子曰道不同不相为谋
The Master said, “Do not take counsel with those who follow a different Way.”
Confucius, & Slingerland, E. (2003). Analects: With selections from traditional commentaries. Hackett Publishing.
The Master said, If your Way is not the same, you cannot lay plans for one another.
Confucius, & Watson, B. (2007). The Analects of Confucius. Columbia University Press.
子曰君子谋道不谋食耕也馁在其中矣学也禄在其中矣君子忧道不忧贫
The Master said, “The gentleman devotes his thoughts to attaining the Way, not to obtaining food. In the pursuit of agriculture, there is the possibility of starvation; in the pursuit of learning, there is the possibility of salary. The gentleman is concerned about the Way and not about poverty.”
Confucius, & Slingerland, E. (2003). Analects: With selections from traditional commentaries. Hackett Publishing.
The Master said, The gentleman schemes for the Way; he does not scheme for food. You might work the fields and still at times encounter hunger; you might study and at times acquire an official stipend. But the gentleman worries about the Way; he does not worry about poverty.
Confucius, & Watson, B. (2007). The Analects of Confucius. Columbia University Press.
子曰人能弘道非道弘人
The Master said, “Human beings can broaden the Way—it is not the Way that broadens human beings.”
Confucius, & Slingerland, E. (2003). Analects: With selections from traditional commentaries. Hackett Publishing.
The Master said, A person can enlarge the Way, but the Way cannot enlarge a person.
Confucius, & Watson, B. (2007). The Analects of Confucius. Columbia University Press.
子曰吾之于人也谁毁谁誉如有所誉者其有所试矣斯民也三代之所以直道而行也
The Master said, “When it comes to other people, whom have I condemned? Whom have I praised? If I have praised someone, you can be sure it is because they have been put to the test. The common people today are the same people who allowed the Three Dynasties to put the upright Way into practice.”
Confucius, & Slingerland, E. (2003). Analects: With selections from traditional commentaries. Hackett Publishing.
The Master said, In my dealings with others, who have I censured, who have I praised? If I praise someone, it is because he has been put to the test. The common people of today are the ones who carried out the straight Way of the Three Dynasties.
Confucius, & Watson, B. (2007). The Analects of Confucius. Columbia University Press.
子曰直哉史鱼邦有道如矢邦无道如矢君子哉蘧伯玉邦有道则仕邦无道则可卷而怀之
The Master said, “How upright was Historian Yu! When the state possessed the Way, he was straight as an arrow, and when the state lacked the Way, he was also straight as an arrow. What a gentleman was Qu Boyu! When the state possessed the Way, he served it; when the state lacked the Way, he was able to roll up his talents and hide them away.”
Confucius, & Slingerland, E. (2003). Analects: With selections from traditional commentaries. Hackett Publishing.
he Master said, How upright Shi Yu was! When the state followed the Way, he was straight as an arrow. When the state was without the Way, he was straight as an arrow. What a gentleman Qu Boyu was! When the state followed the Way, he held office. When the state was without the Way, he knew how to fold up his hopes and put them away in the breast of his robe.
Confucius, & Watson, B. (2007). The Analects of Confucius. Columbia University Press.
公伯寮愬子路于季孙子服景伯以告曰夫子固有惑志于公伯寮吾力犹能肆诸市朝子曰道之将行也与命也道之将废也与命也公伯寮其如命何
Gongbo Liao submitted an accusation against Zilu to the head of the Ji Family. Zifu Jingbo reported this to Confucius, adding, “That master [i.e., Ji Kangzi] has certainly been led astray by Gongbo Liao, but my influence with him is still sufficient to see to it that Gongbo Liao’s corpse is displayed at court or in the marketplace.”
The Master said, “Whether or not the Way is to be put into action is a matter of fate. Whether or not the Way is to be discarded is also a matter of fate. What power does Gongbo Liao have to affect fate!”
Confucius, & Slingerland, E. (2003). Analects: With selections from traditional commentaries. Hackett Publishing.
Gongbo Liao spoke ill of Zilu to the head of the Ji family. Zifu Jingbo reported this, saying, My master[, Ji Sun,] has for some time been led astray by Gongbo Liao. But I still have enough influence to see that Gongbo Liao is executed and his corpse exposed in the marketplace.
The Master said, If the Way is destined to proceed, that is a matter of fate. And if the Way is destined to fail, that too is fate. How can Gongbo Liao change what is fated?
Confucius, & Watson, B. (2007). The Analects of Confucius. Columbia University Press.
子言卫灵公之无道也康子曰夫如是奚而不丧孔子曰仲叔圉治宾客祝鮀治宗庙王孙贾治军旅夫如是奚其丧
The Master remarked that Duke Ling of Wei lacked the Way. Ji Kangzi said, “If that is so, why has he not lost his state?”
The Master replied, “Kong Wenzi manages his diplomatic protocol, Priest Tuo manages his ancestral temples, and Wangsun Jia manages his military affairs. This being the case, how could he lose his state?”
Confucius, & Slingerland, E. (2003). Analects: With selections from traditional commentaries. Hackett Publishing.
Speaking of Duke Ling of Wei, the Master said that he lacked the Way.
Ji Kangzi said, If so, why doesn’t he meet with failure?
Confucius said, He has Zhongshu Yu (Gongshu Wenzi) to receive foreign envoys, Invocator Tuo to supervise the ancestral temples, and Wangsun Jia to handle military affairs. Given such conditions, how could he fail?
Confucius, & Watson, B. (2007). The Analects of Confucius. Columbia University Press.
子曰邦有道危言危行邦无道危行言孙
The Master said, “When the state possesses the Way, be audaciously correct in both word and action; when the state lacks the Way, be audaciously correct in action, but let one’s speech be conciliatory.”
Confucius, & Slingerland, E. (2003). Analects: With selections from traditional commentaries. Hackett Publishing.
The Master said, When a state follows the Way, be stern in speech, stern in action. When a state is without the Way, be stern in action but conciliatory in speech.
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.
