子曰君子求诸己小人求诸人
The Master said, “The gentleman seeks it in himself; the petty person seeks it in others.”
Confucius, & Slingerland, E. (2003). Analects: With selections from traditional commentaries. Hackett Publishing.
The Master said, The gentleman makes demands on himself. The petty man makes demands on others.
Confucius, & Watson, B. (2007). The Analects of Confucius. Columbia University Press.
子曰君子疾没世而名不称焉
The Master said, “The gentleman is troubled by the possibility that his name will go uncelebrated after his death.”
Confucius, & Slingerland, E. (2003). Analects: With selections from traditional commentaries. Hackett Publishing.
The Master said, The gentleman is pained to think that after he has left the world his name will not be remembered.
Confucius, & Watson, B. (2007). The Analects of Confucius. Columbia University Press.
子曰君子病无能焉不病人之不己知也
The Master said, “The gentleman is distressed by his own inability, rather than the failure of others to recognize him.
Confucius, & Slingerland, E. (2003). Analects: With selections from traditional commentaries. Hackett Publishing.
The Master said, The gentleman is troubled by his own lack of ability. He is not troubled by the fact that others do not understand him.
Confucius, & Watson, B. (2007). The Analects of Confucius. Columbia University Press.
子曰君子义以为质礼以行之孙以出之信以成之君子哉
The Master said, “The gentleman takes rightness as his substance, puts it into practice by means of ritual, gives it expression through modesty, and perfects it by being trustworthy. Now that is a gentleman!”
Confucius, & Slingerland, E. (2003). Analects: With selections from traditional commentaries. Hackett Publishing.
The Master said, The gentleman makes rightness the substance, practices it through ritual, displays it with humility, brings it to completion with trustworthiness. That’s the gentleman.
Confucius, & Watson, B. (2007). The Analects of Confucius. Columbia University Press.
子曰直哉史鱼邦有道如矢邦无道如矢君子哉蘧伯玉邦有道则仕邦无道则可卷而怀之
The Master said, “How upright was Historian Yu! When the state possessed the Way, he was straight as an arrow, and when the state lacked the Way, he was also straight as an arrow. What a gentleman was Qu Boyu! When the state possessed the Way, he served it; when the state lacked the Way, he was able to roll up his talents and hide them away.”
Confucius, & Slingerland, E. (2003). Analects: With selections from traditional commentaries. Hackett Publishing.
he Master said, How upright Shi Yu was! When the state followed the Way, he was straight as an arrow. When the state was without the Way, he was straight as an arrow. What a gentleman Qu Boyu was! When the state followed the Way, he held office. When the state was without the Way, he knew how to fold up his hopes and put them away in the breast of his robe.
Confucius, & Watson, B. (2007). The Analects of Confucius. Columbia University Press.
在陈绝粮从者病莫能兴子路愠见曰君子亦有穷乎子曰君子固穷小人穷斯滥矣
[When Confucius was besieged] in the state of Chen, all of the provisions were exhausted, and his followers were so weak from hunger that they could not even stand. Upset, Zilu appeared before the Master and said, “Does even the gentleman encounter hardship?”
The Master said, “Of course the gentleman encounters hardship. The difference is that the petty man, encountering hardship, is overwhelmed by it.”
Confucius, & Slingerland, E. (2003). Analects: With selections from traditional commentaries. Hackett Publishing.
When Confucius was in Chen, he ran out of provisions and his followers were so weak that none of them could stand up. Zilu confronted Confucius angrily, saying, Does the gentleman have to put up with such hardships?
The Master said, The gentleman remains firm in the face of hardships. The petty man, when he encounters hardship, gives way to panic.
Confucius, & Watson, B. (2007). The Analects of Confucius. Columbia University Press.
子路问君子子曰修己以敬曰如斯而已乎曰修己以安人曰如斯而已乎曰修己以安百姓修己以安百姓尧舜其犹病诸
Zilu asked about the gentleman.
The Master said, “He cultivates himself in order to achieve respectfulness.”
“Is that all?”
“He cultivates himself in order to bring peace to others.”
“Is that all?”
“He cultivates himself in order to bring peace to all people. Cultivating oneself and thereby bringing peace to all people is something even a Yao or a Shun would find difficult.”
Confucius, & Slingerland, E. (2003). Analects: With selections from traditional commentaries. Hackett Publishing.
Zilu asked about the gentleman. The Master said, He trains himself to be respectful.
Is that all?
The Master said, He trains himself in order to give ease to others.
Is that all?
The Master said, He trains himself in order to give ease to all men and women. But training himself in order to give ease to all men and women—even the sages Yao and Shun found that hard to do.
Confucius, & Watson, B. (2007). The Analects of Confucius. Columbia University Press.
子曰君子道者三我无能焉仁者不忧知者不惑勇者不惧子贡曰夫子自道也
The Master said, “The Way of the gentleman is threefold, and yet I have not been able to achieve any aspect of it: ‘The Good do not worry, the wise are not confused, and the courageous do not fear.’ ”
Zigong replied, “[By quoting this saying], the Master has in fact described himself.”
Confucius, & Slingerland, E. (2003). Analects: With selections from traditional commentaries. Hackett Publishing.
he Master said, The Way of the gentleman has three characteristics that are still beyond me. The humane are never anxious; the wise, never perplexed; the brave, never afraid.
Zigong said, Master, that is your own Way.
Confucius, & Watson, B. (2007). The Analects of Confucius. Columbia University Press.
子曰君子耻其言而过其行
The Master said, “The gentleman is ashamed to have his words exceed his actions.”
Confucius, & Slingerland, E. (2003). Analects: With selections from traditional commentaries. Hackett Publishing.
The Master said, The gentleman is ashamed to let his words outstrip his actions.
Confucius, & Watson, B. (2007). The Analects of Confucius. Columbia University Press.
子曰不在其位不谋其政曾子曰君子思不出其位
The Master said, “Do not discuss matters of government policy that do not fall within the scope of your official duties.”
Master Zeng added, “The gentleman’s thoughts do not go beyond his office”
Confucius, & Slingerland, E. (2003). Analects: With selections from traditional commentaries. Hackett Publishing.
The Master said, If one does not hold the position, one does not dictate the policies that go with it.
Master Zeng said, The gentleman’s thoughts do not extend beyond the position that he holds.
Confucius, & Watson, B. (2007). The Analects of Confucius. Columbia University Press.
