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.
Duke Ding asked, “A single saying that can cause a state to flourish—is there such a thing as this?”
Confucius replied, “There is no saying that can have that sort of effect. There is, however, something close. People have a saying, ‘Being a ruler is difficult, and being a minister is not easy.’ If this saying helps you to understand that being a ruler is difficult, does it not come close to being a single saying that can cause a state to flourish?”
Duke Ding asked, “A single saying that can cause a state to perish—is there such a thing as this?”
Confucius replied, “There is no saying that can have that sort of effect. There is, however, something close. People have a saying, ‘I take no joy in being a ruler, except that no one dares to oppose what I say.’ If what the ruler says is good, and no one opposes him, is this not good? On the other hand, if what he says is not good, and no one opposes him, does this not come close to being a single saying that can cause a state to perish?”
Confucius, & Slingerland, E. (2003). Analects: With selections from traditional commentaries. Hackett Publishing.
Duke Ding asked, Is there one word that can bring prosperity to the domain?
Confucius replied, Words alone cannot do that. But there’s a saying that might come close. People say, To be a ruler is difficult; to be a minister is not easy. If the ruler understands that it is not easy to be a ruler, this would come close, would it not, to “one word that can bring prosperity to the domain”?
And is there one word that can bring ruin to the domain? asked the duke.
Confucius replied, Words alone cannot do that. But there’s a saying that might come close. People have a saying, I have no delight in being a ruler. My sole delight is making certain that no one contradicts my words.
If he is a good ruler and no one contradicts him, that would be good, would it not? But if he is not good and no one contradicts him, this would come close to being “one word that can bring ruin to the domain,” would it not?
Confucius, & Watson, B. (2007). The Analects of Confucius. Columbia University Press.
