子夏曰小人之过也必文
Zixia said, “When a petty person commits a transgression, he is sure to gloss it over.”
Confucius, & Slingerland, E. (2003). Analects: With selections from traditional commentaries. Hackett Publishing.
Zixia said, When the petty man makes a mistake, he invariably tries to gloss it over.
Confucius, & Watson, B. (2007). The Analects of Confucius. Columbia University Press.
子曰唯女子与小人为难养也近之则不孙远之则怨
The Master said, “Women and servants are particularly hard to manage: if you are too familiar with them, they grow insolent, but if you are too distant they grow resentful.”
Confucius, & Slingerland, E. (2003). Analects: With selections from traditional commentaries. Hackett Publishing.
The Master said, Women and petty persons are the hardest to look after. Treat them in a friendly manner, and they become impertinent; keep them at a distance, and they take offense.
Confucius, & Watson, B. (2007). The Analects of Confucius. Columbia University Press.
子曰君子不可小知而可大受也小人不可大受而可小知也
The Master said, “The gentleman is incapable of petty cleverness, but he can take on great tasks; the petty person is the opposite.”
Confucius, & Slingerland, E. (2003). Analects: With selections from traditional commentaries. Hackett Publishing.
The Master said, The gentleman cannot handle affairs demanding only limited understanding, but he is capable of large undertakings. The petty man is not capable of large undertakings, but he can handle affairs demanding limited understanding.
Confucius, & Watson, B. (2007). The Analects of Confucius. Columbia University Press.
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.
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.
子曰君子上达小人下达
The Master said, “The gentleman understands higher things, whereas the petty person understands only the low.”
Confucius, & Slingerland, E. (2003). Analects: With selections from traditional commentaries. Hackett Publishing.
The Master said, The gentleman is an expert in important matters; the petty man, an expert in trivial ones.
Confucius, & Watson, B. (2007). The Analects of Confucius. Columbia University Press.
子曰君子而不仁者有矣夫未有小人而仁者也
The Master said, “Certainly there are those gentlemen who are not Good, but there has never been a petty person who is Good.”
Confucius, & Slingerland, E. (2003). Analects: With selections from traditional commentaries. Hackett Publishing.
The Master said, A gentleman but not humane—there are some like that, are there not? But there’s never been a petty man who was humane.
Confucius, & Watson, B. (2007). The Analects of Confucius. Columbia University Press.
子曰君子泰而不骄小人骄而不泰
The Master said, “The gentleman is grand, but never arrogant; the petty person is arrogant, but never grand.”
Confucius, & Slingerland, E. (2003). Analects: With selections from traditional commentaries. Hackett Publishing.
The Master said, The gentleman is self-possessed but not arrogant. The petty man is arrogant but not self-possessed.
Confucius, & Watson, B. (2007). The Analects of Confucius. Columbia University Press.
子曰君子易事而难说也说之不以道不说也及其使人也器之小人难事而易说也说之虽不以道说也及其使人也求备焉
The Master said, “The gentleman is easy to serve, but hard to please. If you attempt to please him in a manner not in accordance with the Way, he will not be pleased, but when he employs others, he does so in consideration of their particular capacities. The petty person is hard to serve, but easy to please. If you attempt to please him, he will be pleased, even if it is in a manner not in accordance with the Way, but when it comes to his employment of others, he demands everything from them.”
Confucius, & Slingerland, E. (2003). Analects: With selections from traditional commentaries. Hackett Publishing.
The Master said, The gentleman is easy to serve but hard to please. Try to please him with what does not accord with the Way, and he will not be pleased. But when he employs others, he thinks of their particular capabilities.
The petty man is hard to serve but easy to please. Try pleasing him with what does not accord with the Way, and he will be pleased. But when he employs others, he expects them to be able to do anything.
Confucius, & Watson, B. (2007). The Analects of Confucius. Columbia University Press.
子曰君子和而不同小人同而不和
The Master said, “The gentleman harmonizes, and does not merely agree. The petty person agrees, but he does not harmonize.”
Confucius, & Slingerland, E. (2003). Analects: With selections from traditional commentaries. Hackett Publishing.
The Master said, The gentleman acts in harmony with others but does not ape them. The petty man apes others but is not in harmony with them.
Confucius, & Watson, B. (2007). The Analects of Confucius. Columbia University Press.
