The Master said, “The gentleman stands in awe of three things: the Mandate of Heaven, great men, and the teachings of the sages. The petty person does not understand the Mandate of Heaven, and thus does not regard it with awe; he shows disrespect to great men, and ridicules the teachings of the sages.”
Confucius, & Slingerland, E. (2003). Analects: With selections from traditional commentaries. Hackett Publishing.
Confucius said, The gentleman has three things he stands in awe of. He stands in awe of the Mandate of Heaven, of persons in high position, and of the words of the sages. The petty man, failing to understand the Mandate of Heaven, does not view it with awe. He treats persons in high position with disrespect and scorns the words of the sages.
Confucius, & Watson, B. (2007). The Analects of Confucius. Columbia University Press.
Fan Chi asked to learn about plowing and growing grain [from Confucius].
The Master said, “When it comes to that, any old farmer would be a better teacher than I.”
He asked to learn about growing fruits and vegetables.
The Master said, “When it comes to that, any old gardener would be a better teacher than I.”
Fan Chi then left. The Master remarked, “What a common fellow that Fan Chi is! When a ruler loves ritual propriety, then none among his people will dare to be disrespectful. When a ruler loves rightness, then none among his people will dare not to obey. When a ruler loves trustworthiness, then none of his people will dare to not be honest. The mere existence of such a ruler would cause the common people throughout the world to bundle their children on their backs and seek him out. Of what use, then, is the study of agriculture?”
Confucius, & Slingerland, E. (2003). Analects: With selections from traditional commentaries. Hackett Publishing.
Fan Chi wanted to study how to grow grain. The Master said, In that line, I’d be less use to you than an old farmer. Fan Chi then wanted to study how to grow vegetables. The Master said, In that line, I’d be less use to you than an old vegetable grower.
After Fan Chi had left, the Master said, What a petty man, Fan Xu (Fan Chi)! If those in higher positions love ritual, then none of the common people will venture to be disrespectful. If those in higher positions love rightness, then none of the common people will venture to be disobedient. If those in higher positions love trustworthiness, then none of the common people will venture to act insincerely. And if such a condition prevails, then the people from the four lands adjacent, bearing their little children strapped to their backs, will gather around. What need to study grain growing?
Confucius, & Watson, B. (2007). The Analects of Confucius. Columbia University Press.
The Master was heard to remark, “What is Zilu doing in my school, playing the zither the way he does?”
After this, the disciples began treating Zilu in a disrespectful manner. The Master reproved them, saying, “Although Zilu has not yet entered the inner chamber, he has at least ascended to the reception hall.”
Confucius, & Slingerland, E. (2003). Analects: With selections from traditional commentaries. Hackett Publishing.
he Master said, You’s zither playing hardly fits the style of my school. The other disciples began to treat Zilu with disrespect. The Master said, You is qualified to ascend the hall, though he has not yet entered the inner room.
Confucius, & Watson, B. (2007). The Analects of Confucius. Columbia University Press.
