Talent - Confucian Pages

Analects 17.1

Leave a Comment / Analects, Analects - Book Seventeen

Original Text:

阳货欲见孔子孔子不见归孔子豚孔子时其亡也而往拜之遇诸途谓孔子曰来予与尔言曰怀其宝而迷其邦可谓仁乎曰不可好从事而亟失时可谓知乎曰不可日月逝矣岁不我与孔子曰诺吾将仕矣

Translation:

Other Translations:

Yang Huo wanted to have an audience with Confucius, but Confucius would not see him. Yang Huo therefore sent Confucius a suckling pig as a gift. Confucius waited until Yang Huo was not at home before going to offer his thanks, but ended up running into Yang Huo on the road.
Yang Huo called out to Confucius, “Come! I would like to speak with you.” [After Confucius approached him,] he said, “Clutching a treasure to one’s bosom, and thereby letting the state go to ruin—could this be called Good?”
Confucius replied, “No, it could not.”
“Being eager to serve, but repeatedly missing opportunities to do so—could this be called wise?”
Confucius replied, “No, it could not.”
“The days and months are slipping away, and time is not on our side.”
“Very well,” Confucius said. “I will enter official service.”
Confucius, & Slingerland, E. (2003). Analects: With selections from traditional commentaries. Hackett Publishing.

Yang Huo (Yang Hu?) wanted to see Confucius, but Confucius refused to see him. He then sent Confucius a suckling pig. Confucius, choosing a time when Yang was not at home, went to express thanks for the gift, but he happened to meet Yang in the street. Addressing Confucius, Yang Huo said, Come—I have something to say to you. You hide in your heart a wealth of talent and yet let your country go astray. Can that be called humaneness? Of course not! You long to hold office and yet time and again miss the chance to do so. Can that be called wisdom? Of course not! The days and months fly by, time does not work in our favor!
Confucius said, Very well—I will take public office.
Confucius, & Watson, B. (2007). The Analects of Confucius. Columbia University Press.

Analects 15.8

Leave a Comment / Analects, Analects - Book Fifteen

Original Text:

子曰可与言而不与之言失人不可与言而与之言失言知者不失人亦不失言

Translation:

Other Translations:

The Master said, “If someone is open to what you have to say, but you do not speak to them, this is letting the person go to waste; if, however, someone is not open to what you have to say, but you speak to them anyway, this is letting your words go to waste. The wise person does not let people go to waste, but he also does not waste his words.”
Confucius, & Slingerland, E. (2003). Analects: With selections from traditional commentaries. Hackett Publishing.

The Master said, If it’s someone you ought to speak to and you fail to speak, you waste a person. If it’s someone you ought not to speak to and you speak, you waste words. The wise man doesn’t waste people and doesn’t waste words either.
Confucius, & Watson, B. (2007). The Analects of Confucius. Columbia University Press.

Analects 8.20

Leave a Comment / Analects, Analects - Book Eight

Original Text:

舜有臣五人而天下治武王曰予有乱臣十人孔子曰才难不其然乎唐虞之际于斯为盛有妇人焉九人而已三分天下有其二以服事殷周之德其可谓至德也已矣

Translation:

Other Translations:

Shun had five ministers and the world was well governed.
King Wu said, “I have ten ministers in charge of establishing order.”
The Master commented, “It is said that talent is difficult to find—is it not the case? Virtue flourished as never before after the reigns of Yao and Shun, and yet [even among King Wu’s ten ministers] there was a woman included, so he really only had nine good men.”
“Two-thirds of the world had already turned to [King Wen], and yet he still continued to defer to and serve the Shang. The Virtue of the Zhou—surely it can be said to represent ultimate Virtue?”
Confucius, & Slingerland, E. (2003). Analects: With selections from traditional commentaries. Hackett Publishing.

Shun had five ministers, and the empire was well governed. King Wu said, I have ten capable ministers.
Confucius said, Talent is hard to find—true, is it not? In the time of Tang and Yu, talent flourished, [yet Shun had only five ministers. As for King Wu’s ten ministers,] one was a woman, so he had only nine men. Zhou already possessed two-thirds of the empire, yet it continued to serve the Yin dynasty. The virtue of the Zhou may be termed the highest virtue.
Confucius, & Watson, B. (2007). The Analects of Confucius. Columbia University Press.

Analects 6.8

Leave a Comment / Analects, Analects - Book Six

Original Text:

季康子问仲由可使从政也与子曰由也果于从政乎何有曰赐也可使从政也与曰赐也达于从政乎何有曰求也可使从政也与曰求也艺于从政乎何有

Translation:

Other Translations:

Ji Kangzi asked, “Could Zilu be employed to carry out official business?”
The Master replied, “Zilu is resolute. What difficulty would he have carrying out official business?”
“What about Zigong?”
“Zigong is perceptive. What difficulty would he have carrying out official business?”
“What about Ran Qiu?”
“Ran Qiu is a master of the arts. What difficulty would he have carrying out official business?”
Confucius, & Slingerland, E. (2003). Analects: With selections from traditional commentaries. Hackett Publishing.

Ji Kangzi asked, Would Zhongyou (Zilu) be suitable to hold government office?
The Master said, Zhongyou is decisive. Why wouldn’t he do for government office?
Would Si (Zigong) do for government office?
The Master said, Si is knowledgeable. Why wouldn’t he do for government office?
Would Qiu (Ran Qiu) do for government office?
The Master said, Qiu is talented. Why wouldn’t he do for government office?
Confucius, & Watson, B. (2007). The Analects of Confucius. Columbia University Press.