government in antiquity, the love of men was the great point. If (a ruler) be not able to love men he cannot possess1 his own person; unable to possess his own person, he cannot enjoy in quiet his land; unable to enjoy in quiet his land, he cannot rejoice in Heaven; unable to rejoice in Heaven, he cannot do all that can be done for his person.'

15. The duke said, 'I venture to ask what is meant by "doing all that could be done for one's person.' Confucius replied, 'It is keeping from all transgression of what is due in all the sphere beyond one's self".'

16. The duke said, 'I venture to ask what it is that the superior man values in the way of Heaven.' Confucius replied, 'He values its unceasingness. There is, for instance, the succession and sequence of the sun and moon from the east and west:-that is the way of Heaven. There is the long continuance of its progress without interruption :—that is the way of Heaven. There is its making (all) things complete without doing anything :-that is the way of Heaven. There is their brilliancy when they have been completed :—that is the way of Heaven.'

17. The duke said, 'I am very stupid, unintelligent also, and occupied with many things; do you, Sir, help me that I may keep this lesson in my mind.'

18. Confucius looked grave, moved a little from his mat, and replied, 'A man of all-comprehensive

1

Kăng says that 'to possess' is equivalent to 'to preserve' (), adding 'men will injure him.' So all the other

commentators.

2 Callery gives for this:-'Ce n'est autre chose que de se maintenir dans le devoir.' Wylie :-'It is not to transgress the natural order of things.' The reply of Confucius appears more fully in the Narratives of the School.'

virtue' does not transgress what is due from him in all the sphere beyond himself, and it is the same with a filial son. Therefore a son of all-comprehensive virtue serves his parents as he serves Heaven, and serves Heaven as he serves his parents. Hence a filial son does all that can be done for his person'.'

19. The duke said, 'I have heard your (excellent) words;-how is it that I shall hereafter not be able to keep from the guilt (of transgressing)?' Confucius answered, 'That your lordship gives expression to such words is a happiness to me.'

1 'A man of all-comprehensive virtue' is in the text simply 'the benevolent man (E). But that name must be to be taken in the sense of Mencius, who says that 'Benevolence is man (仁也 )' (vii, 11, 16); as Julien translates it, 'Humanitas homo est.' There benevolence,' is a name denoting the complex of human virtues, with the implication that it is itself man's distinguishing characteristic. So 'humanity' may be used in English to denote the peculiar nature of man as distinguished from other beings.'

2

Callery has a note on this paragraph :--'Ces axiômes de Confucius ne sont pas d'une grande clarté; on y entrevoit, cependant, que le philosophe veut établir l'identité entre le devoir chez l'homme et la vérité éternelle, ou la vertu dans le sens abstrait.' But perhaps the sayings of the Master seem to be wanting in 'clearness' because it is difficult to catch his mind and spirit in them. Nor do I think that the latter part of what the French sinologue says is abundantly clear or appropriate. I have often. said that Confucius and his school try to make a religion out of filial virtue. That appears here with a qualification; for the text makes out the service of Heaven,' which would be religion, to be identical with the full discharge of all filial duty, equivalent, in the Chinese system, to all morality.

BOOK XXV. KUNG-NÎ YEN KÜ

OR

KUNG-NÎ AT HOME AT EASE1.

1. Kung-ni 'being at home at ease',' with 3zekang, 3ze-kung, and Yen Yû by him, their conversation went on from general matters to the subject of ceremonies.

2. The Master said, 'Sit down, you three, and I will discourse to you about ceremonies, so that you may rightly employ them everywhere and in all circumstances.'

3. 3ze-kung crossed over (3ze-kang's) mat3, and replied, Allow me to ask what you mean.' The Master said, Respect shown without observing the rules of propriety is called vulgarity; courtesy without observing those rules is called forwardness; and boldness without observing them is called violence.' The Master added, 'Forwardness takes away from gentleness and benevolence.'

4. The Master said, 'Sze, you err by excess, and Shang by defect.' 3ze-khân might be regarded as a

See the introductory notice of this Book, vol. xxvii, page 40. The Yen () in Yen Kü is said by Kăng to denote that the party had been to court, and was now at his ease in his own residence.

2 The three disciples must have risen from their mats on the introduction of a new topic, according to vol. xxvii, page 76, paragraph 21.

3 Substantially a violation of vol. xxvii, page 71, paragraph 26.

mother of the people. He could feed them, but he could not teach them1.

5. 3ze-kung (again) crossed the mat, and replied, 'Allow me to ask by what means it is possible to secure this due mean.' The Master said, 'By means of the ceremonial rules; by the rules. Yes, it is those rules which define and determine the due mean.'

6. 3ze-kung having retired, Yen Yû advanced, and said, 'May I be allowed to ask whether the rules of ceremony do not serve to control what is bad, and to complete what is good?' The Master said, 'They do.' 'Very well, and how do they do it?' The Master said, The idea in the border sacrifices to Heaven and Earth is that they should give expression to the loving feeling towards the spirits; the ceremonies of the autumnal and summer services in the ancestral temple give expression to the loving feeling towards all in the circle of the kindred; the ceremony of putting down food (by the deceased) serves to express the loving feeling towards those who are dead and for whom they are mourning; the ceremonies of the archery fêtes and the drinking at them express the loving feeling towards all in the district and neighbourhood; the ceremonies of festal entertainments express the loving feeling towards visitors and guests.'

The Khien-lung editors say that in this paragraph, the part from 3ze-khân' has been introduced by an error in manipulating the tablets. It is found, and more fully, also in the Narratives of the School, article 41 (E). The previous sentence of it also appears to me to be out of place. Why should Confucius address himself to Sze ?-that was not the name of 3ze-kung. What is said to him is found in the Analects, VI, 15, and also more fully.

7. The Master said, 'An intelligent understanding of the idea in the border sacrifices to Heaven and Earth, and of the ceremonies of the autumnal and summer services, would make the government of a state as easy as to point to one's palm. Therefore

let the ceremonial rules be observed:-in the ordinary life at home, and there will be the (right) distinction between young and old; inside the door of the female apartments, and there will be harmony among the three branches of kin; at court, and there will be the right ordering of office and rank; in the different hunting expeditions, and skill in war will be acquired; in the army and its battalions, and military operations will be successful.

'In this way, houses and their apartments will be made of the proper dimensions; measures and tripods will have their proper figure; food will have the flavour proper to its season; music will be according to the rules for it; carriages will have their proper form; spirits will receive their proper offerings; the different periods of mourning will have their proper expression of sorrow; discussions will be conducted by those who from their position should take part in them; officers will have their proper business and functions; the business of government will be properly distributed and applied. (The duty) laid on (each) person being discharged in the matter before him (according to these rules), all his movements, and every movement will be what they ought to be.'

8. The Master said, 'What is (the object of) the ceremonial rules? It is just the ordering of affairs. The wise man who has affairs to attend to must have the right method of ordering them. (He who