Original Text:
孟武伯问子路仁乎子曰不知也又问子曰由也千乘之国可使治其赋也不知其仁也求也何如子曰求也千室之邑百乘之家可使为之宰也不知其仁也赤也何如子曰赤也束带立于朝可使与宾客言也不知其仁也
Translation:
Other Translations:
Meng Wubo asked, “Is Zilu Good?”
The Master replied, “I do not know.”
Meng Wubo repeated his question.
The Master said, “In a state of one thousand chariots, Zilu could be employed to organize the collection of military taxes, but I do not know whether or not he is Good.”
“What about Ran Qiu?”
“In a town of one thousand households, or an aristocratic family of one hundred chariots, Ran Qiu could be employed as a steward, but I do not know whether or not he is Good.”
“What about Zihua?”
“Standing in his proper place at court with his sash tied, Zihua could be employed to converse with guests and visitors, but I do not know whether or not he is Good.”
Confucius, & Slingerland, E. (2003). Analects: With selections from traditional commentaries. Hackett Publishing.
Meng Wu Bo questioned Confucius, saying, Is Zilu a humane person?
The Master said, I don’t know.
Meng Wu Bo asked again.
The Master said, In a state of a thousand war chariots, You (Zilu) could be put in charge of military levies. But I don’t know if he is humane.
What about Qiu (Ran You)?
The Master said, For a town of a thousand households or a clan of a hundred chariots, Qiu could act as overseer. But I don’t know if he is humane.
What about Chi (Gongxi Zihua)?
The Master said, Chi, dressed in formal robes, standing in court, would do very well to discourse with the visitors and guests. But I don’t know if he is humane.
Confucius, & Watson, B. (2007). The Analects of Confucius. Columbia University Press.