תמונות בעמוד
PDF
ePub

When the Master was informed of it, he said, "Twice may do."

XX. The Master said, "When good order prevailed in his country, Ning Woo acted the part of a wise man. When his country was in disorder, he acted the part of a stupid man. Others may equal his wisdom, but they cannot equal his stupidity."

XXI. When the Master was in Ch'in, he said, "Let me return! Let me return! The little children of my school are ambitious and too hasty. They are accomplished and complete so far, but they do not know how to restrict and shape themselves."

XXII. The Master said, "Pih-e and Shuh-ts'e did not keep the former wickednesses of men in mind, and hence the resentments directed towards them were few."

XXIII. The Master said, "Who says of Wei-shang Kaou that he is upright? One begged some vinegar of him, and he begged it of a neighbour and gave it him."

XXIV. The Master said, "Fine words, an insinuating appearance, and excessive respect;-Tso-k'ew Ming was ashamed of them. I also am ashamed of them. To conceal resentment against a person, and appear friendly with him;-Tso-k'ew Ming was ashamed of such conduct. I also am ashamed of it."

XXV. 1. Yen Yuen and Ke Loo being by his side, the Master said to them, "Come, let each of you tell his wishes."

2. Tsze-loo said, "I should like, having chariots and horses, and light fur dresses, to share them with my friends, and though they should spoil them, I would not be displeased.

3. Yen Yuen said, "I should like not to boast of my excellence, nor to make a display of my meritorious deeds."

4. Tsze-loo then said, "I should like, sir, to hear your

wishes." The Master said, "They are, in regard to the aged, to give them rest; in regard to friends, to show them sincerity; in regard to the young, to treat them tenderly."

XXVI. The Master said, "It is all over! I have not yet seen one who could perceive his faults, and inwardly accuse himself."

XXVII. The Master said, "In a hamlet of ten families, there may be found one honourable and sincere as I am, but not so fond of learning."

BOOK VI. YUNG YAY.

CHAPTER I. 1. The Master said, "There is Yung!--He might occupy the place of a prince."

2. Chung-kung asked about Tsze-sang Pih-tsze. The Master said, "He may pass. He does not mind small matters."

[ocr errors]

3. Chung-kung said, "If a man cherish in himself a reverential feeling of the necessity of attention to business, though he may be easy in small matters, in his government of the people, that may be allowed. But if he cherish in himself that easy feeling, and also carry it out in his practice, is not such an easy mode of procedure excessive ?"

4. The Master said, "Yung's words are right."

II. The duke Gae asked which of the disciples loved to learn. Confucius replied to him, "There was Yen Hwuy; He loved to learn. He did not transfer his

anger; he did not repeat a fault. Unfortunately, his appointed time was short and he died; and now there is not such another. I have not yet heard of any one who loves to learn as he did."

III. 1. Tsze-hwa being employed on a mission to Ts'e, the disciple Yen requested grain for his mother. The Master said, "Give her a foo." Yen requested more. "Give her an yu," said the Master Yen gave

her five ping.

2. The Master said, "When Ch'ih was proceeding to Ts'e, he had fat horses to his carriage, and wore light furs. I have heard that a superior man helps the distressed, but does not add to the wealth of the rich."

3. Yuen Sze being made governor of his town by the Master, he gave him nine hundred measures of grain, but Sze declined them.

4. The Master said, "Do not decline them. May you not give them away in the neighborhoods, hamlets, towns, and villages?”

IV. The Master, speaking of Chung-kung, said, “If the calf of a brindled cow be red and horned, although man may not wish to use it, would the spirits of the mountains and rivers put it aside ?"

V. The Master said, "Such was Hwuy that for three months there would be nothing in his mind contrary to perfect virtue. The others may attain to this on some days or in some months, but nothing more."

VI. Ke Kang asked, "Is Chung-yew fit to be employed as an officer of government?" The Master said, "Yew is a man of decision; what difficulty would he find in being an officer of government?" Kang asked, "Is Tsze fit to be employed as an officer of government?" and was answered, "Tsze is a man of intelligence; what difficulty would he find in being an officer of government?" And to the same question about K'ew the Master gave the same reply, saying, "K'ew is a man of various ability."

VII. The chief of the Ke family sent to ask Min Tsze-k'een to be governor of Pe. Min Tsze-k'een said, "Decline the offer for me politely. If any one come again to Le with a second invitation, I shall be obliged to go and live on the banks of the Wan."

VIII. Pih-new being sick, the Master went to ask for him. He took hold of his hand through the window, and said, "It is killing him. It is the appointment of Heaven, alas! That such a man should have such a sickness! That such a man should have such a sickness!"

IX. The Master said, "Admirable indeed was the virtue of Hwuy! With a single bamboo dish of rice, a single gourd dish of drink, and living in his mean narrow lane, while others could not have endured the distress, he did not allow his joy to be affected by it. Admirable indeed was the virtue of Hwuy!"

X. Yen K'ew said, "It is not that I do not delight in your doctrines, but my strength is insufficient." The Master said, "Those whose strength is insufficient give over in the middle of the way, but now you limit yourself."

XI. The Master said to Tsze-hea, "Do you be a scholar after the style of the superior man, and not fter that of the mean man."

XII. Tsze-yew being governor of Woo-shing, the Master said to him, "Have you got good men there?" He answered, "There is Tan-t'ae Mee-ming, who never. n walking takes a short cut, and never comes to my office, excepting on public business."

XIII. The Master said, "Mang Che-fan does not boast of his merit. Being in the rear on an occasion of flight, when they were about to enter the gate, he whipt up his horse saying, 'It is not that I dare to be last. My horse would not advance.''

XIV. The Master said, "Without the specious

speech of the litanist T'o, and the beauty of the prince Chaou of Sung, it is difficult to escape in the present age."

XV. The Master said, "Who can go out but by the door? How is it that men will not walk according to these ways?"

XVI. The Master said, "Where the solid qualities are in excess of accomplishments, we have rusticity; where the accomplishments are in excess of the solid qualities, we have the manners of a clerk. When the accomplishments and solid qualities are equally blended, we then have the man of complete virtue."

XVII. The Master said, "Man is born for uprightness. If a man lose his uprightness, and yet live, his escape from death is the effect of mere good fortune."

XVIII. The Master said, "They who know the truth are not equal to those who love it, and they who love it are not equal to those who find pleasure in it.”

XIX. The Master said, "To those whose talents are above mediocrity, the highest subjects may be announced. To those who are below mediocrity, the highest subjects may not be announced.”

XX. Fan Ch'e asked what constituted wisdom. The Master said, "To give one's-self earnestly to the duties due to men, and, while respecting spiritual beings, to keep aloof from them, may be called wisdom." Ile asked about perfect virtue. The Master said, "The man of virtue makes the difficulty to be overcome his first business, and success (nly a subsequent consideration;—this may be called perfect virtue."

XXI. The Master said, "The wise find pleasure in water; the virtuous find pleasure in hills. The wise are active; the virtuous are tranquil. The wise are joyful, the virtuous are long-lived."

XXII. The Master said, "Tse, by one change, would come to the state of Loo. Loo, by one change,

« הקודםהמשך »