✉️ Scripture - The Analects

To learn Master said: "To learn and to review what has been learned at proper times is that not a delight? To have friends come from afar is that not a joy? And when others fail to understand you yet you harbor no resentment is that not the mark of a true gentleman?" Youzi said: "In character, one who is filial and respectful is common; but one who dares to offend authority is rare, and one who avoids offending superiors yet delights in causing disorder has never been seen. A gentleman attends to the fundamentals; once the fundamentals are established, the Way is born. Filial piety and fraternal respect are the very root of benevolence!" Master said: "Eloquent words and a pleasing countenance are seldom accompanied by genuine benevolence!" Zengzi said: "Every day I examine myself in three respects: Have I been disloyal in planning for others? Have I been untrustworthy in my dealings with friends? Have I neglected to review and practice what I have been taught?" Master said: "To govern a state of a thousand chariots, one must attend to affairs with reverence and sincerity, economize in expenditure and care for the people, and employ the citizens in due time." Master said: "When disciples are at home, they must be filial; when out, they must show brotherly respect; be cautious and trustworthy, extend love broadly, and be close to benevolence; if there is still strength remaining, then pursue the study of the literary arts." Zixia said: "A virtuous person is esteemed regardless of appearance; in serving one's parents, one must exhaust all one's strength; in serving one's ruler, one must devote oneself fully; and in associating with friends, one should speak with sincerity. Even if one has not formally studied, I would still say that he has learned." Master said: "If a gentleman is not dignified, he will not command respect; if his learning is not firm, his position will not be secure. Uphold loyalty and trustworthiness, and have no friend who is inferior to you; if they err, do not be afraid to correct them." Zengzi said: "By being mindful in one's final moments and honoring those of the distant past, the virtue of the people will become profound." Ziqin asked Zigong: "When the Master comes to a state, does he inquire into its governance by seeking it out, or is it granted to him?" Zigong replied: "The Master attains it through his gentleness, goodness, respectfulness, frugality, and modesty. Is his method of attainment different from that of others?" Master said: "While one's father lives, observe his aspirations; after his father has passed, observe his conduct; if one does not deviate from his father's way for three years, he may be called filial." Youzi said: "In the application of ritual propriety, harmony is paramount. The way of the ancient kings was beautiful because both great and small matters followed it. Where it is not observed, even if one understands harmony and strives for it without the restraint of proper ritual, it cannot be practiced." Youzi said: "Trustworthiness is closely allied to righteousness, making one's words dependable; respectfulness is intimately linked to propriety, keeping disgrace at bay; and by not losing one's kin, one may even lead them." Master said: "A gentleman eats without seeking to be fully sated, lives without seeking comfort; he is diligent in his work and cautious in his speech, aligns himself with the Way, and acts with rectitude. This can indeed be called a love of learning." Zigong said: "Is it acceptable to be poor without fawning, and rich without arrogance?" Master said: "It is acceptable; yet it is even better to be poor and joyful, and rich while upholding propriety." Zigong said: "The Book of Songs says, 'like cutting and like polishing, like carving and like grinding' is this what is meant?" Master said: "Ci, now we may indeed speak of poetry; those who can recount the past are able to foretell the future." Master said: "Do not worry that others do not understand you; worry instead that you do not understand others."

For Government Master said: "To govern by virtue is like the North Star, fixed in its place while all the stars revolve around it." Master said: "The three hundred poems can be summed up in one phrase, namely: 'Let thoughts be free of falsehood.'" Master said: "To guide with political measures and regulate with punishment, the people may avoid misdeeds but lose their sense of shame; to guide with virtue and regulate with ritual propriety, they develop both a sense of shame and self-discipline." Master said: "At fifteen, I set my heart on learning; at thirty, I established myself; at forty, I was free of doubt; at fifty, I understood the mandate of Heaven; at sixty, my hearing became attuned; at seventy, I followed my heart's desires without transgressing the rules." Meng Yizi asked about filial piety, and Master said: "Do not deviate." When Fan Chi drove the carriage, Master confided, "Meng's grandson asked me about filial piety, and I replied, 'Do not deviate.'" Fan Chi then asked, "What does that mean?" Master said: "In life, serve with proper rites; in death, inter with proper rites, and offer sacrifices with proper rites." Meng Wu Bo asked about filial piety. Master said: "The sole concern of parents is the sickness of their children." Zi You asked about filial piety. Master said: "Today's filial piety is merely about providing sustenance. After all, even dogs and horses can be fed; without respect, what distinguishes one from another?" Zi Xia asked about filial piety. Master said: "Expressing proper regard is challenging. When there is work, let the disciple share the toil; when there is food and drink, let the teacher be served can that alone be called filial piety?" Master said: "I converse with Hui all day without dissent, appearing almost simple-minded; yet when I retire to examine my own affairs, they are ample to inspire me, and Hui is by no means simple-minded." Master said: "Observe what one does, consider where one comes from, and scrutinize what one finds comfort in how can any person hide his true nature? How can anyone remain concealed?" Master said: "Reviewing the old and learning the new, that is the mark of a teacher." Master said: "A gentleman is not a mere tool." Zi Gong asked about the nature of a gentleman. Master said: "Let his actions precede his words, and then follow them." Master said: "A gentleman is inclusive without forming cliques, whereas a petty person forms cliques without inclusiveness." Master said: "To learn without reflecting leads to confusion; to reflect without learning leads to peril." Master said: "To attack heterodox views this is the harm that results!" Master said: "You, have I not taught you? To call what is known 'known' and what is not known 'not known' that is true wisdom." Zi Zhang was studying the path to official emoluments. Master said: "Listen widely and suspend judgment when in doubt; speak cautiously on what remains, so that faults are few; observe extensively and act with care on what remains, so that regrets are few. When one speaks with few faults and acts with few regrets, rewards will naturally follow." Duke Ai asked, "What should be done to secure the people's submission?" Confucius replied: "Elevate the upright and set them against the crooked, and the people will submit; elevate the crooked and set them against the upright, and the people will not submit." Ji Kangzi asked, "How can one inspire respect and loyalty among the people?" Master said: "By approaching them with solemnity, they will be respectful; by showing filial piety and kindness, they will be loyal; by promoting the good and instructing those unable to discern it, they will be encouraged." Someone asked Confucius, "Why do you not engage in public office?" He replied: "The scriptures state: 'Filial piety, only filial piety; friendship among brothers, exercised in governance.' That too is a form of governing why then should I seek to govern further?" Master said: "A person without trustworthiness is unfit; just as a large chariot cannot move without a yoke, nor a small cart without an axle." Zi Zhang asked, "Can the affairs of ten generations be foreseen?" Master said: "The Yin, following the Xia rites, made adjustments that are understandable; the Zhou, following the Yin rites, made modifications that are comprehensible; if any were to succeed the Zhou, even over a hundred generations, it can be foreseen." Master said: "To offer sacrifices to a spirit that is not one's own is servile flattery; to see what is righteous and not act on it shows a lack of courage."

Benevolence in one's midst Master said: "Benevolence is beautiful. If one chooses not to abide by benevolence, how can one be wise?" Master said: "The unbenevolent cannot long endure austerity, nor can they persist in indulgence. The benevolent find comfort in benevolence, and the wise profit from it." Master said: "Only the benevolent are capable of both loving and hating people." Master said: "If one is determined in the pursuit of benevolence, no ill will will arise." Master said: "Wealth and honor are what people desire; if not attained by the proper means, they should not be embraced. Poverty and low status are what people abhor; if not acquired rightly, they should not be shunned. How can a gentleman establish his reputation if he forsakes benevolence? A gentleman never departs from benevolence not between meals, not in haste, even in times of adversity." Master said: "I have not seen anyone who loves benevolence yet does not despise the unbenevolent. One who cherishes benevolence needs no further exaltation; and one who detests the unbenevolent, through his benevolence, prevents them from affecting him. Can anyone fail to devote a single day's effort to benevolence? I have not witnessed any insufficiency of strength. Perhaps some exist I have not seen them." Master said: "A man's faults lie with his own associates; by observing errors, one learns the essence of benevolence." Master said: "To learn the Way by morning and to die by evening is sufficient." Master said: "A scholar devoted to the Way, yet ashamed of humble attire and simple fare, is not worth engaging in discourse." Master said: "In his dealings with the world, a gentleman has no fixed aim, no neglect; he aligns himself solely with what is righteous." Master said: "A gentleman holds virtue in his heart, whereas a petty man clings to his possessions; a gentleman respects the law, while a petty man cherishes personal gain." Master said: "When one acts solely for profit, many grievances arise." Master said: "Is it possible to govern a nation through ritual propriety and yielding? How so? If one cannot rule a state with courtesy, then what use is courtesy?" Master said: "One should not fear lacking a position, but rather fear lacking the means to establish oneself; nor worry about being unknown, but strive to be known for one's merits." Master said: "Can you grasp it? My Way is integrated in one consistent principle." Zengzi replied: "Indeed." As the Master departed, the disciples inquired: "What does this mean?" Zengzi explained: "The Master's teaching consists solely of loyalty and empathy." Master said: "A gentleman is well-versed in righteousness; a petty man is driven by profit." Master said: "When you encounter a virtuous person, aspire to be his equal; when you see one lacking virtue, examine yourself internally." Master said: "In serving your parents, if you offer counsel even if it is not heeded continue to honor them without defiance, and labor without resentment." Master said: "While your parents are living, do not travel far; if you must journey, let it be purposeful." Master said: "You must know the age of your parents; in their longevity there is joy, and in their decline, apprehension." Master said: "In ancient times, words were not uttered unless one could live up to them; it was a matter of shame to fall short." Master said: "Few fail when governed by self-discipline." Master said: "A gentleman wishes to be slow in speech but quick in action." Master said: "Virtue is not solitary; it is always accompanied by others." Zi You said: "To serve one's ruler too frequently invites humiliation; to associate with friends too often results in estrangement."

To recount Master said: "I recount without composing, am sincere and fond of antiquity, secretly comparing myself to my old Peng." Master said: "By remaining silent I grasp things; I study without weariness and instruct without fatigue what can I claim as mine?" Master said: "When virtue is not cultivated, learning not expounded, and one fails to shift even when hearing what is righteous while unwholesomeness goes uncorrected, that is my concern." The Master's leisurely dwelling is both unhurried and graceful. Master said: "How greatly I have declined! Long have I ceased to dream of Duke Zhou." Master said: "Set your aspiration on the Way, rely on virtue, lean upon benevolence, and wander in the arts." Master said: "Since you first bound your sash in self-cultivation, I have never failed to instruct you." Master said: "Without ardor there is no enlightenment, without perplexity no exposition; if one cannot infer three aspects from one illustration, I shall not proceed further." The Master, dining beside one in mourning, was never sated. That day he wept and, accordingly, did not sing. Master said to Yan Yuan: "When employed it moves, when dismissed it retreats this is a matter solely between you and me!" Zi Lu said: "If you command three armies, with whom shall you march?" Master replied: "I do not follow those who, like charging tigers or fording rivers, face death without regret; one must approach affairs with caution and accomplish them through careful planning." Master said: "If wealth can be sought after, even a man who wields only a whip, I would serve him; if it cannot be attained, then follow that which I cherish." The Master's cautions are: order, warfare, and illness. While in Qi, upon hearing Shao melody, for three months he knew not the taste of meat, saying: "I do not intend for pleasure to reach such extremes." Ran You said: "Does the Master serve as lord of Wei?" Zi Gong said: "Indeed, I shall ask him." Entering, he asked: "Who were Bo Yi and Shu Qi?" The reply came: "They were the sages of old." He inquired further: "Is there any grievance?" The answer: "If one seeks benevolence and attains it, what grievance is there?" Exiting, he remarked: "The Master does not act thus." Master said: "To eat simple fare, drink water, and use one's bent arm as a pillow joy lies therein. To be wealthy and honored without righteousness is to me like drifting clouds." Master said: "If granted a few more years, learning until fifty might enable one to avoid major faults." The Master's refined discourse in poetry, in the classics, and in the practice of ritual is all refined speech indeed. Lord Ye inquired of Confucius about Zi Lu, yet Zi Lu remained silent. Master said: "Why do you not say that his character is such that, driven by passion, he forgets to eat, and in his joy forgets his sorrows, not realizing that old age is approaching?" Master said: "I was not born knowing all; I cherish antiquity and am eager to pursue it." The Master does not speak of the strange, the forceful, the disorderly, or the supernatural. Master said: "When three walk together, there is always a teacher among them. Choose to follow the virtuous, and correct what is unvirtuous." Master said: "Heaven has bestowed virtue upon me how might I compare to Huan Tui?" Master said: "Do you two or three think I conceal myself? I hide nothing from you! There is no act of mine that I do not share with you all that is I, Qiu." The Master taught through four principles: culture, conduct, loyalty, trustworthiness. Master said: "A sage, I have not had the fortune to see; yet to behold a gentleman is sufficient. A virtuous man, I have not seen; but to encounter one of steadfast character is ample. That which is lost becomes present, the void becomes full, the modest becomes ample how difficult is constancy!" The Master fished without confining his catch, and hunted without shooting those at their roosts. Master said: "Surely there are those who act without understanding but I am none of them. Be well-informed, select the good to follow; observe much and discern, and knowledge will follow." In his native village it was hard to converse, and when a child beheld him, his disciples were perplexed. Master said: "Rather than advancing, I do not retreat why so? A man may cleanse himself to progress, yet if cleansed, he may not secure his path." Master said: "Is benevolence so remote? If I desire benevolence, then benevolence comes." Chen Sibai asked: "Does Duke Zhao understand propriety?" Confucius replied: "He understands propriety." After Confucius withdrew, he greeted Wu Maqi as he approached, saying: "I have heard that a gentleman does not form cliques; do gentlemen form cliques? When you draw from Wu, being of the same surname, you call him Wu Mengzi. Yet if one understands propriety, who does not?" Wu Maqi reported this, and Master said: "Fortunate am I; if faults exist, people will surely know them." When Master sang with others and did so well, he made them repeat it, and only then did he harmonize with them. Master said: "In matters of culture, none compare with me; yet in practicing as a gentleman, I have yet to succeed." Master said: "If I were to be a sage of benevolence, how could I dare? But if I tire not of it and instruct without weariness, then one might say that is sufficient." Duke Xi Hua remarked: "It is precisely because the disciples cannot learn." When Master was ill, Zi Lu offered to pray. Master asked: "Is there?" Zi Lu replied: "There is." The elegy states: "Pray to the deities above and below." Master said: "I have been praying for a long time." Master said: "If one is extravagant, one is not submissive; if frugal, one is steadfast. Rather than being unyielding, it is better to be steadfast." Master said: "The gentleman is open and unreserved, while the petty man is ever troubled." Master, warm yet strict, imposing without ferocity, respectful and at ease.

Yan Yuan Yan Yuan asked about benevolence. The Master said: "Restrain oneself and return to ritual this is benevolence. Achieve this for a day, and all under heaven turns benevolent. Benevolence springs from self, not others." Yan Yuan asked for details. The Master said: "See not what violates ritual; hear not such words; speak not such speech; act not such deeds." Yan Yuan said: "Though unwise, I pledge to follow this teaching." Zhong Gong asked about benevolence. The Master said: "Abroad, act as receiving honored guests; govern people as conducting sacred rites. What you dislike, impose not on others. Harbor no resentment in state or home." Zhong Gong said: "Though unwise, I pledge to follow this teaching." Sima Niu asked about benevolence. The Master said: "The benevolent speak with caution." "Does cautious speech suffice for benevolence?" "If action is hard, should speech lack caution?" Sima Niu asked about noble character. The Master said: "The noble feel no worry or fear." "No worry or fear is that nobility?" "If introspection finds no fault, what remains to fear?" Sima Niu lamented: "All have brothers except me." Zixia said: "I've heard: Life-death follows fate; wealth-honor rests with heaven. The noble act diligently and courteously thus all under heaven become brothers. Why grieve over lacking kin?" Zizhang asked about discernment. The Master said: "Resist creeping slander and superficial grievances this is discernment. Resist these, and you attain foresight." Zigong asked governance. The Master said: "Sufficient food, arms, and public trust." "If forced to discard one?" "Discard arms." "If another?" "Discard food. Death awaits all, but without trust, society collapses." Ji Zicheng said: "Nobles need substance, not refinement." Zigong countered: "Alas! Your words outrace horses. Substance and refinement intertwine. A tiger's pelt stripped of stripes is no different from a dog's hide." Duke Ai asked You Ruo: "Famine drains our coffers what to do?" You Ruo replied: "Tax one-tenth." "Two-tenths suffice not how one-tenth?" "When people prosper, who lacks? When they starve, who thrives?" Zizhang asked about virtue and clarity. The Master said: "Anchor loyalty and pursue righteousness that elevates virtue. To love life yet crave death for the same person this is confusion. True worth lies not in wealth but in moral distinction." Duke Jing of Qi asked about governance. Confucius answered: "Let rulers rule, ministers minister, fathers father, sons son." The Duke said: "Exactly! If roles crumble, could grain feed me?" The Master said: "To judge cases with half-truths only Zhong You excels. Zilu never delayed promises." The Master said: "In hearing lawsuits, I equal others. Better to render lawsuits unnecessary." Zizhang asked governance. The Master said: "Serve tirelessly; govern with loyalty." The Master said: "Broad learning tempered by ritual prevents rebellion." The Master said: "Nobles nurture virtue in others, not vice. Petty men invert this." Ji Kangzi asked governance. Confucius replied: "To govern (zheng) is to rectify (zheng). Lead with rectitude who dares stray?" Ji Kangzi fretted over thieves. Confucius said: "If you curb desires, none would steal even for reward." Ji Kangzi asked: "Kill wrongdoers to uphold justice?" Confucius replied: "Why kill? Pursue goodness, and people follow. Rulers' virtue is wind; commoners' virtue is grass grass bends where wind blows." Zizhang asked: "What defines an accomplished scholar?" The Master said: "What mean you by 'accomplished'?" Zizhang said: "Famed in state and clan." The Master said: "That's fame, not accomplishment. The accomplished are upright, just, perceptive, and humble thus thriving everywhere. The famed feign virtue while breaching it, yet dwell in self-assurance." Fan Chi, strolling below Rain Altar, asked: "How to cultivate virtue, eliminate faults, and dispel confusion?" The Master said: "Excellent! Prioritize deeds over gains this cultivates virtue. Confess your own faults, not others' this eliminates errors. Rash anger harming oneself and kin is this not confusion?" Fan Chi asked about benevolence. The Master said: "Love others." Asked wisdom: "Know others." Unconvinced, Fan Chi heard: "Elevate the upright over crooked thus straightening the crooked." Later, Zixia explained: "When Shun chose Gaoyao, the unvirtuous fled. When Tang chose Yi Yin, likewise." Zigong asked friendship. The Master said: "Advise faithfully, guide gently. If rejected, desist avoid disgrace." Zengzi said: "Nobles bond through culture; friends nurture benevolence."