子曰其言之不怍则为之也难
The Master said, “If you are shameless in what you propose, you may then find it difficult to put your words into practice.”
Confucius, & Slingerland, E. (2003). Analects: With selections from traditional commentaries. Hackett Publishing.
The Master said, He who speaks irresponsibly will find it hard to put his words into action.
Confucius, & Watson, B. (2007). The Analects of Confucius. Columbia University Press.
宪问耻子曰邦有道谷邦无道谷耻也克伐怨欲不行焉可以为仁矣子曰可以为难矣仁则吾不知也
Yuan Si asked about shame.
The Master said, “When the state has the Way, accept a salary; when the state is without the Way, to accept a salary is shameful.”
“To refrain from competitiveness, boastfulness, envy, and greed—can this be considered Goodness?”
The Master said, “This can be considered difficult, but as for its being Good, that I do not know.”
Confucius, & Slingerland, E. (2003). Analects: With selections from traditional commentaries. Hackett Publishing.
Xian (Yuan Si) asked what is shameful. The Master said, When a state follows the Way, one receives an official stipend. But when a state is without the Way, to receive an official stipend is shameful.
[Yuan Si said,] If one is free of high-handedness, bragging, enmity, and craving, can this be termed humaneness? The Master said, It may be termed difficult. But as for humaneness—I don’t know about that.
Confucius, & Watson, B. (2007). The Analects of Confucius. Columbia University Press.
子贡问曰何如斯可谓之士矣子曰行己有耻使于四方不辱君命可谓士矣曰敢问其次曰宗族称孝焉乡党称弟焉曰敢问其次曰言必信行必果踁踁然小人哉抑亦可以为次矣曰今之从政者何如子曰噫斗筲之人何足算也
Zigong asked, “What does a person have to be like before he could be called a true scholar-official?”
The Master said, “Conducting himself with a sense of shame, and not dishonoring his ruler’s mandate when sent abroad as a diplomat—such a person could be called a scholar-official.”
“May I ask what the next best type of person is like?”
“His lineage and clan consider him filial, and his fellow villagers consider him respectful to his elders.”
“And the next best?”
“In his speech, he insists on being trustworthy, and with regard to his actions, he insists that they bear fruit. What a narrow, rigid little man he is! And yet he might still be considered the next best.”
“How about those who today are involved in government?”
The Master exclaimed, “Oh! Those petty functionaries are not even worth considering.”
Confucius, & Slingerland, E. (2003). Analects: With selections from traditional commentaries. Hackett Publishing.
Zigong asked, How should one conduct himself in order to be called a man of station?
The Master said, Be mindful of anything shameful in your actions. When sent on a mission to other regions in the four directions, do nothing to disgrace your ruler’s commands. Then you can be called a man of station.
And may I ask about a person on the next level?
The Master said, Among the members of his clan, he is praised for his filial conduct. In his village or community, he is praised for his brotherliness.
And may I ask about the next level?
The Master said, Their words are certain to be trustworthy; their actions, certain to be decisive. But petty men just plodding along can reach this level.
And how would you rate those who handle government affairs these days?
The Master said, Ah—peck and bushel people! Not even worth sizing up!
Confucius, & Watson, B. (2007). The Analects of Confucius. Columbia University Press.
子曰衣敝缊袍与衣狐貉者立而不耻者其由也与不忮不求何用不臧子路终身诵之子曰是道也何足以臧
The Master said, “Clad only in a shabby quilted gown, and yet unashamed to stand side-by-side with someone dressed in expensive furs—does this not describe Zilu?
‘Not envious, not covetous,
How could he not be good?’ ”
Zilu took to reciting this stanza constantly. The Master thereupon remarked, “The Way summed up in these lines is hardly worth treasuring so.”
Confucius, & Slingerland, E. (2003). Analects: With selections from traditional commentaries. Hackett Publishing.
The Master said, Wearing a shoddy floss-wadded jacket, standing beside someone clad in fox and badger furs, and feeling no shame—that would be You (Zilu)!
Doing no harm, seeking nothing—
why am I not seen as good?
Zilu was forever reciting these lines. The Master said, That approach—why would anyone rate it as good?
Confucius, & Watson, B. (2007). The Analects of Confucius. Columbia University Press.
子曰笃信好学守死善道危邦不入乱邦不居天下有道则见无道则隐邦有道贫且贱焉耻也邦无道富且贵焉耻也
The Master said, “Be sincerely trustworthy and love learning, and hold fast to the good Way until death. Do not enter a state that is endangered, and do not reside in a state that is disordered. If the Way is being realized in the world then show yourself; if it is not, then go into reclusion. In a state that has the Way, to be poor and of low status is a cause for shame; in a state that is without the Way, to be wealthy and honored is equally a cause for shame.”
Confucius, & Slingerland, E. (2003). Analects: With selections from traditional commentaries. Hackett Publishing.
The Master said, Entirely trustworthy, a lover of learning, faithful until death, exemplar of the Way, he never enters a state where there is peril, never remains in a state where there is disorder. When the Way prevails in the world, he appears; when the Way is lacking, he retires. When the state follows the Way, being poor and lowly is a cause for shame. When the state is without the Way, being rich and eminent is a cause for shame.
Confucius, & Watson, B. (2007). The Analects of Confucius. Columbia University Press.
子曰道之以政齐之以刑民免而无耻道之以德齐之以礼有耻且格
The Master said, “If you try to guide the common people with coercive regulations and keep them in line with punishments, the common people will become evasive and will have no sense of shame. If, however, you guide them with Virtue, and keep them in line by means of ritual, the people will have a sense of shame and will rectify themselves.”
Confucius, & Slingerland, E. (2003). Analects: With selections from traditional commentaries. Hackett Publishing.
The Master said, Guide them with government orders, regulate them with penalties, and the people will seek to evade the law and be without shame. Guide them with virtue, regulate them with ritual, and they will have a sense of shame and become upright.
Confucius, & Watson, B. (2007). The Analects of Confucius. Columbia University Press.
