Confucian Analects Chapter ８
The Master said, "T‘ai-po may be said to have reached the highest point of virtuous action. Thrice he declined the kingdom, and the people in ignorance of his motives could not express their approbation of his conduct."
The Master said, "Respectfulness, without the rules of propriety, becomes laborious bustle; carefulness, without the rules of propriety, becomes timidity; boldness, without the rules of propriety, becomes insubordination; straightforwardness, without the rules of propriety, becomes rudeness.
"When those who are in high stations perform well all their duties to their relations, the people are aroused to virtue. When old friends are not neglected by them, the people are preserved from meanness."
The philosopher Tsang being ill, he cared to him the disciples of his school, and said, "Uncover my feet, uncover my hands. It is said in the Book of Poetry, ‘We should be apprehensive and cautious, as if on the brink of a deep gulf, as if treading on thin ice, I and so have I been. Now and hereafter, I know my escape from all injury to my person. O ye, my little children."
The philosopher Tsang being ill, Meng Chang went to ask how he was. Tsang said to him, "When a bird is about to die, its notes are
mournful; when a man is about to die, his words are good.
"There are three principles of conduct which the man of high rank should consider specially important:-that in his deportment and manner he keep from violence and heedlessness; that in regulating his countenance he keep near to sincerity; and that in his words and tones he keep far from lowness and impropriety. As to such matters as attending to the sacrificial vessels, there are the proper officers for them."
The philosopher Tsang said, "Gifted with ability, and yet putting questions to those who were not so; possessed of much, and yet putting questions to those possessed of little; having, as though he had not; full, and yet counting himself as empty; offended against, and yet entering into no altercation; formerly I had a friend who pursued this style of conduct."
The philosopher Tsang said, "Suppose that there is an individual who can be entrusted with the charge of a young orphan prince, and can be commissioned with authority over a state of a hundred li, and whom no emergency however great can drive from his principles:-is such a man a superior man? He is a superior man indeed."
The philosopher Tsang said, "The officer may not be without breadth of mind and vigorous endurance. His burden is heavy and his course is long.
"Perfect virtue is the burden which he considers it is his to sustain;-is it not heavy? Only with death does his course stop;-is it not long?
The Master said, "It is by the Odes that the mind is aroused. "It is by the Rules of Propriety that the character is established. "It is from Music that the finish is received." The Master said, "The people may be made to follow a path of action,
but they may not be made to understand it."
The Master said, "The man who is fond of daring and is dissatisfied with poverty, will proceed to insubordination. So will the man who is not virtuous, when you carry your dislike of him to an extreme."
The Master said, "Though a man have abilities as admirable as those of the Duke of Chau, yet if he be proud and niggardly, those other things are really not worth being looked at."
The Master said, "It is not easy to find a man who has learned for three years without coming to be good."
The Master said, "With sincere faith he unites the love of learning; holding firm to death, he is perfecting the excellence of his course.
"Such an one will not enter a tottering state, nor dwell in a disorganized one. When right principles of government prevail in the kingdom, he will show himself; when they are prostrated, he will keep concealed.
"When a country is well governed, poverty and a mean condition are things to be ashamed of. When a country is ill governed, riches and honor are things to be ashamed of."
The Master said, "He who is not in any particular office has nothing to do with plans for the administration of its duties."
The Master said, "When the music master Chih first entered on his office, the finish of the Kwan Tsu was magnificent;-how it filled the ears!"
The Master said, "Ardent and yet not upright, stupid and yet not attentive; simple and yet not sincere:-such persons I do not understand."
The Master said, "Learn as if you could not reach your object, and were always fearing also lest you should lose it."
The Master said, "How majestic was the manner in which Shun and Yu held possession of the empire, as if it were nothing to them!
The Master said, "Great indeed was Yao as a sovereign! How majestic was he! It is only Heaven that is grand, and only Yao corresponded to it. How vast was his virtue! The people could find no name for it.
"How majestic was he in the works which he accomplished! How glorious in the elegant regulations which he instituted!"
Shun had five ministers, and the empire was well governed. King Wu said, "I have ten able ministers." Confucius said, "Is not the saying that talents are difficult to
find, true? Only when the dynasties of T‘ang and Yu met, were they more abundant than in this of Chau, yet there was a woman among them. The able ministers were no more than nine men.
"King Wan possessed two of the three parts of the empire, and with those he served the dynasty of Yin. The virtue of the house of Chau may be said to have reached the highest point indeed."
The Master said, "I can find no flaw in the character of Yu. He used himself coarse food and drink, but displayed the utmost filial piety towards the spirits. His ordinary garments were poor, but he displayed the utmost elegance in his sacrificial cap and apron. He lived in a low, mean house, but expended all his strength on the ditches and water channels. I can find nothing like a flaw in Yu."
8·1 子曰：“泰伯，其可谓至德也已矣。三以天下让，民无得而称焉。”
孔子说：“泰伯可以说是品德最高尚的人了，几次把王位让给季历，老百姓都找不到合适的词句来称赞他。”
8·2 子曰：“恭而无礼则劳，慎而无礼则葸，勇而无礼则乱，直而无礼则绞。君子笃于亲，则民兴于仁，故旧不遗，则民不偷。”
孔子说：“只是恭敬而不以礼来指导，就会徒劳无功；只是谨慎而不以礼来指导，就会畏缩拘谨；只是勇猛而不以礼来指导，就会说话尖刻。在上位的人如果厚待自己的亲属，老百姓当中就会兴起仁的风气；君子如果不遗弃老朋友，老百姓就不会对人冷漠无情了。”
8·3 曾子有疾，召门弟子曰：“启予足！启予手！诗云：‘
战战兢兢，如临深渊，
如履薄冰。’而今而后，吾知免夫，小子！”
曾子有病，把他的学生召集到身边来，说道：“看看我的脚！看看我的手（看看有没有损伤）！《诗经》上说：‘小心谨慎呀，好像站在深渊旁边，好像踩在薄冰上面。’从今以后，我知道我的身体是不再会受到损伤了，弟子们！”
8·4 曾子有疾，孟敬子问之。曾子言曰：“鸟之将死，其鸣也哀；人之将死，其言也善。君子所贵乎道者三：动容貌，斯远暴慢矣；正颜色，斯近信矣；出辞气，斯远鄙倍矣。笾豆之事，则有司存。”
曾子有病，孟敬子去看望他。曾子对他说：“鸟快死了，它的叫声是悲哀的；人快死了，他说的话是善意的。君子所应当重视的道有三个方面：使自己的容貌庄重严肃，这样可以避免粗暴、放肆；使自己的脸色一本正经，这样就接近于诚信；使自己说话的言辞和语气谨慎小心，这样就可以避免粗野和背理。至于祭祀和礼节仪式，自有主管这些事务的官吏来负责。”
8·5 曾子曰：“以能问于不能，以多问于寡，有若无，实若虚；犯而为校——昔者吾友尝从事于斯矣。”
曾子说：“自己有才能却向没有才能的人请教，自己知识多却向知识少的人请教，有学问却像没学问一样；知识很充实却好像很空虚；被人侵犯却也不计较——从前我的朋友就这样做过了。”
8·6 曾子说：“可以托六尺之孤，可以寄百里之命，临大节而不可夺也。君子人与？君子人也。”
曾子说：“可以把年幼的君主托付给他，可以把国家的政权托付给他，面临生死存亡的紧急关头而不动摇屈服。这样的人是君子吗？是君子啊！”
8·7 曾子曰：“士不可以不弘毅，任重而道远。仁以为己任，不亦重乎？死而后已，不亦远乎？”
曾子说：“士不可以不弘大刚强而有毅力，因为他责任重大，道路遥远。把实现仁作为自己的责任，难道还不重大吗？奋斗终身，死而后已，难道路程还不遥远吗？”
8·8 子曰：“兴于诗，立于礼，成于乐。”
孔子说：“（人的修养）开始于学《诗》，自立于学礼，完成于学乐。”
8·9 子曰：“民可使由之，不可使知之。”
孔子说：“对于老百姓，只能使他们按照我们的意志去做，不能使他们懂得为什么要这样做。”
8·10 子曰：“好勇疾贫，乱也。人而不仁，疾之已甚，乱也。”
孔子说：“喜好勇敢而又恨自己太穷困，就会犯上作乱。对于不仁德的人或事逼迫得太厉害，也会出乱子。”
8·11 子曰：“如有周公之才之美，使骄且吝，其余不足观也已。”
孔子说：“（一个在上位的君主）即使有周公那样美好的才能，如果骄傲自大而又吝啬小气，那其他方面也就不值得一看了。”
8·12 子曰：“三年学，不至于谷，不易得也。”
孔子说：“学了三年，还做不了官的，是不易找到的。”
8·13 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。”
孔子说：“坚定信念并努力学习，誓死守卫并完善治国与为人的大道。不进入政局不稳的国家，不居住在动乱的国家。天下有道就出来做官；天下无道就隐居不出。国家有道而自己贫贱，是耻辱；国家无道而自己富贵，也是耻辱。”
8·14 子曰：“不在其位，不谋其政。
孔子说：“不在那个职位上，就不考虑那职位上的事。”
8·15 子曰：“师挚之始，《关睢》之乱，洋洋乎盈耳哉！”
孔子说：“从太师挚演奏的序曲开始，到最后演奏《关睢》的结尾，丰富而优美的音乐在我耳边回荡。”
8·16 子曰：“狂而不直，侗而不愿，悾悾而不信，吾不知之矣。”
孔子说：“狂妄而不正直，无知而不谨慎，表面上诚恳而不守信用，我真不知道有的人为什么会是这个样子。”
8·17 子曰：“学如不及，犹恐失之。”
孔子说：“学习知识就像追赶不上那样，又会担心丢掉什么。”
8·18 子曰：“巍巍乎，舜禹之有天下也而不与焉！”
孔子说：“多么崇高啊！舜和禹得到天下，不是夺过来的。”
8·19 子曰：“大哉尧之为君也！巍巍乎，唯天为大，唯尧则之。荡荡乎，民无能名焉。巍巍乎其有成功也，焕乎其有文章！”
孔子说：“真伟大啊！尧这样的君主。多么崇高啊！只有天最高大，只有尧才能效法天的高大。（他的恩德）多么广大啊，百姓们真不知道该用什么语言来表达对它的称赞。他的功绩多么崇高，他制定的礼仪制度多么光辉啊！”
8·20 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。”
舜有五位贤臣，就能治理好天下。周武王也说过：“我有十个帮助我治理国家的臣子。”孔子说：“人才难得，难道不是这样吗？唐尧和虞舜之间及周武王这个时期，人才是最盛了。但十个大臣当中有一个是妇女，实际上只有九个人而已。周文王得了天下的三分之二，仍然事奉殷朝，周朝的德，可以说是最高的了。”
8·21 子曰：“禹，吾无间然矣。菲饮食而致孝乎鬼神，恶衣服而致美乎黻冕；卑宫室而尽力乎沟洫。禹，吾无间然矣。”
孔子说：“对于禹，我没有什么可以挑剔的了；他的饮食很简单而尽力去孝敬鬼神；他平时穿的衣服很简朴，而祭祀时尽量穿得华美，他自己住的宫室很低矮，而致力于修治水利事宜。对于禹，我确实没有什么挑剔的了。”