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Analects 17.15

Leave a Comment / Analects, Analects - Book Seventeen

Original Text:

子曰鄙夫可与事君也与哉其未得之也患得之既得之患失之苟患失之无所不至矣

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The Master said, “Is it really possible to work alongside one of these common fellows in serving your lord? Before such a person has obtained an official position, all that concerns him is getting one; once he has gotten one, all that concerns him is hanging onto it. And if he is concerned about hanging onto it, there are no extremes to which he will not go.”
Confucius, & Slingerland, E. (2003). Analects: With selections from traditional commentaries. Hackett Publishing.

The Master said, Can you serve the ruler with some mean-minded fellow as your companion? Before he has gotten what he wants, he worries he won’t get it. After he has gotten it, he worries he’ll lose it. And when he starts worrying about losing it, there’s nothing he won’t do!
Confucius, & Watson, B. (2007). The Analects of Confucius. Columbia University Press.

Analects 17.9

Leave a Comment / Analects, Analects - Book Seventeen

Original Text:

子曰小子何莫学夫诗诗可以兴可以观可以群可以怨迩之事父远之事君多识于鸟兽草木之名

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The Master said, “Little Ones, why do none of you learn the Odes? The Odes can be a source of inspiration and a basis for evaluation; they can help you to come together with others, as well as to properly express complaints. In the home, they teach you about how to serve your father, and in public life they teach you about how to serve your lord. They also broadly acquaint you with the names of various birds, beasts, plants, and trees.”
Confucius, & Slingerland, E. (2003). Analects: With selections from traditional commentaries. Hackett Publishing.

The Master said, Young people, why do none of you study the Odes? The Odes train you in analogy, allow you to observe customs, teach you to be sociable, teach you to express anger. Close at hand, you learn how to serve your father; in more distant terms, how to serve the ruler. And you become familiar with the names of numerous birds, animals, plants, and trees.
Confucius, & Watson, B. (2007). The Analects of Confucius. Columbia University Press.

Analects 16.14

Leave a Comment / Analects, Analects - Book Sixteen

Original Text:

邦君之妻君称之曰夫人夫人自称曰小童邦人称之曰君夫人称诸异邦曰寡小君异邦人称之亦曰君夫人

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With regard to the wife of the lord of a state, the lord refers to her as his “Lady,” while the Lady refers to herself as “little child.” The people of the state refer to her as “our Lord’s Lady,” but when abroad refer to her as “Our Orphaned Little Lord.” People of other states refer to her as “that Lord’s Lady.”
Confucius, & Slingerland, E. (2003). Analects: With selections from traditional commentaries. Hackett Publishing.

In the case of the wife of the ruler of a state, the ruler refers to her as “the lady,” and she refers to herself as “this little youth.” The people of the state refer to her as “the lord’s lady,” but when they are addressing persons of other states, they call her “our little lord.” The people of other states refer to her as “the lord’s lady.”
Confucius, & Watson, B. (2007). The Analects of Confucius. Columbia University Press.

Analects 15.38

Leave a Comment / Analects, Analects - Book Fifteen

Original Text:

子曰事君敬其事而后其食

Translation:

Other Translations:

The Master said, “In serving your lord, show respect for the tasks you have been assigned. Do not make the salary you will receive a priority.”
Confucius, & Slingerland, E. (2003). Analects: With selections from traditional commentaries. Hackett Publishing.

The Master said, In serving the ruler, attend respectfully to your duties and look on pay as a secondary matter.
Confucius, & Watson, B. (2007). The Analects of Confucius. Columbia University Press.

Analects 14.40

Leave a Comment / Analects, Analects - Book Fourteen

Original Text:

子张曰书云‘高宗谅阴三年不言何谓也子曰何必高宗古之人皆然君薨百官总己以听于冢宰三年

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Zizhang asked, “The Book of Documents says, ‘Gaozong stayed in his mourning hut, and did not speak for three years.’ What does this mean?”
The Master replied, “We do not have to confine ourselves to Gaozong—all of the ancients were the same. When their lord passed away, for three years the hundred officials would all see to their own tasks, under the direction of the Prime Minister.”
Confucius, & Slingerland, E. (2003). Analects: With selections from traditional commentaries. Hackett Publishing.

Zizhang said, The Book of Documents states that Gao Zong was in his mourning hut for three years without speaking. What does this mean?
The Master said, Why only Gao Zong? The men of ancient times all did this. When the ruler passed away, the officials under him for three years took all their instructions from the prime minister.
Confucius, & Watson, B. (2007). The Analects of Confucius. Columbia University Press.

Analects 14.22

Leave a Comment / Analects, Analects - Book Fourteen

Original Text:

子路问事君子曰勿欺也而犯之

Translation:

Other Translations:

Zilu asked about serving one’s lord.
The Master replied, “Do not deceive him. Oppose him openly.”
Confucius, & Slingerland, E. (2003). Analects: With selections from traditional commentaries. Hackett Publishing.

Zilu asked how to serve the ruler. The Master said, Never deceive him; oppose him openly.
Confucius, & Watson, B. (2007). The Analects of Confucius. Columbia University Press.

Analects 12.11

Leave a Comment / Analects, Analects - Book Twelve

Original Text:

齐景公问政于孔子孔子对曰君君臣臣父父子子公曰善哉信如君不君臣不臣父不父子不子虽有粟吾得而食诸

Translation:

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Duke Jing of Qi asked Confucius about governing.
Confucius responded, “Let the lord be a true lord, the ministers true ministers, the fathers true fathers, and the sons true sons.”
The Duke replied, “Well put! Certainly if the lord is not a true lord, the ministers not true ministers, the fathers not true fathers, and the sons not true sons, even if there is sufficient grain, will I ever get to eat it?”
Confucius, & Slingerland, E. (2003). Analects: With selections from traditional commentaries. Hackett Publishing.

Duke Jing of Qi questioned Confucius about government. Confucius replied, Let the ruler be a ruler; the subject, a subject; the father, a father; the son, a son.
The duke said, Splendid! For if indeed the ruler is not a ruler, the subject not a subject, the father not a father, the son not a son, then although there is grain, how will I be able to eat it?
Confucius, & Watson, B. (2007). The Analects of Confucius. Columbia University Press.

Analects 12.9

Leave a Comment / Analects, Analects - Book Twelve

Original Text:

哀公问于有若曰年饥用不足如之何有若对曰盍彻乎曰二吾犹不足如之何其彻也对曰百姓足君孰与不足百姓不足君孰与足

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Duke Ai said to Master You, “The harvest was poor and I cannot satisfy my needs. What should I do?”
Master You said, “Why do you not try taxing the people one part in ten?”
“I am currently taxing them two parts in ten, and even so I cannot satisfy my needs. How could reducing the tax to one part in ten help?”
Master You answered, “If the common people’s needs are satisfied, how could their lord be lacking? If the common people needs are not satisfied, how can their lord be content?”
Confucius, & Slingerland, E. (2003). Analects: With selections from traditional commentaries. Hackett Publishing.

Duke Ai questioned You Ruo, saying, The crop is bad this year, and I don’t have enough for government needs. What should I do?
You Ruo replied, Why not halve the rate of taxation?
The duke said, Even when I take two-tenths of the crop in taxes, I don’t have enough. How could I get by with half?
You Ruo replied, If the people have enough, what ruler will be left without enough? But if the people don’t have enough, how can the ruler hope to have enough?
Confucius, & Watson, B. (2007). The Analects of Confucius. Columbia University Press.

Analects 11.24

Leave a Comment / Analects, Analects - Book Eleven

Original Text:

季子然问仲由冉求可谓大臣与子曰吾以子为异之问曾由与求之问所谓大臣者以道事君不可则止今由与求也可谓具臣矣曰然则从之者与子曰弑父与君亦不从也

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Other Translations:

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.

Analects 10.20

Leave a Comment / Analects, Analects - Book Ten

Original Text:

君命召不俟驾行矣

Translation:

Other Translations:

When summoned by his lord, he would set off on foot, without waiting for his horses to be hitched to the carriage.
Confucius, & Slingerland, E. (2003). Analects: With selections from traditional commentaries. Hackett Publishing.

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