Zilu子路第十三

Zilu asked about government. The Master said, "Lead the way yourself, and comfort them with your own hands." He asked for more. The Master said, "Never slacken."

Zhonggong became steward to the Ji family and asked about government. The Master said, "Leave things first to the officers in charge. Pardon small faults. Raise up those who are worthy and able." He said, "How am I to know the worthy and able, so as to raise them up?" The Master said, "Raise up those you know. As for those you do not know, will others pass them by?"

Zilu said, "The ruler of Wei is waiting for you to take charge of his government. What would you do first?" The Master said, "I would set names right." Zilu said, "Is that so? How wide of the mark you are! What is there to set right?" The Master said, "How rough you are, You! Where the noble man does not know, he leaves a blank. If names are not right, speech does not follow. If speech does not follow, no work is finished. If no work is finished, ritual and music do not flourish. If ritual and music do not flourish, punishments do not fit. If punishments do not fit, the people have nowhere to put hand or foot. So when the noble man names a thing, it can always be spoken of, and when he speaks of it, it can always be carried out. In his words the noble man leaves nothing careless, and that is all."

Fanchi asked to learn farming. The Master said, "I am not as good as an old farmer." He asked to learn the growing of vegetables. The Master said, "I am not as good as an old gardener." When Fanchi had gone out, the Master said, "What a small man Fanxu is! If those above love ritual, none of the people will dare to be without respect. If those above love what is right, none of the people will dare to be unsubmissive. If those above love good faith, none of the people will dare to be less than true. If it is like that, the people of the four quarters will come with their children strapped to their backs. What need is there of farming?"

The Master said, "A man may know the three hundred poems by heart, yet fail when government is put in his hands, and be unable to answer for himself when sent to the four quarters. However many he knows, what use is it?"

The Master said, "If a man is upright in himself, things get done without orders. If he is not upright in himself, his orders are not followed."

The Master said, "In their government Lu and Wei are brothers."

The Master said of Prince Jing (荊) of Wei, "He keeps house well. When he first had something, he said, 'It is enough to get by.' When he had a little more, he said, 'It is enough to be complete.' When he was rich, he said, 'It is enough to be fine.'"

When the Master went to Wei, Ran You drove his carriage. The Master said, "How many the people are!" Ran You said, "They are already many. What should be added?" The Master said, "Make them well off." "And when they are well off, what should be added?" The Master said, "Teach them."

The Master said, "If someone would truly put me to use, in one year things would be better, and in three years there would be something achieved."

The Master said, "It is said, 'If good men ruled a state for a hundred years, they could overcome cruelty and do away with killing.' How true these words are!"

The Master said, "Even if a true king (王者) were to arise, it would take a generation before the people became humane."

The Master said, "If a man truly sets himself right, what difficulty will he have in government? If he cannot set himself right, how is he to set others right?"

Ranzi came back from court, and the Master said, "Why so late?" He answered, "There was business of state." The Master said, "That must have been private business. Had it been business of state, they do not use me, but I would still have heard of it."

Duke Ding asked, "They say one word can raise a state. Is there such a word?" Confucius answered, "No word can promise as much as that. But people say, 'It is hard to be a ruler, and not easy to be a minister.' If a man knows how hard it is to be a ruler, is that not close to raising a state with one word?" The Duke said, "They say one word can ruin a state. Is there such a word?" Confucius answered, "No word can promise as much as that. But people say, 'What I enjoy in being a ruler is not the office itself, but that I speak and no one goes against me.' If what he says is good and no one goes against it, is that not good? But if what he says is not good and no one goes against it, is that not close to ruining a state with one word?"

The Duke of She asked about government. The Master said, "Those who are near are glad, and those who are far away come to you."

Zixia became head of Jufu and asked about government. The Master said, "Do not hurry, and do not look to small gains. Hurry, and you do not get through. Look to small gains, and great things are not achieved."

The Duke of She said to Confucius, "In our village there is a man of upright conduct. When his father stole a sheep, the son gave witness against him." Confucius said, "In our village the upright are otherwise. The father shields the son and the son shields the father. Uprightness lies in that."

Fanchi asked about humaneness. The Master said, "Be humble where you live, be careful in the work you take up, and be true in dealing with others. Even if you go among the barbarian tribes, this must not be cast aside."

Zigong asked, "What must a man be like to be called a gentleman?" The Master said, "He has a sense of shame in how he carries himself, and when sent to the four quarters he does not disgrace his ruler's charge. Such a man may be called a gentleman." He said, "May I ask about the next below him." The Master said, "His kin call him a good son, and his neighbors call him a respectful younger brother." He said, "May I ask about the next below that." The Master said, "His word is always to be trusted and his acts are always carried through. He is a stiff and stubborn small man, but he may still be reckoned next." He said, "And what of those who hold office now?" The Master said, "Ah! They are vessels that hold a peck or two. What is there to count?"

The Master said, "If I cannot find men of the middle way to go with, then let it be the wild (狂者) and the cautious (狷者). The wild press forward and take hold. The cautious have things they will not do."

The Master said, "The people of the south have a saying: 'A man without a steady heart cannot become a shaman or a healer.' Well said! And it is written, 'He who is not steady in his virtue will meet with shame.'" The Master said, "He simply does not consult the oracle."

The Master said, "The noble man is in harmony with others but not the same as them. The small man is the same as others but not in harmony with them."

Zigong asked, "What of a man whom everyone in the village likes?" The Master said, "That is not enough." "And a man whom everyone in the village hates?" The Master said, "That is not enough. Better that the good people of the village like him and the bad ones hate him."

The Master said, "The noble man is easy to serve but hard to please. Please him in a way that is not the Way, and he is not pleased. When he sets men to work, he uses each according to his measure. The small man is hard to serve but easy to please. Please him in a way that is not the Way, and he is pleased all the same. When he sets men to work, he asks one man to be good at everything."

The Master said, "The noble man is at ease without being proud. The small man is proud without being at ease."

The Master said, "To be firm, strong, plain and slow of speech is close to humaneness."

Zilu asked, "What must a man be like to be called a gentleman?" The Master said, "He urges others on in earnest and is glad in their company. Such a man may be called a gentleman. Among friends there is earnest urging, and among brothers there is gladness."

The Master said, "If a good man taught the people for seven years, they could also be sent to war."

The Master said, "To send untaught people to war is to throw them away."