Captain

Original Text:

柳下惠为士师三黜人曰子未可以去乎曰直道而事人焉往而不三黜枉道而事人何必去父母之邦

Translation:

Other Translations:

When Liuxia Hui was serving as Captain of the Guard, he was dismissed three times. People said to him, “Sir, is this not grounds for simply leaving?”

He replied, “If I serve others by means of the upright Way, where can I go and not end up being dismissed three times? If, instead, I were to serve others in a crooked, accommodating manner, what need would I have to leave my home state?”

Confucius, & Slingerland, E. (2003). Analects: With selections from traditional commentaries. Hackett Publishing.

When Liuxia Hui served as chief judge he was three times dismissed. Someone said, Wouldn’t you do better going elsewhere?

Liuxia Hui said, If I apply the Way correctly in serving others, where can I go and not be dismissed three times? And if I applied the Way in a crooked fashion in serving others, what need would I have to leave the country of my father and mother?

Confucius, & Watson, B. (2007). The Analects of Confucius. Columbia University Press.