sons and the heir's seat has no master, so disorder arises from this. The heir is the foundation of the state and also the hope of the people; if the state has no foundation and moreover disappoints the people, the root is cut. When the root is cut there is disturbance, like the running of the hare." King Gong heard this and made King Kang the crown prince, but even so there was still the disorder of Chief Minister Wei and Prince Qiji.

晉襄公薨，嗣君少，趙宣子相，謂大夫曰：“立少君，懼多難，請立雍；雍長，出在秦，秦大，足以為援。”賈季曰：“不若公子樂，樂有寵於國，先君愛而仕之翟，翟是以為援。”穆嬴抱太子以呼於庭曰：“先君奚罪，其嗣亦奚罪，舍嫡嗣不立而外求君子。”出朝抱以見宣子曰：“惡難也，故欲立長君，長君立而少君壯，難乃至矣。”宣子患之，遂立太子也。

When Duke Xiang of Jin died, the successor was young; Zhao Xuanzi, who was chancellor, said to the grand officers: "To install a young ruler I fear there will be many troubles; I propose installing Yong. Yong is older and lives in exile in Qin; Qin is great and suffices to serve as outside support." Jia Ji said: "It would be better to install Prince Le; Le is favored within the state, the former ruler loved him and gave him office among the Di, and so the Di can serve as outside support." Mu Ying, carrying the crown prince, cried out in the courtyard: "What crime did the former ruler commit, and what crime did his heir commit, that you cast aside the legitimate heir and seek a ruler elsewhere?" Leaving the court, she carried him to see Xuanzi and said: "You hate calamity and so want to install an older ruler; if you install an older ruler and the young ruler grows up, calamity arrives." Xuanzi was worried by this and installed the crown prince.

趙簡子以襄子為後，董安於曰：“無恤不才，今以為後，何也？”簡子曰：“是其人能為社稷忍辱。”異日，智伯與襄子飲，而灌襄子之首，大夫請殺之，襄子曰：“先君之立我也，曰能為社稷忍辱，豈曰能刺人哉！”處十月，智伯圍襄子於晉陽，襄子疏隊而擊之，大敗智伯，漆其首以為酒器。

Zhao Jianzi made Xiangzi his heir, and Dong Anyu said: "Wuxu has no talent; why take him as your successor?" Jianzi said: "This man can endure disgrace for the sake of the altars." Later one day, Zhi Bo drank with Xiangzi and poured wine over Xiangzi's head. The grand officers asked to kill Zhi Bo, but Xiangzi said: "The former ruler appointed me saying I could endure disgrace for the altars; where did he say I could assassinate people!" Ten months later Zhi Bo besieged Xiangzi in Jinyang; Xiangzi spread out his troops and attacked him, utterly defeated Zhi Bo, and lacquered his head to make a drinking vessel.

士君子之有勇而果於行者，不以立節行誼，而以妄死非名，豈不痛哉！士有殺身以成仁，觸害以立義，倚於節理而不議死地；故能身死名流於來世，非有勇斷，孰能行之？子路曰：“不能勤苦，不能恬貧窮，不能輕死亡；而曰我能行義，吾不信也。”昔者申包胥立於秦庭，七日七夜喪不絕聲，遂以存楚，不能勤苦，安能行此！曾子布衣縕袍未得完，糟糠之食，藜藿之羹未得飽，義不合則辭上卿，不恬貧窮，安能行此！比干將死而諫逾忠，伯夷叔齊餓死於首陽山而志逾彰，不輕死亡，安能行此！故夫士欲立義行道，毋論難易而後能行之；立身著名，無顧利害而後能成之。詩曰：“彼其之子，碩大且篤。”非良篤修激之君子，其誰能行之哉？王子比干殺身以作其忠，伯夷叔齊殺身以成其廉，此三子者，皆天下之通士也，豈不愛其身哉？以為夫義之不立，名之不著是士之恥也，故殺身以遂其行。因此觀之，卑賤貧窮，非士之恥也。夫士之所恥者，天下舉忠而士不與焉，舉信而士不與焉，舉廉而士不與焉；三者在乎身，名傳於後世，與日月並而不息，雖無道之世不能汙焉。然則非好死而惡生也，非惡富貴而樂貧賤也，由其道，遵其理，尊貴及己，士不辭也。孔子曰：“富而可求，雖執鞭之士，吾亦為之；富而不可求，從吾所好。”大聖之操也。詩云：“我心匪石，不可轉也，我心匪席，不可卷也。”言不失己也；能不失己，然後可與濟難矣，此士君子之所以越眾也。

A gentleman-scholar who has courage and is bold in action but does not use it to establish integrity and righteous conduct, and instead uses it to die rashly seeking an improper name, is that not painful! There are scholars who give up their lives to achieve benevolence, who risk harm to establish righteousness, who lean on integrity and principle and do not calculate in terms of death; therefore their names are passed down to later ages even though they die; if not for courage and decisiveness, who could do this? Zilu said: "One who cannot endure hardship, cannot be at ease in poverty, and cannot make light of death, yet says he can practice righteousness, I do not believe." In the past Shen Baoxu stood in the court of Qin and for seven days and nights his cries of mourning did not cease, and so he preserved Chu; if he could not endure hardship, how could he have done this! Zengzi, in cloth garments and a coarse robe not yet whole, with chaff and husks for rice and bean-leaf soup not yet enough to eat, resigned from the post of senior minister when righteousness did not accord; if he could not be at ease in poverty, how could he have done this! Bi Gan was more loyal as he was about to die for his remonstrance, and Boyi and Shuqi starved to death on Shouyang Mountain and their ambition shone all the more; if they had not made light of death, how could they have done this! So if a scholar wants to establish righteousness and practice the Way, he does so regardless of difficulty or ease before he can carry it out; in establishing himself and achieving a name he disregards benefit and harm before he can succeed. The Book of Odes says: "That man, tall and sincere." If not a gentleman who is good and sincere and whose self-cultivation is intense, who could carry it out? Prince Bi Gan gave up his life to accomplish his loyalty, and Boyi and Shuqi gave up their lives to accomplish their integrity; these three were all scholars known throughout the world; did they not cherish their own bodies? They considered it a disgrace to a scholar if righteousness was not established and his name not made clear, so they gave up their lives to complete their conduct. From this one sees that lowliness and poverty are not a scholar's disgrace. What a scholar is ashamed of is that when the world lists loyalty, the scholar is not among them; when it lists good faith, the scholar is not among them; when it lists integrity, the scholar is not among them; if the three are in the person and his name is passed on to later ages, standing alongside the sun and moon without ceasing, even a world without the Way cannot stain him. So it is not that they love death and hate life, nor that they hate wealth and honor and delight in poverty and lowliness; they follow their Way and follow their principle, and if honor comes to them, the scholar does not decline it. Confucius said: "If wealth could be sought, even if I had to be a groom holding a whip, I would do it; if wealth cannot be sought, I follow what I love." This is the conduct of the great sage. The Book of Odes says: "My heart is not a stone and cannot be turned; my heart is not a mat and cannot be rolled up." This speaks of not losing oneself; one who can not lose himself can then pass through calamity together with others, and this is how gentleman-scholars rise above the crowd.

楚伐陳，陳西門燔，因使其降民修之，孔子過之，不軾，子路曰：“禮過三人則下車，過二人則軾；今陳修門者人數眾矣，夫子何為不軾？”孔子曰：“丘聞之，國亡而不知，不智；知而不爭，不忠；忠而不死，不廉；今陳修門者不行一於此，丘故不為軾也。”

Chu attacked Chen, and the west gate of Chen was burned, so the people who had surrendered were made to repair it. Confucius passed by and did not lean on the carriage rail. Zilu said: "Ritual prescribes that when passing three people one gets down from the carriage and when passing two one leans on the rail; now there are many men repairing Chen's gate; why does the Master not lean on the rail?" Confucius said: "I have heard that to have one's state ruined and not know it is not wise; to know and not remonstrate is not loyal; to be loyal and not die is not upright; these men repairing Chen's gate do not do a single one of these, and so I do not lean on the rail for them."

孔子見齊景公，景公致廩丘以為養，孔子辭不受，出謂弟子曰：“吾聞君子當功以受祿，今說景公，景公未之行而賜我廩丘，其不知丘亦甚矣！”遂辭而行。曾子衣弊衣以耕，魯君使人往致邑焉，曰：“請以此修衣。”曾子不受，反覆往，又不受，使者曰：“先生非求於人，人則獻之，奚為不受？”曾子曰：“臣聞之，受人者畏人，予人者驕人；縱子有賜不我驕也，我能勿畏乎？”終不受。孔子聞之曰：“參之言，足以全其節也。”子思居於衛，縕袍無表，二旬而九食，田子方聞之，使人遺狐白之裘，恐其不受，因謂之曰：“吾假人，遂忘之；吾與人也，如棄之。”子思辭而不受，子方曰：“我有子無，何故不受？”子思曰：“急聞之，妄與不如棄物於溝壑，急雖貧也，不忍以身為溝壑，是以不敢當也。”

Confucius saw Duke Jing of Qi, and Duke Jing sent him Linqiu as support, but Confucius declined and did not accept. Going out, he said to his disciples: "I have heard that a noble man receives salary only for merit. Now I have advised Duke Jing, and before he has acted on it he gives me Linqiu; how little he understands Qiu!" So he took his leave and left. Zengzi was plowing in tattered clothes, and the Duke of Lu sent someone to give him a fief, saying: "Please use this to mend your clothing." Zengzi did not accept, and when the envoy came repeatedly, he still did not accept. The envoy said: "You did not ask of anyone; people offer it to you. Why do you not accept?" Zengzi said: "I have heard that one who receives from others fears them, and one who gives to others is arrogant toward them; even if you give and are not arrogant toward me, can I not fear?" In the end he did not accept. Confucius heard of it and said: "Shen's words are enough to preserve his integrity." Zisi lived in Wei, his padded robe had no outer cloth, and he ate nine meals in twenty days. Tian Zifang heard of it and sent a white fox-fur coat, and fearing he would not accept it, said to him: "When I lend to others, I forget it; when I give to others, it is like throwing it away." Zisi declined and did not accept. Zifang said: "I have it and you do not; why do you not accept?" Zisi said: "I have heard that giving recklessly is worse than throwing things into a ditch. Although I am poor, I cannot bear to treat my body as a ditch, so I dare not accept."

宋襄公茲父為桓公太子，桓公有後妻子，曰公子目夷，公愛之，茲父為公愛之也。欲立之，請於公曰：“請使目夷立，臣為之相以佐之。”公曰：“何故也？”對曰：“臣之舅在衛，愛臣，若終立則不可以往，絕跡於衛，是背母也。且臣自知不足以處目夷之上。”公不許，強以請公，公許之，將立公子目夷，目夷辭曰：“兄立而弟在下，是其義也；今弟立而兄在下，不義也；不義而使目夷為之，目夷將逃。”乃逃之衛，茲父從之。三年，桓公有疾，使人召茲父，若不來，是使我以憂死也，茲父乃反，公復立之以為太子，然後目夷歸也。

Zifu, who became Duke Xiang of Song, was the crown prince of Duke Huan. Duke Huan had a son by a later wife, named Prince Mu Yi, whom the Duke loved, and Zifu loved him as well because the Duke did. He wished to have Mu Yi installed, and requested of the Duke: "Please let Mu Yi be installed, and I will be his chancellor to assist him." The Duke said: "For what reason?" He replied: "My maternal uncle is in Wei and cherishes me; if I am finally installed I cannot go there, and cutting off ties with Wei would be turning my back on my mother. Moreover I myself know that I am not fit to be above Mu Yi." The Duke did not agree, but he pressed the Duke strongly and the Duke agreed, and was about to install Prince Mu Yi. Mu Yi declined, saying: "For the elder brother to be installed and the younger below him is right; now that the younger is installed and the elder below him, it is not right; if I am made to do something unrighteous, I will flee." So he fled to Wei, and Zifu followed him. After three years, Duke Huan fell ill and sent for Zifu: if he did not come, it would make me die with grief. Zifu then returned, the Duke installed him again as crown prince, and only then did Mu Yi return.

晉驪姬譖太子申生於獻公，獻公將殺之，公子重耳謂申生曰：“為此者非子之罪也，子胡不進辭，辭之必免於罪。”申生曰：“不可，我辭之，驪姬必有罪矣，吾君老矣，微驪姬寢不安席，食不甘味，如何使吾君以恨終哉！”重耳曰：“不辭則不若速去矣。”申生曰：“不可，去而免於此，是惡吾君也；夫彰父之過而取美諸侯，孰肯納之？入困於宗，出困於逃，是重吾惡也。吾聞之，忠不暴君，智不重惡，勇不逃死，如是者，吾以身當之。”遂伏劍死。君子聞之曰：“天命矣夫世子！”詩曰：“萋兮斐兮，成是貝錦。彼譖人者，亦已太甚！”

Lady Li of Jin slandered the crown prince Shensheng to Duke Xian, and Duke Xian was about to kill him. Prince Chong'er said to Shensheng: "This is not your fault; why do you not step forward and defend yourself? Defending yourself will surely free you from guilt." Shensheng said: "I cannot. If I defend myself, Lady Li will surely be guilty. My lord is old, and without Lady Li he cannot sleep peacefully or find food sweet; how could I let my lord end his life with regret?" Chong'er said: "If you will not defend yourself, it is better to leave quickly." Shensheng said: "I cannot. To leave and be free of this would be to hate my lord; to expose my father's faults and win a fine name among the feudal lords, who would receive me? Going in I am trapped in the clan, going out I am trapped in exile, which would increase my wrong. I have heard that loyalty does not expose the lord, wisdom does not add to wrongdoing, courage does not flee death; in such a case, I will bear it with my own body." So he fell on his sword and died. A noble man heard of it and said: "This is Heaven's decree, the crown prince!" The Book of Songs says: "Intricate patterns, woven into this shell-brocade. Those who slander others have gone too far!"

晉獻公之時，有士焉，曰狐突，傅太子申生，公立驪姬為夫人，而國多憂，狐突稱疾不出。六年，獻公以譖誅太子，太子將死，使人謂狐突曰：“吾君老矣，國家多難，傅一齣以輔吾君，申生受賜以死不恨。”再拜稽首而死。狐突乃復事獻公，三年，獻公卒，狐突辭於諸大夫曰：“突受太子之詔，今事終矣，與其久生亂世也，不若死而報太子。”乃歸自殺。

In the time of Duke Xian of Jin, there was a scholar named Hu Tu who served as tutor to the crown prince Shensheng. When the Duke made Lady Li his wife and the state was full of troubles, Hu Tu claimed illness and did not go out. In the sixth year, Duke Xian killed the crown prince on account of slander, and when the crown prince was about to die, he sent someone to say to Hu Tu: "My lord is old and the state is in many troubles; if the tutor will come out and assist my lord, Shensheng will receive the gift of death without regret." He bowed twice, touched his head to the ground, and died. Hu Tu then served Duke Xian again; three years later Duke Xian died, and Hu Tu took leave of the grandees, saying: "Tu received the crown prince's command, and now the task is done; rather than live long in a disordered age, I would die to repay the crown prince." He then went back and killed himself.

楚平王使奮揚殺太子建，未至而遣之，太子奔宋，王召奮揚，使城父人執之以至，王曰：“言出於予口，入於爾耳，誰告建也？”對曰：臣告之，王初命臣曰：“事建如事餘，臣不佞，不能貳也；奉初以還，故遣之，已而悔之，亦無及也。”王曰：“而敢來，何也？”對曰：“使而失命，召而不來，是重過也，逃無所入。”王乃赦之。

King Ping of Chu sent Fen Yang to kill the crown prince Jian, but before arriving he let him go, and the crown prince fled to Song. The King summoned Fen Yang and had the men of Chengfu seize him and deliver him. The King said: "The words came out of my mouth and entered your ear; who told Jian?" He replied: "I told him. At first the King ordered me: 'Serve Jian as you would serve me.' I am untalented and cannot have two hearts; holding to the first command, I came back, so I let him go. Afterward I regretted it, but it was too late." The King said: "You dared to come; why?" He replied: "To go on a mission and lose the command, and then not come when summoned, would be to add to my fault, and there would be nowhere to flee." The King then pardoned him.

晉靈公暴，趙宣子驟諫，靈公患之，使鉏之彌賊之；鉏之彌晨往，則寢門闢矣，宣子盛服將朝，尚早，坐而假寢，之彌退，嘆而言曰：“不忘恭敬，民之主也。賊民之主，不忠；棄君之命，不信。有一於此，不如死也。”遂觸槐而死。

Duke Ling of Jin was cruel, and Zhao Xuanzi remonstrated with him repeatedly. Duke Ling was troubled by this and sent Chu Zhimi to assassinate him; Chu Zhimi went in the morning, and the door of the bedchamber was already open; Xuanzi was fully dressed to go to court, but it was still early, so he sat dozing. Zhimi withdrew and sighed, saying: "One who does not forget reverence is the master of the people. To kill the people's master is disloyal; to abandon the lord's command is untrustworthy. With either of these, it is better to die." So he struck his head against a locust tree and died.

齊人有子蘭子者，事白公勝，勝將為難，乃告子蘭子曰：“吾將舉大事於國，願與子共之。”子蘭子曰：“我事子而與子殺君，是助子之不義也；畏患而去子，是遁子於難也。故不與子殺君以成吾義，契領於庭，以遂吾行。”

A man of Qi named Zilanzi served Bai Gong Sheng. When Sheng was about to start a rebellion, he told Zilanzi: "I am going to undertake a great matter in the state, and wish to do it with you." Zilanzi said: "I serve you but would kill the ruler with you; that would be to assist your unrighteousness. To fear the disaster and leave you would be to abandon you in danger. So I will not kill the ruler with you to complete my own righteousness, but will cut my neck in the courtyard to complete my conduct."

楚有士申鳴者，在家而養其父，孝聞於楚國，王欲授之相，申鳴辭不受，其父曰：“王欲相汝，汝何不受乎？”申鳴對曰：“舍父之孝子而為王之忠臣，何也？”其父曰：“使有祿於國，立義於庭，汝樂吾無憂矣，吾欲汝之相也。”申鳴曰：“諾。”遂入朝，楚王因授之相。居三年，白公為亂，殺司馬子期，申鳴將往死之，父止之曰：“棄父而死，其可乎？”申鳴曰：“聞夫仕者身歸於君而祿歸於親，今既去子事君，得無死其難乎？”遂辭而往，因以兵圍之。白公謂石乞曰：“申鳴者，天下之勇士也，今以兵圍我，吾為之奈何？”石乞曰：“申鳴者，天下之孝子也，往劫其父以兵，申鳴聞之必來，因與之語。”白公曰：“善。”則往取其父，持之以兵，告申鳴曰：“子與吾，吾與子分楚國；子不與吾，子父則死矣。”申鳴流涕而應之曰：“始吾父之孝子也，今吾君之忠臣也；吾聞之也，食其食者死其事，受其祿者畢其能；今吾已不得為父之孝子矣，乃君之忠臣也，吾何得以全身！”援桴鼓之，遂殺白公，其父亦死，王賞之金百斤，申鳴曰：“食君之食，避君之難，非忠臣也；定君之國，殺臣之父，非孝子也。名不可兩立，行不可兩全也，如是而生，何面目立於天下。”遂自殺也。

A scholar of Chu named Shen Ming stayed at home to care for his father, and his filial piety was known in Chu. The King wished to give him the post of chancellor, but Shen Ming declined and did not accept. His father said: "The King wishes you to be chancellor; why do you not accept?" Shen Ming replied: "To abandon being a filial son to my father and become a loyal minister to the King, why?" His father said: "If you have a salary in the state and establish righteousness at court, you will be happy and I will have no worries; I want you to be chancellor." Shen Ming said: "Good." So he entered court, and the King of Chu gave him the post of chancellor. Three years later, Bai Gong rebelled and killed Sima Ziqi, and Shen Ming was about to go and die over this, but his father stopped him, saying: "To abandon your father and die; is that acceptable?" Shen Ming said: "I have heard that for an official, his body belongs to the ruler and his salary to his parents; now that I have left the position of son to serve my ruler, can I not die for his troubles?" So he took leave and went, and besieged Bai Gong with troops. Bai Gong said to Shi Qi: "Shen Ming is the bravest man under heaven; now he is besieging me with troops; what should I do?" Shi Qi said: "Shen Ming is the most filial son under heaven; take troops and seize his father, and Shen Ming, hearing of it, will certainly come, and you can speak with him then." Bai Gong said: "Good." He then seized his father, held him with weapons, and told Shen Ming: "You and I, I and you, we divide Chu; if you will not join me, your father will die." Shen Ming wept and answered: "At first I was a filial son to my father, now I am a loyal minister to my ruler; I have heard that one who eats another's food dies for his affairs, and one who receives another's salary exhausts his ability; now that I can no longer be a filial son to my father and am my ruler's loyal minister, how can I preserve my body!" He took up the drumstick and beat the drum, and so killed Bai Gong, and his father died as well. The King rewarded him with a hundred jin of gold, and Shen Ming said: "To eat the ruler's food and avoid the ruler's troubles is not a loyal minister; to settle the ruler's state and kill the minister's father is not a filial son. A name cannot stand on both sides, conduct cannot be complete on both sides; living like this, what face have I to stand in the world." So he killed himself.

齊莊公且伐莒，為車五乘之賓，而杞梁華舟獨不與焉，故歸而不食，其母曰：“汝生而無義，死而無名，則雖非五乘，孰不汝笑也？汝生而有義，死而有名，則五乘之賓盡汝下也。”趣食乃行，杞梁華舟同車侍於莊公而行至莒，莒人逆之，杞梁華舟下鬥，獲甲首三百，莊公止之曰：“子止，與子同齊國。”杞梁華舟曰：“君為五乘之賓，而舟梁不與焉，是少吾勇也；臨敵涉難，止我以利，是汙吾行也；深入多殺者，臣之事也，齊國之利，非吾所知也。”遂進鬥，壞軍陷陣，三軍弗敢當，至莒城下，莒人以炭置地，二人立有間，不能入。隰侯重為右曰：“吾聞古之士，犯患涉難者，其去遂於物也，來，吾踰子。”隰侯重仗楯伏炭，二子乘而入，顧而哭之，華舟後息。杞梁曰：“汝無勇乎？何哭之久也？”華舟曰：“吾豈無勇哉，是其勇與我同也，而先吾死，是以哀之。”莒人曰：“子毋死，與子同莒國。”杞梁華舟曰：“去國歸敵，非忠臣也；去長受賜，非正行也；且雞鳴而期，日中而忘之，非信也。深入多殺者，臣之事也，莒國之利非吾所知也。”遂進鬥，殺二十七人而死。其妻聞之而哭，城為之，而隅為之崩。此非所以起也。

Duke Zhuang of Qi was about to attack Ju, and set up guests of the five-chariot rank, but Qi Liang and Hua Zhou alone were not among them, so they went home and did not eat. Their mother said: "If you live without righteousness and die without a name, then even if you are not of the five-chariot rank, who would not laugh at you? If you live with righteousness and die with a name, then the guests of the five-chariot rank are all beneath you." They quickly ate and then set out. Qi Liang and Hua Zhou rode in the same chariot attending Duke Zhuang to Ju, and the men of Ju came out to fight; Qi Liang and Hua Zhou got down and fought hand to hand, and took three hundred armored heads. Duke Zhuang stopped them, saying: "Stop, and I will share the state of Qi with you." Qi Liang and Hua Zhou said: "Your Lordship set up guests of the five-chariot rank and Zhou and Liang were not among them, which looks down on our courage; to face the enemy and cross danger and be stopped with profit is to stain our conduct; to go deep and kill many is a minister's business, and the profit of Qi is not something we know." So they advanced and fought, shattered the enemy ranks and broke through, and the three armies did not dare to resist. At the foot of the walls of Ju, the men of Ju laid charcoal on the ground, and the two stood for a while, unable to go in. Xi Houzhong, serving as spearman on the right, said: "I have heard that ancient scholars who braved calamity and passed through hardships did so in the end for the sake of things. Come, I will let you step over me." Xi Houzhong held up a shield and lay on the charcoal, the two stepped on him and went in, and looked back and wept over him, Hua Zhou stopping last. Qi Liang said: "Have you no courage? Why do you weep so long?" Hua Zhou said: "How could I have no courage? This man's courage was the same as mine, but he died before me, so I grieve." The men of Ju said: "Do not die, and we will share the state of Ju with you." Qi Liang and Hua Zhou said: "To leave one's own state and join the enemy is not being a loyal minister; to leave one's superior and accept rewards is not proper conduct; moreover, to agree at cockcrow and forget by noon is not trustworthiness. To go deep and kill many is a minister's business, and the profit of Ju is not something we know." So they advanced and fought, killed twenty-seven, and died. Qi Liang's wife heard and wept, and the city wall because of it, the corner of the wall collapsed because of it. This is not used to raise anything up.

越甲至齊，雍門子狄請死之，齊王曰：“鼓鐸之聲未聞，矢石未交，長兵未接，子何務死之？為人臣之禮邪？”雍門子狄對曰：“臣聞之，昔者王田於囿，左轂鳴、車右請死之，而王曰：‘子何為死？’車右對曰：‘為其鳴吾君也。’王曰：‘左轂鳴者工師之罪也，子何事之有焉？’車右曰：‘臣不見工師之乘而見其鳴吾君也。’遂刎頸而死，知有之乎？”齊王曰：“有之。”雍門子狄曰：“今越甲至，其鳴吾君也，豈左轂之下哉？車右可以死左轂，而臣獨不可以死越甲也？”遂刎頸而死。是日越人引甲而退七十里，曰：“齊王有臣，鈞如雍門子狄，擬使越社稷不血食。”遂引甲而歸，齊王葬雍門子狄以上卿之禮。

When the armored troops of Yue came to Qi, Yongmen Zidi asked to die over this. The King of Qi said: "The sound of drums and bells has not yet been heard, arrows and stones have not yet crossed, long weapons have not yet met; why must you die? Is this the ritual of a minister?" Yongmen Zidi replied: "I have heard that in former times when the King was hunting in the park, the left hub of the chariot creaked, and the spearman on the right asked to die over this, and the King said: 'Why must you die?' The spearman replied: 'Because it creaked at our lord.' The King said: 'The creaking of the left hub is the fault of the chief craftsman; what business is it of yours?' The spearman said: 'I did not see the craftsman riding in the chariot, but I saw it creak at our lord.' So he cut his own throat and died. Do you know of this?" The King of Qi said: "Yes." Yongmen Zidi said: "Now the armored troops of Yue have come, and they creak at our lord; is that not worse than under the left hub? The spearman could die for the left hub, so can I alone not die for the armored troops of Yue?" So he cut his own throat and died. On that day the men of Yue withdrew their armored troops seventy li and said: "If the King of Qi has ministers all like Yongmen Zidi, it would leave Yue's altars of soil and grain without blood sacrifice." So they returned with their troops. The King of Qi buried Yongmen Zidi with the ritual of a senior minister.

楚人將與吳人戰，楚兵寡而吳兵眾，楚將軍子囊曰：“我擊此國必敗，辱君虧地，忠臣不忍為也。”不復於君，黜兵而退，至於國郊，使人復於君曰：“臣請死！”君曰：“子大夫之遁也，以為利也，而今誠利，子大夫毋死！”子囊曰：“遁者無罪，則後世之為君臣者，皆入不利之名而效臣遁，若是則楚國終為天下弱矣，臣請死。”退而伏劍。君曰：“誠如此，請成子大夫之義。”乃為桐棺三寸，加斧質其上，以■於國。

The men of Chu were about to fight the men of Wu, but the Chu troops were few and the Wu troops many. The Chu general Zinang said: "If I attack this state I will surely be defeated; to insult the ruler and diminish the land is something a loyal minister cannot bear to do." He did not report to the ruler but withdrew his troops, and on reaching the outskirts of the capital, he sent someone to report to the ruler: "I request death!" The ruler said: "Your withdrawal, Sir, was thought to be advantageous, and now it truly is advantageous; Sir, do not die!" Zinang said: "Those who withdraw have no fault, but then in later ages rulers and ministers will all fall into the disadvantageous reputation and imitate my withdrawal; in such a case Chu will in the end be seen as weak by the world, so I request death." He withdrew and fell on his sword. The ruler said: "If it is truly so, let us complete the Sir's righteousness." So a three-inch paulownia coffin was made, with an ax and block placed on top, and displayed in the state.

宋康公攻阿，屠單父，成公趙曰：“始吾不自知，以為在千乘則萬乘不敢伐，在萬乘則天下不敢圖。今趙在阿而宋屠單父，則是趙無以自立也。且往誅宋！”趙遂入宋，三月不得見。或曰：“何不因鄰國之使而見之。”成公趙曰：“不可，吾因鄰國之使而刺之，則使後世之使不信，荷節之信不用，皆曰趙使之然也，不可！”或曰：“何不因群臣道徒處之士而刺之。”成公趙曰：“不可，吾因群臣道徒處之士而刺之，則後世之臣不見信，辯士不見顧，皆曰趙使之然也。不可！吾聞古之士怒則思理，危不忘義，必將正行以求之耳。”期年，宋康公病死，成公趙曰：“廉士不辱名，信士不惰行，今吾在阿，宋屠單父，是辱名也；事誅宋王，期年不得，是惰行也。吾若是而生，何面目而見天下之士。”遂立槁於彭山之上。

Duke Kang of Song attacked A and massacred Shanfu, and Chenggong Zhao said: "At first I myself did not know; I thought that in a state of a thousand chariots the state of ten thousand chariots dare not attack, and in a state of ten thousand chariots the world dares not plot against it. Now Zhao is in A and Song massacres Shanfu; that means Zhao has nothing by which to stand on his own. I will go and kill Song!" Zhao then entered Song, but for three months could not see him. Someone said: "Why not borrow the envoy of a neighboring state to see him?" Chenggong Zhao said: "I cannot. If I borrow a neighbor's envoy to stab him, then in later ages envoys will not be trusted, the credibility of those who carry the credentials will not be used, and all will say that Zhao caused it; I cannot!" Someone said: "Why not borrow his ministers and the idle scholars on the road to stab him?" Chenggong Zhao said: "I cannot. If I borrow ministers and idle scholars on the road to stab him, then in later ages ministers will not be trusted and persuaders will not be cared for, and all will say that Zhao caused it. I cannot! I have heard that ancient scholars, when angry, thought of principle, and in danger did not forget righteousness, and must correct their conduct to seek it." After a full year, Duke Kang of Song fell ill and died, and Chenggong Zhao said: "An honest scholar does not disgrace his name, a trustworthy scholar does not slacken his conduct; now I am in A and Song massacred Shanfu, which disgraced my name; and in pursuing the execution of the King of Song, after a full year I have not obtained it, which is slackening my conduct. Living like this, what face have I to see the scholars of the world." So he stood and withered to death on Mount Peng.

佛肸用中牟之縣畔，設祿邑炊鼎曰：“與我者受邑，不與我者其烹。”中牟之士皆與之。城北餘子田基獨後至，袪衣將入鼎曰：“基聞之，義者軒冕在前，非義弗受；斧鉞於後，義死不避。”遂袪衣將入鼎，佛肸播而之趙，簡子屠中牟，得而取之，論有功者，用田基為始，田基曰：“吾聞廉士不恥人，如此而受中牟之功，則中牟之士終身慚矣。”襁負其母，南徙於楚，楚王高其義待以司馬。

Fu Xi rebelled with the county of Zhongmu, set out salaried fiefs, and lit a cauldron, saying: "Those who join me receive fiefs; those who do not join me I will boil." The scholars of Zhongmu all joined him. Tian Ji, a younger son of the north of the city, alone arrived late, lifted his clothes and was about to enter the cauldron, saying: "I have heard that the righteous man, with carriage and cap of rank before him, does not accept it if it is not right; with axes before him, he does not avoid death for righteousness." He lifted his clothes and was about to enter the cauldron. Fu Xi fled to Zhao, and Jianzi massacred Zhongmu, took and occupied it, and discussing those with merit, began with Tian Ji. Tian Ji said: "I have heard that an honest scholar does not shame others; to accept the merit for Zhongmu like this would make the scholars of Zhongmu ashamed for life." He carried his mother on his back and moved south to Chu, and the King of Chu esteemed his righteousness and treated him with the ritual of a Master of Horse.

齊崔杼弒莊公，邢蒯瞶使晉而反，其僕曰：“崔杼弒莊公，子將奚如？”邢蒯瞶曰：“驅之，將入死而報君。”其僕曰：“君之無道也，四鄰諸侯莫不聞也，以夫子而死之不亦難乎？”邢蒯瞶曰：“善能言也，然亦晚矣，子早言我，我能諫之，諫不聽我能去，今既不諫又不去；吾聞食其祿者死其事，吾既食亂君之祿矣，又安得治君而死之？”遂驅車入死。其僕曰：“人有亂君，人猶死之；我有治長，可毋死乎？”乃結轡自刎於車上。君子聞之曰：“邢蒯瞶可謂守節死義矣；死者人之所難也，僕伕之死也，雖未能合義，然亦有志之意矣，詩云：‘夙夜匪懈，以事一人，’邢生之謂也。孟子曰：‘勇士不忘喪其元，’僕伕之謂也。”

When Cui Zhu of Qi assassinated Duke Zhuang, Xing Kuaikui returned from a mission to Jin, and his driver said: "Cui Zhu has assassinated Duke Zhuang; what will you do?" Xing Kuaikui said: "Drive on; I will go in and die to repay my lord." The driver said: "His Lordship's lack of the Way was heard by all the feudal lords of the four neighbors; would it not be hard for you, Master, to die for him?" Xing Kuaikui said: "You speak well, but it is also late. If you had told me earlier, I could have remonstrated; if remonstrance was not heard, I could have left; now I neither remonstrated nor left. I have heard that one who eats another's salary dies for his affairs; I have already eaten the salary of a disordered ruler, so how could I wait for a ruler of a well-governed age to die for him again?" So he drove in and died. The driver said: "Others have a disordered ruler and still die for him; I have an official of a well-governed age; can I not die?" So he tied the reins to the carriage and cut his own throat. A noble man heard of it and said: "Xing Kuaikui can be said to have kept his integrity and died for righteousness. Dying is what people find hard; the driver's death, though it did not quite fit righteousness, still has the meaning of will. The Book of Songs says: 'Morning and night not slack, to serve the one man.' This speaks of Master Xing. Mencius said: 'A brave man does not forget that he may lose his head.' This speaks of the driver."

燕昭王使樂毅伐齊，閔王亡，燕之初入齊也，聞蓋邑人王歜賢，令於三軍曰：“環蓋三十里毋入。”以歜之故，已而使人謂歜曰：“齊人多高子之義，吾以子為將，封子萬家。”歜固謝燕人，燕人曰：“子不聽，吾引三軍而屠蓋邑。”王歜曰：“忠臣不事二君，貞女不更二夫；齊王不聽吾諫，故退而耕於野。國既破亡，吾不能存，今又劫之以兵，為君將，是助桀為暴也，與其生而無義，固不如烹。”遂懸其軀於樹枝，自奮絕脰而死，齊亡，大夫聞之曰：“王歜布衣義猶不背齊向燕，況在位食祿者乎？”乃相聚如莒，求諸公子，立為襄王。

King Zhao of Yan sent Yue Yi to attack Qi, and King Min fled. When Yan had just entered Qi, hearing that Wang Zhu of Gai was worthy, it ordered the three armies: "Do not enter within thirty li around Gai." This was because of Zhu. Later it sent someone to say to Zhu: "Many people of Qi esteem your righteousness; I will make you general and enfeoff you with ten thousand households." Zhu firmly refused the men of Yan. The men of Yan said: "If you do not listen, I will lead the three armies to massacre Gai." Wang Zhu said: "A loyal minister does not serve two rulers, a chaste woman does not marry two husbands; the King of Qi did not listen to my remonstrance, so I withdrew and farm in the wilds. The state is already broken and lost and I cannot preserve it; now you also use troops to coerce me to become a general for your lord, which is helping Jie do violence. Rather than live without righteousness, I would rather be boiled." So he hung his body on a tree branch and pulled his neck apart with his own strength and died. After Qi was lost, the grandees heard of it and said: "Wang Zhu was a commoner, and in righteousness would not turn his back on Qi to join Yan; how much more should those in office who eat salaries?" So they gathered together at Ju, sought the princes, and installed King Xiang.

左儒友于杜伯，皆臣周宣王，宣王將殺杜伯而非其罪也，左儒爭之於王，九復之而王弗許也，王曰：“別君而異友，斯汝也。”左儒對曰：“臣聞之，君道友逆，則順君以誅友；友道君逆，則率友以違君。”王怒曰：“易而言則生，不易而言則死。”左儒對曰：“臣聞古之士不枉義以從死，不易言以求生，故臣能明君之過，以死杜伯之無罪。”王殺杜伯，左儒死之。

Zuo Ru and Du Bo were friends, both ministers of King Xuan of Zhou. King Xuan was about to kill Du Bo though it was not his fault, and Zuo Ru remonstrated with the King, nine times repeatedly, but the King did not agree. The King said: "One who separates the ruler and regards the friend as different, that is you." Zuo Ru replied: "I have heard that if the ruler's way is right and the friend's way is wrong, one follows the ruler in punishing the friend; if the friend's way is right and the ruler's way is wrong, one leads the friend in opposing the ruler." The King was angry and said: "If you change your words you live, if you do not change your words you die." Zuo Ru replied: "I have heard that ancient scholars did not bend righteousness in order to follow into death and did not change their words in order to seek life, so I can make clear the ruler's fault and prove by death that Du Bo is without guilt." The King killed Du Bo, and Zuo Ru died for this.

莒穆公有臣曰朱厲附，事穆公，不見識焉，冬處於山林食杼栗，夏處於洲澤食菱藕。穆公以難死，朱厲附將往死之。其友曰：“子事君而不見識焉，今君難吾子死之，意者其不可乎！”朱厲附曰：“始我以為君不吾知也，今君死而我不死，是果不知我也；吾將死之，以激天下不知其臣者。”遂往死之。

Duke Mu of Ju had a minister named Zhu Lifu who served Duke Mu but was not recognized. In winter he lived in the mountains and forests eating acorns, and in summer he lived on islets and marshes eating water chestnuts and lotus roots. Duke Mu died in a time of danger, and Zhu Lifu was about to go and die for him. His friend said: "You served the ruler and were not recognized; now the ruler has met trouble and you would die for him; surely that is not acceptable!" Zhu Lifu said: "At first I thought the ruler did not understand me; now the ruler has died and I do not die, so he truly did not understand me; I will die for him, to rouse the ministers of the world who do not understand him." So he went and died for him.

楚莊王獵於雲夢，射科雉得之，申公子倍攻而奪之，王將殺之，大夫諫曰：“子倍自好也，爭王雉必有說，王姑察之。”不出三月，子倍病而死。邲之戰，楚大勝晉，歸而賞功，申公子倍之弟請賞於王曰：“人之有功也，賞於車下。”王曰：“奚謂也？”對曰：“臣之兄讀故記曰：射科雉者不出三月必死，臣之兄爭而得之，故夭死也。”王命發乎府而視之，於記果有焉，乃厚賞之。

King Zhuang of Chu was hunting at Yunmeng and shot a ke pheasant and got it, but Gongzi Bei of Shen snatched it away, and the king was about to kill him. A grand master remonstrated: "Zi Bei cherishes himself; for him to contest the king's pheasant there must be a reason. Let the king investigate." Within three months Zi Bei fell ill and died. At the battle of Bi, Chu greatly defeated Jin, and on returning, rewards for merit were given. The younger brother of Gongzi Bei of Shen asked the king for a reward, saying: "A man with merit receives his reward beneath the carriage." The king said: "What do you mean?" He answered: "My elder brother read an old record that said: whoever shoots a ke pheasant will surely die within three months. My brother contested to get it, and so died young." The king ordered the storehouse opened and the record looked up, and it was indeed there; so he rewarded him richly.

聖人之於天下百姓也，其猶赤子乎！飢者則食之，寒者則衣之；將之養之，育之長之；惟恐其不至於大也。詩曰：“蔽芾甘棠，勿剪勿伐，召伯所茇。”傳曰：自陝以東者周公主之，自陜以西者召公主之。召公述職當桑蠶之時，不欲變民事，故不入邑中，舍於甘棠之下而聽斷焉，陜間之人皆得其所。是故後世思而歌誄之，善之，故言之；言之不足，故嗟嘆之；嗟嘆之不足，故歌詠之。夫詩思然後積，積然後滿，滿然後發，發由其道而致其位焉；百姓嘆其美而致其敬，甘棠之不伐也，政教惡乎不行！孔子曰：“吾於甘棠，見宗廟之敬也。”甚尊其人，必敬其位，順安萬物，古聖之道幾哉！仁人之德教也，誠惻隱於中，悃愊於內，不能已於其心；故其治天下也，如救溺人，見天下強陵弱，眾暴寡；幼孤羸露，死傷系虜，不忍其然，是以孔子歷七十二君，冀道之一行而得施其德，使民生於全育，烝庶安土，萬物熙熙，各樂其終，卒不遇，故睹麟而泣，哀道不行，德澤不洽，於是退作春秋，明素王之道，以示後人，恩施其惠，未嘗輟忘，是以百王尊之，志士法焉，誦其文章，傳今不絕，德及之也。詩曰：“載馳載驅，周爰諮謀。”此之謂也。聖王布德施惠，非求報於百姓也；郊望禘嘗，非求報於鬼神也。山致其高，雲雨起焉；水致其深，蛟龍生焉；君子致其道德而福祿歸焉。夫有陰德者必有陽報，有隱行者必有昭名，古者溝防不修，水為人害，禹鑿龍門，闢伊闕，平治水土，使民得陸處；百姓不親，五品不遜，契教以君臣之義，父子之親，夫婦之辨，長幼之序；田野不修，民食不足，后稷教之，闢地墾草，糞土樹谷，令百姓家給人足；故三後之後，無不王者，有陰德也。周室衰，禮義廢，孔子以三代之道，教導於後世，繼嗣至今不絕者，有隱行也。

The sage toward the hundred clans of the world is surely like toward an infant! If it is hungry, he feeds it; if cold, he clothes it; he supports and rears it until it is grown and raised; he fears only that it will not reach adulthood. The Odes say: "Small is the sweet pear tree; do not cut it, do not fell it, for the Lord of Shao once rested beneath it." The commentary says: from Shan eastward the Duke of Zhou presided, from Shan westward the Duke of Shao presided. The Duke of Shao was reporting on his duties at the time of mulberry and silkworms, and, not wishing to disturb the people's work, did not enter the towns, but stayed beneath the sweet pear tree to hear lawsuits and make decisions, and the people throughout the region of Shan each found their place. Therefore later ages remembered him and sang songs of praise, thinking him good, so they spoke of it; speaking was not enough, so they sighed over it; sighing was not enough, so they sang it. The poem is from remembering and then gathering, gathering and then filling, filling and then pouring forth; it pours forth following his Way and reaches his seat; the hundred clans praise his goodness and pay him respect, and since the sweet pear tree is not cut, how could his government and teaching fail to spread! Confucius said: "From the sweet pear I see the reverence for the ancestral temple." Greatly honoring a person, one must revere his place, accord with and settle all things; the way of the ancient sages was much like this! The moral teaching of the humane person truly has compassion in the middle and sincerity within, which cannot stop in the heart; so in governing the world he is like rescuing a drowning person, seeing the world where the strong overrun the weak and the many oppress the few; the young orphans and the frail exposed, the dead and wounded, captured and imprisoned; he cannot bear it. Therefore Confucius passed through seventy-two rulers, hoping that once the Way was practiced he could apply his virtue, so that the people's lives would be preserved and nourished, the multitudes at peace on their land, the myriad things flourishing and each glad to reach its end; but in the end he did not meet his time, so seeing the unicorn he wept, grieving that the Way was not practiced and virtue's blessings did not spread widely, and so he withdrew to compose the Spring and Autumn Annals, making clear the way of the uncrowned king for later people to see, applying kindness without ever stopping or forgetting. Therefore the hundred kings honored him and men of purpose took him as a model, reading his writings, which have been passed down to this day without break; this is virtue reaching its goal. The Odes say: "Galloping and driving, seeking everywhere for counsel." This is what is meant. The sage kings spread virtue and gave kindness not to seek repayment from the hundred clans; the suburban, distant, grand ancestral and autumn sacrifices were not to seek repayment from the ghosts and spirits. When a mountain reaches its height, clouds and rain arise from it; when water reaches its depth, dragons are born in it; when the noble person reaches his virtue, blessings and stipends turn to him. One who has hidden virtue is sure to have visible reward, and one who has hidden conduct is sure to have a bright name. In ancient times, when the ditches and dikes were not repaired, water became a harm to people, and Yu cut through Longmen and opened Yique, leveling the waters and the land so that people could live on dry ground; when the hundred clans were not close and the five relations not compliant, Xie taught them the righteousness of ruler and minister, the closeness of father and son, the distinction of husband and wife, and the order of old and young; when the fields were not tended and the people's food was insufficient, Hou Ji taught them, opening land and clearing wasteland, fertilizing the soil and planting grain, so that every household was sufficient and every person provided for. So the descendants of the three lords all became kings; this is from hidden virtue. When the Zhou house declined and ritual and righteousness were abandoned, Confucius taught later ages by the Way of the Three Dynasties, and his succession continues without break to this day; this is from hidden conduct.