Confucian Analects Book V (孔夫子論語: 公冶長第五)

Author: Confucius (孔夫子); translated by James Legge

1. 子謂公冶長，「可妻也。雖在縲絏之中，非其罪也。」以其子妻之。

Of Kung-yeh Ch'ang the Master said, A girl might be wedded to him. Though he has been in fetters that was not his crime.
He gave him his daughter to wed.

2. 子謂南容，「邦有道不廢，邦無道免於刑戮。」以其兄之子妻之。

Of Nan Jung the Master said, When the land keeps the Way he will not be neglected; and if the land loses the Way he will escape punishment and death.
He gave him his brother's daughter to wed.

3. 子謂子賤，「君子哉若人！魯無君子者，斯焉取斯？」

Of Tzu-chien the Master said, What a gentleman he is! But if there were no gentlemen in Lu, where could he have picked it up?

4. 子貢問曰：「賜也何如？」子曰：「女器也。」曰：「何器也？」曰：「瑚璉也。」

Tzu-kung asked, And what of me?
Thou art a vessel, said the Master.
What kind of vessel?
A rich temple vessel.

5. 或曰：「雍也仁而不佞。」子曰：「焉用佞？御人以口給，屢憎於人。不知其仁，焉用 佞？」

One said, Yung has love, but he is not glib.
The Master said, What is the good of being glib? Fighting men with tongue-craft mostly makes men hate you. Whether love be his I do not know, but what is the good of being glib?

6. 子使漆雕開仕。對曰：「吾斯之未能信。」子說。

The Master moved Ch'i-tiao K'ai to take office.
He answered, For this I want confidence.
The Master was pleased.

7. 子曰：「道不行，乘桴浮於海。從我者，其由與？」子路聞之喜。子曰：「由也好勇過 我，無所取材。」

The Master said, Forsaken is the Way! I must take ship and stem the seas; and Yu shall go with me.
When Tzu-lu heard this he was glad.
The Master said, Yu loves daring more than I do, but he is at a loss how to take things.

8. 孟武伯問：「子路仁乎？」子曰：「不知也。」又問。子曰：「由也，千乘之國，可使 治其賦也，不知其仁也。」「求也何如？」子曰：「求也，千室之邑，百乘之家，可使為之宰也，不知其仁也。」「赤也何如？」子曰：「赤也，束帶立於朝，可使與賓客言也，不知其仁也。」

Meng Wu asked whether Tzu-lu had love.
I do not know, said the Master.
He asked again.
A land of a thousand chariots might give Yu charge of its levies; but whether love be his I do not know.
And how about Ch'iu?
A town of a thousand households, a clan of an hundred chariots might make Ch'iu governor; but whether love be his I do not know.
And how about Ch'ih?
Standing in the court, girt with his sash, Ch'ih might entertain the guests; but whether love be his I do not know.

9. 子謂子貢曰：「女與回也，孰愈？」對曰：「賜也，何敢望回？回也，聞一以知十，賜 也聞一知二。」子曰：「弗如也，吾與女，弗如也。」

The Master said to Tzu-kung, Which is the better man, thou or Hui?
He answered, How dare I look as high as Hui? When Hui hears one thing, he understands ten; when I hear one thing I understand two.
The Master said, Thou art not his like. Neither art thou his like, nor am I.

10. 宰予晝寢。子曰：「朽木不可雕也，糞土之牆不可杇也。於予與何誅？」子曰：「始 吾於人也，聽其言而信其行；今吾於人也，聽其言而觀其行。於予與改是。」

Tsai Yü slept in the daytime.
The Master said, Rotten wood cannot be carved, nor are dung walls plastered. Why chide with Yü?
The Master said, When I first met men I listened to their words and took their deeds on trust. When I meet them now, I listen to their words and watch their deeds. I righted this on Yü.

11. 子曰：「吾未見剛者。」或對曰：「申棖。」子曰：「棖也慾，焉得剛？」

The Master said, I have met no firm man.
One answered, Shen Ch'ang.
The Master said, Ch'ang is passionate; how can he be firm?

12. 子貢曰：「我不欲人之加諸我也，吾亦欲無加諸人。」子曰：「賜也，非爾所及 也。」

Tzu-kung said, What I do not wish done to me, I likewise wish not to do to others.
The Master said, That is still beyond thee, Tz'u.

13. 子貢曰：「夫子之文章，可得而聞也；夫子之言性與天道，不可得而聞也。」

Tzu-kung said, To hear the Master on his art and precepts is granted us; but to hear him on man's nature and the Way of Heaven is not.

14. 子路有聞，未之能行，唯恐有聞。

Until Tzu-lu could do what he had heard, his only fear was to hear more.

15. 子貢問曰：「孔文子何以謂之文也？」子曰：「敏而好學，不恥下問，是以謂之文 也。」

Tzu-kung asked, Why was K'ung-wen called cultured?
The Master said, He was quick and loved learning; he was not ashamed to ask those beneath him: that is why he was called cultured.

16. 子謂子產有君子之道四焉：其行己也恭，其事上也敬，其養民也惠，其使民也義。

The Master said, Of the ways of a gentleman Tzu-ch'an had four. His life was modest; he honoured those that he served. He was kind in feeding the people, and he was just in his calls upon them.

17. 子曰：「晏平仲善與人交，久而敬之。」

The Master said, Yen P'ing was a good friend. The longer he knew you, the more attentive he grew.

18. 子曰：「藏文仲居蔡，山節藻梲，何如其知也？」

The Master said, Tsang Wen lodged his tortoise with hills on the pillars and reeds on the uprights: was this his wisdom?

19. 子張問曰：「令尹子文三仕為令尹，無喜色；三已之，無慍色。舊令尹之政，必以告 新令尹。何如？」子曰：「忠矣。」曰：「仁矣乎？」曰：「未知，焉得仁！」「崔子弒齊君，陳文子有馬十乘，棄而違之。至於他邦，則曰，『猶吾大夫崔子也。』違之，之一邦，則又曰：『猶吾大夫崔子也。』違之。何如？」子曰：「清矣。」曰：「仁矣乎？」子曰：「未知，焉得仁？」

Tzu-chang said, The chief minister, Tzu-wen, was thrice made minister without showing gladness, thrice he left office with unmoved looks. He always told the new ministers how the old ones had governed: how was that?
He was faithful, said the Master.
But was it love?
I do not know, said the Master: how should this amount to love?
When Ts'ui murdered the lord of Ch'i, Ch'en Wen threw up ten teams of horses and left the land. On coming to another kingdom he said, 'Like my lord Ts'ui,' and left it. On coming to a second kingdom he said again, 'Like my lord Ts'ui,' and left it: how was that?
He was clean, said the Master.
But was it love?
I do not know, said the Master: how should this amount to love?

20. 季文子三思而後行。子聞之，曰：「再斯可矣。」

Chi Wen thought thrice before acting.
On hearing this the Master said, Twice is enough.

21. 子曰：「甯武子，邦有道則知，邦無道則愚。其知可及也，其愚不可及也。」

The Master said, Whilst the land kept the Way Ning Wu showed wisdom; when his land lost the Way he grew simple. His wisdom we may come up to; such simplicity is beyond us.

22. 子在陳曰：「歸與！歸與！吾黨之小子狂簡，斐然成章，不知所以裁之。」

When he was in Ch'en the Master said, Home, I must go home! Zealous, or rash, or finished scholars, my young sons at home do not know what pruning they still need!

23. 子曰：「伯夷叔齊，不念舊惡，怨是用希。」

The Master said, Because Po-yi and Shu-ch'i never remembered old wickedness they made few enemies.

24. 子曰：「孰謂微生高直？或乞醯焉，乞諸其鄰而與之。」

The Master said, Who can call Wei-sheng Kao straight? A man begged him for vinegar: he begged it of a neighbour, and gave it.

25. 子曰：「巧言、令色、足恭，左丘明恥之，丘亦恥之。匿怨而友其人，左丘明恥之， 丘亦恥之。」

The Master said, Smooth words, fawning looks, and overdone humility, Tso Ch'iu-ming thought shameful, and so do I. He thought it shameful to hide ill-will and ape friendship, and so do I.

26. 顏淵、季路侍。子曰：「盍各言爾志？」子路曰：「願車馬、衣輕裘，與朋友共，敝 之而無憾。」顏淵曰：「願無伐善，無施勞。」子路曰：「願聞子之志。」子曰：「老者安之，朋友信之，少者懷之。」

As Yen Yüan and Chi-lu were sitting with him, the Master said, Why not each of you tell me thy wishes?
Tzu-lu said, I should like carriages and horses, and clothes of light fur to share with my friends, and, if they spoiled them, not to get angry.
Yen Yüan said, I should like to make no boast of talent or show or merit.
Tzu-lu said, We should like to hear your wishes, Sir.
The Master said, To give the old folk peace, to be true to friends, and to have a heart for the young.

27. 子曰：「已矣乎！吾未見能見其過，而內自訟者也。」

The Master said, It is finished! I have met no one that can see his own faults and arraign himself within.

28. 子曰：「十室之邑，必有忠信如丘者焉，不如丘之好學也。」

The Master said, In a hamlet of ten houses there must be men that are as faithful and true men as I, but they do not love learning as I do.