Zilu dispatched Zigao to serve as the steward of [the Ji Family stronghold of] Bi.
The Master remarked, “You are harming another man’s son.”
Zilu replied, “There are people there for him to govern, and altars to the soil and grain for him to maintain. Why must we think that it is only by reading books that one can be considered learned?”
The Master answered, “It is for precisely this reason that I despise those who are glib.”
Confucius, & Slingerland, E. (2003). Analects: With selections from traditional commentaries. Hackett Publishing.
Zilu appointed Zigao to be steward of Bi. The Master said, You are doing harm to another man’s son.
Zilu said, He has the people he needs and the altars of the soil and grain. Why must one read books before he is regarded as learned?
The Master said, That’s why I hate smart-alecky people!
Confucius, & Watson, B. (2007). The Analects of Confucius. Columbia University Press.
Ji Ziran asked, “Could Zilu and Ran Qiu be considered great ministers?”
The Master replied, “I thought you were going to ask about some exceptional individuals, but instead you always ask about Zilu and Ran Qiu! What we call ‘great ministers’ are those who seek to serve their lord by means of the Way, and who resign if unable to do so. Now, Zilu and Ran Qiu are what we might call ‘useful ministers’ .”
“Then are they the type who do what they are told?”
“If it came to murdering their father or their lord, surely even they would not obey.”
Confucius, & Slingerland, E. (2003). Analects: With selections from traditional commentaries. Hackett Publishing.
Ji Ziran asked whether Zhongyou (Zilu) and Ran Qiu were fit to be called great ministers.
The Master said, I thought that you were going to ask a quite different question, but now you ask about Zhongyou and Ran Qiu. The term “great minister” applies to someone who serves the ruler according to the Way. If he cannot do that, he retires. As for You and Qiu, they can best be called stop-gap ministers.
So you mean they would do whatever they were told to do? asked Ji Ziran.
The Master said, If it involved killing a father or a ruler, they would never go along.
Confucius, & Watson, B. (2007). The Analects of Confucius. Columbia University Press.
Zilu asked, “Upon learning of something that needs to be done, should one immediately take care of it?”
The Master replied, “As long as one’s father and elder brothers are still alive, how could one possibly take care of it immediately?”
[On a later occasion] Ran Qiu asked, “Upon learning of something that needs to be done, should one immediately take care of it?”
The Master replied, “Upon learning of it, you should immediately take care of it.”
Zihua, [having observed both exchanges], inquired, “When Zilu asked you whether or not one should immediately take care of something upon learning of it, you told him one should not, as long as one’s father and elder brothers were still alive. When Ran Qiu asked the same question, however, you told him that one should immediately take care of it. I am confused, and humbly ask to have this explained to me.”
The Master said, “Ran Qiu is overly cautious, and so I wished to urge him on. Zilu, on the other hand, is too impetuous, and so I sought to hold him back.”
Confucius, & Slingerland, E. (2003). Analects: With selections from traditional commentaries. Hackett Publishing.
Zilu asked, When I hear something, should I proceed to put it into action?
The Master said, While your father and elder brothers are alive, how can you hear something and immediately put it into action?
Ran You asked, When I hear something, should I proceed to put it into action?
The Master said, When you hear it, then act on it.
Gongxi Hua said, When You asked if, when I hear something, I should put it into action, you, Master, said, Your father and elder brothers are still alive. But when Qiu (Ran You) asked if, when I hear something, I should put it into action, you said, When you hear it, put it into action. I’m confused—may I venture to ask for an explanation?
The Master said, Qiu is timid—so I urged him on. You always tries to outdo others—so I restrained him.
Confucius, & Watson, B. (2007). The Analects of Confucius. Columbia University Press.
The Master said, “If someone seems sincere and serious in their conversation, does this mean they are a gentleman? Or have they merely adopted the appearance of the gentleman?”
Confucius, & Slingerland, E. (2003). Analects: With selections from traditional commentaries. Hackett Publishing.
The Master said, The person skilled in argumentation—is he a true gentleman? Or merely an impressive showman?
Confucius, & Watson, B. (2007). The Analects of Confucius. Columbia University Press.
The Master said, “How close was Yan Hui [to being morally perfected], and yet he was perpetually impoverished. [Unlike Yan Hui,] Zigong will not accept his fate, and so engages in business speculation. His conjectures, though, are always on the mark.”
Confucius, & Slingerland, E. (2003). Analects: With selections from traditional commentaries. Hackett Publishing.
The Master said, Hui comes near [to the ideal], though he is often in want. Si (Zigong) holds no government office but knows how to turn a profit. His guesses often hit the mark.
Confucius, & Watson, B. (2007). The Analects of Confucius. Columbia University Press.
The Master said, “The head of the Ji Family is wealthier than even the Duke of Zhou ever was, and yet Ran Qiu collects taxes on his behalf to further increase his already excessive wealth. Ran Qiu is no disciple of mine. If you disciples were to sound the drums and attack him, I would not disapprove.”
Confucius, & Slingerland, E. (2003). Analects: With selections from traditional commentaries. Hackett Publishing.
The Ji family were richer than the duke of Zhou, and yet Ran Qiu, who acted as their tax collector, worked to enrich them even further.
The Master said, This man is no follower of mine! You young men, sound the drum and attack him—you have my permission!
Confucius, & Watson, B. (2007). The Analects of Confucius. Columbia University Press.
