Confucian Analects Chapter ９
The subjects of which the Master seldom spoke were-profitableness, and also the appointments of Heaven, and perfect virtue.
A man of the village of Ta-hsiang said, "Great indeed is the philosopher K‘ung! His learning is extensive, and yet he does not render his name famous by any particular thing."
The Master heard the observation, and said to his disciples, "What shall I practice? Shall I practice charioteering, or shall I practice archery? I will practice charioteering."
The Master said, "The linen cap is that prescribed by the rules of ceremony, but now a silk one is worn. It is economical, and I follow the common practice.
"The rules of ceremony prescribe the bowing below the hall, but now the practice is to bow only after ascending it. That is arrogant. I continue to bow below the hall, though I oppose the common practice."
There were four things from which the Master was entirely free. He had no foregone conclusions, no arbitrary predeterminations, no obstinacy, and no egoism.
The Master was put in fear in K‘wang. He said, "After the death of King Wan, was not the cause of truth
lodged here in me?
"If Heaven had wished to let this cause of truth perish, then I, a future mortal! should not have got such a relation to that cause. While Heaven does not let the cause of truth perish, what can the people of K‘wang do to me?"
A high officer asked Tsze-kung, saying, "May we not say that your Master is a sage? How various is his ability!"
Tsze-kung said, "Certainly Heaven has endowed him unlimitedly. He is about a sage. And, moreover, his ability is various."
The Master heard of the conversation and said, "Does the high officer know me? When I was young, my condition was low, and I acquired my ability in many things, but they were mean matters. Must the superior man have such variety of ability? He does not need variety of ability. Lao said, "The Master said, ‘Having no official employment, I acquired many arts.‘"
The Master said, "Am I indeed possessed of knowledge? I am not knowing. But if a mean person, who appears quite empty-like, ask anything of me, I set it forth from one end to the other, and exhaust it."
The Master said, "The Fang bird does not come; the river sends forth no map:-it is all over with me!"
When the Master saw a person in a mourning dress, or any one with the cap and upper and lower garments of full dress, or a blind person, on observing them approaching, though they were younger than himself, he would rise up, and if he had to pass by them, he would do so hastily.
Yen Yuan, in admiration of the Master‘s doctrines, sighed and said, "I looked up to them, and they seemed to become more high; I tried to penetrate them, and they seemed to become more firm; I looked at them before me, and suddenly they seemed to be behind.
"The Master, by orderly method, skillfully leads men on. He enlarged my mind with learning, and taught me the restraints of propriety.
"When I wish to give over the study of his doctrines, I cannot do so, and having exerted all my ability, there seems something to stand right up before me; but though I wish to follow and lay hold of it, I really find no way to do so."
The Master being very ill, Tsze-lu wished the disciples to act as ministers to him.
During a remission of his illness, he said, "Long has the conduct of Yu been deceitful! By pretending to have ministers when I have them not, whom should I impose upon? Should I impose upon Heaven?
"Moreover, than that I should die in the hands of ministers, is it not better that I should die in the hands of you, my disciples? And though I may not get a great burial, shall I die upon the road?"
Tsze-kung said, "There is a beautiful gem here. Should I lay it up in a case and keep it? or should I seek for a good price and sell it?" The Master said, "Sell it! Sell it! But I would wait for one to offer the price."
The Master was wishing to go and live among the nine wild tribes of the east.
Some one said, "They are rude. How can you do such a thing?" The Master said, "If a superior man dwelt among them, what rudeness would there be?"
The Master said, "I returned from Wei to Lu, and then the music was reformed, and the pieces in the Royal songs and Praise songs all found their proper places."
The Master said, "Abroad, to serve the high ministers and nobles; at home, to serve one‘s father and elder brothers; in all duties to the dead, not to dare not to exert one‘s self; and not to be overcome of wine:-which one of these things do I attain to?"
The Master standing by a stream, said, "It passes on just like this, not ceasing day or night!"
The Master said, "I have not seen one who loves virtue as he loves beauty."
The Master said, "The prosecution of learning may be compared to what may happen in raising a mound. If there want but one basket of earth to complete the work, and I stop, the stopping is my own work. It may be compared to throwing down the earth on the level ground. Though but one basketful is thrown at a time, the advancing with it my own going forward."
The Master said, "Never flagging when I set forth anything to him;-ah! that is Hui." The Master said of Yen Yuan, "Alas! I saw his constant advance. I never saw him stop in his progress."
The Master said, "There are cases in which the blade springs, but the plant does not go on to flower! There are cases where it flowers but fruit is not subsequently produced!"
The Master said, "A youth is to be regarded with respect. How do we know that his future will not be equal to our present? If he reach the age of forty or fifty, and has not made himself heard of, then indeed he will not be worth being regarded with respect."
The Master said, "Can men refuse to assent to the words of strict admonition? But it is reforming the conduct because of them which is valuable. Can men refuse to be pleased with words of gentle advice? But it is unfolding their aim which is valuable. If a man be pleased with these words, but does not unfold their aim, and assents to those, but does not reform his conduct, I can really do nothing with him."
The Master said, "Hold faithfulness and sincerity as first principles. Have no friends not equal to yourself. When you have faults, do not fear to abandon them."
The Master said, "The commander of the forces of a large state may be carried off, but the will of even a common man cannot be taken from him."
The Master said, "Dressed himself in a tattered robe quilted with hemp, yet standing by the side of men dressed in furs, and not ashamed;-ah! it is Yu who is equal to this!
"He dislikes none, he covets nothing;-what can he do but what is good!"
Tsze-lu kept continually repeating these words of the ode, when the Master said, "Those things are by no means sufficient to constitute perfect excellence."
The Master said, "When the year becomes cold, then we know how the pine and the cypress are the last to lose their leaves."
The Master said, "The wise are free from perplexities; the virtuous from anxiety; and the bold from fear."
The Master said, "There are some with whom we may study in common, but we shall find them unable to go along with us to principles. Perhaps we may go on with them to principles, but we shall find them unable to get established in those along with us. Or if we may get so established along with them, we shall find them unable to weigh occurring events along with us."
"How the flowers of the aspen-plum flutter and turn! Do I not think of you? But your house is distant."
The Master said, "It is the want of thought about it. How is it distant?"
9·1 子罕言利与命与仁。
孔子很少谈到利益，却赞成天命和仁德。
9·2 达巷党人曰：“大哉孔子！博学而无所成名。”子闻之，谓门弟子曰：“吾何执？执御乎
？执射乎？吾执御矣。”
达巷党这个地方有人说：“孔子真伟大啊！他学问渊博，因而不能以某一方面的专长来称赞他。
”孔子听说了，对他的学生说：“我要专长于哪个方面呢？驾车呢？还是射箭呢？我还是驾车吧
。”
9·3 子曰：“麻冕，礼也；今也纯，俭，吾从众。拜下，礼也；今拜乎上，泰也。虽违众，吾
从下。”
孔子说：“用麻布制成的礼帽，符合于礼的规定。现在大家都用黑丝绸制作，这样比过去节省了
，我赞成大家的作法。（臣见国君）首先要在堂下跪拜，这也是符合于礼的。现在大家都到堂上
跪拜，这是骄纵的表现。虽然与大家的作法不一样，我还是主张先在堂下拜。”
9·4 子绝四——毋意，毋必，毋固，毋我。
孔子杜绝了四种弊病：没有主观猜疑，没有定要实现的期望，没有固执己见之举，没有自私之心。
9·5 子畏于匡，曰：“文王既没，文不在兹乎？天之将丧斯文也，后死者不得与于斯文也；天
之未丧斯文也，匡人其如予何？”
孔子被匡地的人们所围困时，他说：“周文王死了以后，周代的礼乐文化不都体现在我的身上吗
？上天如果想要消灭这种文化，那我就不可能掌握这种文化了；上天如果不消灭这种文化，那么
匡人又能把我怎么样呢？”
9·6 太宰问于子贡曰：“夫子圣者与？何其多能也？”子贡曰：“固天纵之将圣，又多能也。
”子闻之，曰：“太宰知我乎？吾少也贱，故多能鄙事。君子多乎哉？不多也。”
太宰问子贡说：“孔夫子是位圣人吧？为什么这样多才多艺呢？”子贡说：“这本是上天让他成
为圣人，而且使他多才多艺。”孔子听到后说：“太宰怎么会了解我呢？我因为少年时地位低贱
，所以会许多卑贱的技艺。君子会有这么多的技艺吗？不会多的。”
9·7 牢曰：“子云，‘吾不试，故艺’。”
子牢说：“孔子说过，‘我（年轻时）没有去做官，所以会许多技艺’。”
9·8 子曰：“吾有知乎哉？无知也。有鄙夫问于我，空空如也。我叩其两端而竭焉。”
孔子说：“我有知识吗？其实没有知识。有一个乡下人问我，我对他谈的问题本来一点也不知道
。我只是从问题的两端去问，这样对此问题就可以全部搞清楚了。”
9·9 子曰：“凤鸟不至，
河不出图，吾已矣夫！”
孔子说：“凤鸟不来了，黄河中也不出现八卦图了。我这一生也就完了吧！”
9·10 子见齐衰者，冕衣裳者与瞽者，见之，虽少，必作；过之，必趋。
孔子遇见穿丧服的人，当官的人和盲人时，虽然他们年轻，也一定要站起来，从他们面前经过时
，一定要快步走过。
9·11 颜渊喟然叹曰：“仰之弥高，钻之弥坚，瞻之在前，忽焉在后。夫子循循然善诱人，博我
以文，约我以礼，欲罢不能。即竭吾才，如有所立卓尔。虽欲从之，末由也已。”
颜渊感叹地说：“（对于老师的学问与道德），我抬头仰望，越望越觉得高；我努力钻研，越钻
研越觉得不可穷尽。看着它好像在前面，忽然又像在后面。老师善于一步一步地诱导我，用各种
典籍来丰富我的知识，又用各种礼节来约束我的言行，使我想停止学习都不可能，直到我用尽了
我的全力。好像有一个十分高大的东西立在我前面，虽然我想要追随上去，却没有前进的路径了
。”
9·12 子疾病，子路使门人为臣。病间，曰：“久矣哉，由之行诈也。无臣而为有臣。吾谁欺？
欺天乎？且予与其死于臣之手也，无宁死于二三子之手乎？且予纵不得大葬，予死于道路乎？”
孔子患了重病，子路派了（孔子的）门徒去作孔子的家臣，（负责料理后事，）后来，孔子的病
好了一些，他说：“仲由很久以来就干这种弄虚作假的事情。我明明没有家臣，却偏偏要装作有
家臣，我骗谁呢？我骗上天吧？与其在家臣的侍候下死去，我宁可在你们这些学生的侍候下死去
，这样不是更好吗？而且即使我不能以大夫之礼来安葬，难道就会被丢在路边没人埋吗？”
9·13 子贡曰：“有美玉于斯，韫匵而藏诸？求善贾而沽诸？”子曰：“沽之哉，沽之哉！我待
贾者也。”
子贡说：“这里有一块美玉，是把它收藏在柜子里呢？还是找一个识货的商人卖掉呢？”孔子说
：“卖掉吧，卖掉吧！我正在等着识货的人呢。”
9·14 子欲居九夷。或曰：“陋，如之何？”子曰：“君子居之，何陋之有？”
孔子想要搬到九夷地方去居住。有人说：“那里非常落后闭塞，不开化，怎么能住呢？”孔子说
：“有君子去位，就不闭塞落后了。”
9·15 子曰：“吾自卫反鲁，然后乐正，雅颂各得其所。”
孔子说：“我从卫国返回到鲁国以后，乐才得到整理，雅乐和颂乐各有适当的安排。”
9·16 子曰：“出则事公卿，入则事父兄，丧事不敢不勉，不为酒困，何有于我哉。”
孔子说：“在外事奉公卿，在家孝敬父兄，有丧事不敢不尽力去办，不被酒所困，这些事对我来
说有什么困难呢？”
9·17 子在川上曰：“逝者如斯夫，不舍昼夜。”
孔子在河边说：“消逝的时光就像这河水一样啊，不分昼夜地向前流去。”
9·18 子曰：“吾未见好德如好色者也。”
孔子说：“我没有见过像好色那样好德的人。”
9·19 子曰：“譬如为山，未成一篑，止，吾止也；譬如平地，虽覆一篑，进，吾往也。
孔子说：“譬如用土堆山，只差一筐土就完成了，这时停下来，那是我自己要停下来的；譬如在
平地上堆山，虽然只倒下一筐，这时继续前进，那是我自己要前进的。”
9·20 子曰：“语之而不惰者，其回也与！”
孔子说：“听我说话而能毫不懈怠的，只有颜回一个人吧！”
9·21 子谓颜渊曰：“惜乎！吾见其进也，未见其止也。”
孔子对颜渊说：“可惜呀！我只见他不断前进，从来没有看见他停止过。”
9·22 子曰：“苗而不秀者有矣夫；秀而不实者有矣夫！”
孔子说：“庄稼出了苗而不能吐穗扬花的情况是有的；吐穗扬花而不结果实的情况也有。”
9·23 子曰：“后生可畏，焉知来者之不如今也？四十、五十而无闻焉，斯亦不足畏也已。”
孔子说：“年轻人是值得敬畏的，怎么就知道后一代不如前一代呢？如果到了四五十岁时还默默
无闻，那他就没有什么可以敬畏的了。”
9·24 子曰：“法语之言，能无从乎？改之为贵。巽与之言，能无说乎？绎之为贵。说而不绎，
从而不改，吾末如之何也已矣。”
孔子说：“符合礼法的正言规劝，谁能不听从呢？但（只有按它来）改正自己的错误才是可贵的
。恭顺赞许的话，谁能听了不高兴呢？但只有认真推究它（的真伪是非），才是可贵的。只是高
兴而不去分析，只是表示听从而不改正错误，（对这样的人）我拿他实在是没有办法了。”
9·25 子曰：“主忠信，毋友不如己者，过则勿惮改。”
孔子说：“要以忠信为主，不要同与自己不同道的人交朋友；有了过错，就不要怕改正。”
9·26 子曰：“三军可夺帅也，匹夫不可夺志也。”
孔子说：“一国军队，可以夺去它的主帅；但一个男子汉，他的志向是不能强迫改变的。”
9·27 子曰：“衣敝缊袍，与衣狐貉者立而不耻者，其由也与？‘不忮不求，何用不臧？’”子
路终身诵之。子曰：“是道也，何足以臧？”
孔子说：“穿着破旧的丝棉袍子，与穿着狐貉皮袍的人站在一起而不认为是可耻的，大概只有仲
由吧。（《诗经》上说：）‘不嫉妒，不贪求，为什么说不好呢？’”子路听后，反复背诵这句
诗。孔子又说：“只做到这样，怎么能说够好了呢？”
9·28 子曰：“岁寒，然后知松柏之后彫后也。”
孔子说：“到了寒冷的季节，才知道松柏是最后凋谢的。”
9·29 子曰：“知者不惑，仁者不忧，勇者不惧。”
孔子说：“聪明人不会迷惑，有仁德的人不会忧愁，勇敢的人不会畏惧。”
9·30 子曰：“可与共学，未可与适道；可与适道，未可与立；可与立，未可与权。”
孔子说：“可以一起学习的人，未必都能学到道；能够学到道的人，未必能够坚守道；能够坚守
道的人，未必能够随机应变。”
9·31 “唐棣之华，偏其反而。岂不尔思，室是远而。”子曰：“未之思也，夫何远之有？”
古代有一首诗这样写道：“唐棣的花朵啊，翩翩地摇摆。我岂能不想念你吗？只是由于家住的地
方太远了。”孔子说：“他还是没有真的想念，如果真的想念，有什么遥远呢？”