Readings in Classical Chinese Philosophy Part 3

The Master replied, "Know others."

Fan Chi still did not understand, so the Master elaborated: "Raise up the straight and apply them to the crooked, and the crooked will be made straight."

Fan Chi retired from the Master's presence. Seeing Zixia, he said, "Just before I asked the Master about wisdom, and he replied, 'Raise up the straight and apply them to the crooked, and the crooked will be made straight.' What did he mean by that?"

Zixia answered, "What a wealth of instruction you have received! When Shun ruled the world, he selected from amongst the mult.i.tude, raising up Gao Yao, and those who were not Good then kept their distance. When Tang ruled the world, he selected from amongst the mult.i.tude, raising up Yi Yin, and those who were not Good then kept their distance."

12.24 Master Zeng said, "The gentleman acquires friends by means of cultural refinement, and then relies upon his friends for support in becoming Good."

Book Thirteen.

13.3 Zilu asked, "If the Duke of Wei112 were to employ you to serve in the government of his state, what would be your first priority?"

The Master answered, "It would, of course, be the rectification of names."113 Zilu said, "Could you, Master, really be so far off the mark? Why worry about rectifying names?"

The Master replied, "How boorish you are, Zilu! When it comes to matters that he does not understand, the gentleman should remain silent. If names are not rectified, speech will not accord [with reality]; when speech does not accord [with reality], things will not be successfully accomplished. When things are not successfully accomplished, ritual practice and music will fail to flourish; when ritual and music fail to flourish, punishments and penalties will miss the mark. And when punishments and penalties miss the mark, the common people will be at a loss as to what to do with themselves. This is why the gentleman only applies names that can be properly spoken, and a.s.sures that what he says can be properly put into action. The gentleman simply guards against arbitrariness in his speech. That is all there is to it."

13.4 Fan Chi asked to learn about plowing and growing grain [from Kongzi].

The Master said, "When it comes to that, any old farmer would be a better teacher than I."

He asked to learn about growing fruits and vegetables.

The Master said, "When it comes to that, any old gardener would be a better teacher than I."

Fan Chi then left. The Master remarked, "What a common fellow that Fan Chi is! When a ruler loves ritual propriety, then none among his people will dare to be disrespectful. When a ruler loves rightness, then none among his people will dare to not obey. When a ruler loves trustworthiness, then none of his people will dare to not be honest. The mere existence of such a ruler would cause the common people throughout the world to bundle their children on their backs and seek him out. Of what use, then, is the study of agriculture?"

13.5 The Master said, "Imagine a person who can recite the three hundred Odes by heart but, when delegated a governmental task, is unable to carry it out, or when sent abroad as an envoy, is unable to engage in repartee. No matter how many Odes he might have memorized, what good are they to him?"114 13.6 The Master said, "When the ruler is correct, his will is put into effect without the need for official orders. When the ruler's person is not correct, he will not be obeyed no matter how many orders he issues."

13.12 The Master said, "If a true king were to arise, we would certainly see a return to Goodness after a single generation."115 13.16 The Duke of She asked about governing.

The Master said, "[Act so that] those near to you are pleased, and those who are far from you are drawn closer."

13.18 The Duke of She said to Kongzi, "Among my people there is one we call 'Upright Gong.' When his father stole a sheep, he reported him to the authorities."

Kongzi replied, "Among my people, those who we consider 'upright' are different from this: fathers cover up for their sons, and sons cover up for their fathers. 'Uprightness' is to be found in this."116 13.20 Zigong asked, "What does a person have to be like before he could be called a true scholar-official?"

The Master said, "Conducting himself with a sense of shame, and not dishonoring his ruler's mandate when sent abroad as a diplomat-such a person could be called a scholar-official."

"May I ask what the next best type of person is like?"

"His lineage and clan consider him filial, and his fellow villagers consider him respectful to his elders."

"And the next best?"

"In his speech he insists on being trustworthy, and with regard to his actions, he insists that they bear fruit. What a narrow, rigid little man he is! And yet he might still be considered the next best."

"How about those who today are involved in government?"

The Master exclaimed, "Oh! Those petty functionaries are not even worth considering."

13.21 The Master said, "If you cannot manage to find a person of perfectly balanced conduct to a.s.sociate with, I suppose you must settle for the wild or the fastidious. In their pursuit of the Way, the wild plunge right in, while the fastidious are always careful not to get their hands dirty."117 13.24 Zigong asked, "What would you make of a person whom everyone in the village likes?"

The Master said, "I would not know what to make of him."

"What about someone whom everyone in the village hates?"

"I would still not know. Better this way: those in the village who are good like him, and those who are not good hate him."

Book Fourteen.

14.1 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 compet.i.tiveness, 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."

14.4 The Master said, "Those who possess Virtue will inevitably have something to say, whereas those who have something to say do not necessarily possess Virtue. Those who are Good will necessarily display courage, but those who display courage are not necessarily Good.

14.5 Nangong Kuo118 said to Kongzi, "Yi was a skillful archer, and Ao was a powerful naval commander, and yet neither of them met a natural death. Yu and Hou Ji, on the other hand, did nothing but personally tend to the land, and yet they both ended up with possession of the world."119 The Master did not answer.

After Nangong Kuo left, the Master sighed, "What a gentlemanly person that man is! How he reveres Virtue!"120 14.12 Zilu asked about the complete person.

The Master said, "Take a person as wise as Zang Wuzhong, as free of desire as Gongchuo, as courageous as Zhuangzi of Bian, and as accomplished in the arts as Ran Qiu, and then acculturate them by means of ritual and music-such a man might be called a complete person."121 He then continued: "But must a complete person today be exactly like this? When seeing a chance for profit he thinks of what is right; when confronting danger he is ready to take his life into his own hands; when enduring an extended period of hards.h.i.+p, he does not forget what he had professed in more fortunate times-such a man might also be called a complete person."

14.13 The Master asked Gongming Jia about Gongshu Wenzi, saying, "Is it really true that your Master did not speak, did not laugh, and did not take?"122 Gongming Jia answered, "Whoever told you that was exaggerating. My master only spoke when the time was right, and so people never grew impatient listening to him. He only laughed when he was genuinely full of joy, and so people never tired of hearing him laugh. He only took what was rightfully his, and so people never resented his taking of things."

The Master said, "Was he really that good? Could he really have been that good?"

14.24 The Master said, "In ancient times scholars learned for their own sake; these days they learn for the sake of others."

14.25 Qu Boyu123 sent a messenger to Kongzi. Kongzi sat down beside him and asked, "How are things with your Master?"

The messenger replied, "My Master wishes to reduce his faults, but has not yet been able to do so."

After the messenger left, the Master said, "Now that is a messenger! That is a messenger!"124 14.27 The Master said, "The gentleman is ashamed to have his words exceed his actions."

14.29 Zigong was given to criticizing others.

The Master remarked sarcastically, "What a worthy man that Zigong must be! As for me, I hardly have the time for this."125 14.30 The Master said, "Do not worry that you are not recognized by others; worry rather that you yourself lack ability."

14.34 Someone asked, "What do you think of the saying, 'Requite injury with kindness'?"126 The Master replied, "With what, then, would one requite kindness? Requite injury with uprightness, and kindness with kindness."

14.35 The Master sighed, "No one understands me-do they?"

Zigong replied, "How can you say that no one understands you, Master?"

"I am not bitter toward Heaven, nor do I blame others. I study what is below in order to comprehend what is above. If there is anyone who could understand me, perhaps it is Heaven."

14.36 Gongbo Liao submitted an accusation against Zilu to the head of the Ji Family. Zifu Jingbo reported this to Kongzi, 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."127 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!"

14.38 Zilu spent the night at Stone Gate. The next morning, the gatekeeper asked him, "Where have you come from?"

Zilu answered, "From the house of Kongzi."

"Isn't he the one who knows that what he does is impossible and yet persists anyway?"128 14.39 The Master was playing the stone chimes in the state of Wei.

A man with a wicker basket strapped to his back pa.s.sed by the door of the Kong Family residence and remarked, "Whoever is playing the chimes like that certainly has something on his mind!" After listening for a moment, he added, "How despicable is this petty stubbornness! If no one understands you, just tend to yourself.

'If the river ford is deep, use the stepping-stones; If it is shallow, simply raise your hem.'"129 The Master [hearing these comments] responded, "Such resoluteness! Who could take issue with that!"130 Book Fifteen.

15.1 Duke Ling of Wei asked Kongzi about military formations.

Kongzi replied, "I know something about the arrangement of ceremonial stands and dishes for ritual offerings, but I have never learned about the arrangement of battalions and divisions."

He left the next day.

15.2 [When Kongzi was besieged] in the state of Chen, all of the provisions were exhausted, and his followers were so weak from hunger that they could not even stand. Upset, Zilu appeared before the Master and said, "Does even the gentleman encounter hards.h.i.+p?"

The Master said, "Of course the gentleman encounters hards.h.i.+p. The difference is that the petty man, encountering hards.h.i.+p, is overwhelmed by it."

15.3 The Master said, "Zigong, do you regard me as simply one who learns much and remembers it?"

Zigong said, "I do. Is that not the case?"

The Master said, "It is not. I string it together on a single thread."131 15.5 The Master said, "Is Shun not an example of someone who ruled by means of nonaction? What did he do? He made himself reverent and took his proper [ritual] position facing south, that is all."132 15.9 The Master said, "No scholar-official of n.o.ble intention or Good person would ever pursue life at the expense of Goodness, and in fact some may be called upon to give up their lives in order to fulfill Goodness."

15.11 Yan Hui asked about running a state.

The Master said, "Follow the calendar of the Xia, travel in the carriages of the Shang, and clothe yourself in the ceremonial caps of the Zhou.133 As for music, listen only to the Shao and Wu.134 Prohibit the tunes of Zheng, and keep glib people at a distance-for the tunes of Zheng are licentious, and glib people are dangerous."

15.16 The Master said, "I have never been able to do anything for a person who is not himself constantly asking, 'What should I do? What should I do?'"

15.18 The Master said, "The gentleman takes rightness as his substance, puts it into practice by means of ritual, gives it expression through modesty, and perfects it by being trustworthy. Now that is a gentleman!"

15.21 The Master said, "The gentleman seeks it in himself; the petty person seeks it in others."

15.24 Zigong asked, "Is there one teaching that can serve as a guide for one's entire life?"

The Master answered, "Is it not 'sympathetic understanding' (shu )? Do not impose upon others what you yourself do not desire."

15.28 The Master said, "When the mult.i.tude hates a person, you must examine them and judge for yourself. The same holds true for someone whom the mult.i.tude love."135 15.29 The Master said, "Human beings can broaden the Way-it is not the Way that broadens human beings."136 15.30 The Master said, "To make a mistake and yet to not change your ways-this is what is called truly making a mistake."

15.31 The Master said, "I once engaged in thought for an entire day without eating and an entire night without sleeping, but it did no good. It would have been better for me to have spent that time in learning."137 15.36 The Master said, "When it comes to being Good, defer to no one, not even your teacher."

15.37 The Master said, "The gentleman is true, but not rigidly trustworthy"138 15.39 he Master said, In education, there are no differences in kind."139 15.41 The Master said, "Words should convey their point, and leave it at that."

15.42 The [blind] Music Master Mian came to see Kongzi.

When they came to the steps, the Master said, "Here are the steps." When they reached his seat, the Master said, "Here is your seat." After everyone was seated, the Master informed him as to who was present, saying, "So-and-so is seated here, and So-and-so is seated over there."

When the Music Master left, Zizhang asked, "Is this the way to converse with a Music Master?"

The Master replied, "Yes, this is indeed the way to a.s.sist a Music Master."140 Book Sixteen.

16.4 Kongzi said, "Beneficial types of friends.h.i.+p number three, as do harmful types of friends.h.i.+p. Befriending the upright, those who are true to their word, or those of broad learning-these are the beneficial types of friends.h.i.+p.141 Befriending clever flatterers, skillful dissemblers, or the smoothly glib-these are the harmful types of friends.h.i.+p."

16.5 Kongzi said, "Beneficial types of joy number three, as do harmful types of joy. Taking joy in regulating yourself through the rites and music, in commending the excellence of others, or in possessing many worthy friends-these are the beneficial types of joy. Taking joy in arrogant behavior, idle amus.e.m.e.nts, or decadent licentiousness-these are the harmful types of joys."

16.7 Kongzi said, "The gentleman guards against three things: when he is young, and his blood and qi are still unstable, he guards against the temptation of female beauty; when he reaches his prime, and his blood and qi have become unyielding, he guards against being contentious; when he reaches old age, and his blood and qi have begun to decline, he guards against being acquisitive."142 16.8 The Master said, "The gentleman stands in awe of three things: the Mandate of Heaven, great men, and the teachings of the sages. The petty person does not understand the Mandate of Heaven, and thus does not regard it with awe; he shows disrespect to great men, and ridicules the teachings of the sages."

16.9 Kongzi said, "Those who are born understanding it are the best; those who come to understand it through learning are second. Those who find it difficult to understand and yet persist in their studies come next. People who find it difficult to understand but do not even try to learn are the worst of all."

16.13 Ziqin asked Boyu, "Have you acquired any esoteric learning?"143 Boyu replied, "I have not. My father was once standing by himself in the courtyard and, as I hurried by with quickened steps, he asked, 'Have you learned the Odes?'144 I replied, 'Not yet.' He said, 'If you do not learn the Odes, you will lack the means to speak.' I then retired and learned the Odes.

"On another day, my father was once again standing by himself in the courtyard and, as I hurried by with quickened steps, he asked, 'Have you learned ritual?'145 I replied, 'Not yet.' He said, 'If you do not learn ritual, you will lack the means to take your place.' I then retired and learned ritual.

"These two things are what I have been taught."

Ziqin retired and, smiling to himself, remarked "I asked one question and got three answers: I learned about the Odes, I learned about ritual, and I learned how the gentleman keeps his son at a distance."

Book Seventeen.

17.2 The Master said, "By nature people are similar; they diverge as the result of practice."

17.8 The Master said, "Zilu! Have you heard about the six [virtuous] words and their six corresponding vices?"146 Zilu replied, "I have not."

"Sit! I will tell you about them.

"Loving Goodness without balancing it with a love for learning will result in the vice of foolishness. Loving wisdom without balancing it with a love for learning will result in the vice of deviance. Loving trustworthiness without balancing it with a love for learning will result in the vice of harmful rigidity. Loving uprightness without balancing it with a love for learning will result in the vice of intolerance. Loving courage without balancing it with a love for learning will result in the vice of unruliness. Loving resoluteness without balancing it with a love for learning will result in the vice of willfulness."

17.9 The Master said, "Little Ones, why do none of you learn the Odes? The Odes can be a source of inspiration and a basis for evaluation; they can help you to come together with others, as well as to properly express complaints. In the home, they teach you about how to serve your father, and in public life they teach you about how to serve your lord. They also broadly acquaint you with the names of various birds, beasts, plants, and trees."

17.10 The Master said to Boyu, "Have you mastered the Odes from the 'South of Zhou' and the 'South of Shao'?147 A man who has not mastered the 'South of Zhou' and the 'South of Shao' is like someone standing with his face to the wall, is he not?"

17.11 The Master said, "When we say, 'the rites, the rites,' are we speaking merely of jade and silk? When we say, 'music, music,' are we speaking merely of bells and drums?"148 17.13 The Master said, "The village worthy is the thief of virtue."149 17.18 The Master said, "I hate that purple has usurped the place of vermillion, that the tunes of Zheng have been confused with cla.s.sical music, and that the clever of tongue have undermined both state and family."150 17.19 The Master sighed, "Would that I did not have to speak!"

Zigong said, "If the Master did not speak, then how would we little ones receive guidance from you?"

The Master replied, "What does Heaven ever say? Yet the four seasons are put in motion by it, and the myriad creatures receive their life from it. What does Heaven ever say?"

17.21 Zai Wo asked about the three-year mourning period, saying, "Surely one year is long enough. If the gentleman refrains from practicing ritual for three years, the rites will surely fall into ruin; if he refrains from music for three years, this will surely be disastrous for music. After the lapse of a year the old grain has been used up, while the new grain has ripened, and the four different types of tinder have all been drilled in order to rekindle the fire.151 One year is surely long enough."

The Master asked, "Would you feel comfortable then eating your sweet rice and wearing your brocade gowns?"152 "I would."

The Master replied, "Well, if you would feel comfortable doing so, then by all means you should do it. When the gentleman is in mourning, he gets no pleasure from eating sweet foods, finds no joy in listening to music, and feels no comfort in his place of dwelling. This is why he gives up these things. But if you would feel comfortable doing them, then by all means you should!"