Book 13: Zilu

Book 13: Zilu

Commentary

Chapter Thirteen

13.1

Zilu asked about governance. The Master said, "Lead them, and set them to work." Zilu asked for more, and the Master said, "Do not grow weary."

13.2

Zhonggong, steward of the Ji clan, asked about governance. The Master said, "Give precedence to your subordinates, pardon minor faults, and promote the worthy." Zhonggong said, "How does one know the worthy in order to promote them?" The Master said, "Promote those you know. As for those you do not know, will others pass them by?"

13.3

Zilu said, "If the lord of Wei were to await you to take charge of his government, what would you put first?" The Master said, "Surely it would be the rectification of names!" Zilu said, "Is that so? How can you be so impractical! What is there to rectify?" The Master said, "How coarse you are, You! A gentleman, when he does not know a thing, should leave it aside. If names are not correct, then speech will not go smoothly; if speech does not go smoothly, then affairs will not succeed; if affairs do not succeed, then rites and music will not flourish; if rites and music do not flourish, then punishments will not be just; if punishments are not just, then the people will not know where to put their hands and feet. Therefore, when a gentleman names a thing, it must be something that can be spoken of properly, and what he says must be something that can be carried out properly. A gentleman, in his speech, permits no carelessness whatsoever."

13.4

Fan Chi asked to learn farming. The Master said, "I am not as good as an old farmer." He asked to learn gardening. The Master said, "I am not as good as an old gardener." When Fan Chi had left, the Master said, "What a petty man, Fan Xu is! If those in high positions love rites, the people will not dare to be disrespectful; if those in high positions love rightness, the people will not dare to be disobedient; if those in high positions love good faith, the people will not dare to be insincere. If this were so, then the people of the four corners of the land would come carrying their infants on their backs. What need is there to learn farming?"

13.5

The Master said, "One who has recited the three hundred poems but, when entrusted with government, is not up to the task, or, when sent on a mission to the four quarters, cannot handle matters on his own—though he may have learned much, of what use is it?"

13.6

The Master said, "If his own conduct is correct, things will go well even if he gives no orders. If his own conduct is not correct, things will not go well even if he gives orders."

13.7

The Master said, "The governments of Lu and of Wei are as brothers."

13.8

The Master said of the Wei prince Jing, "He knew how to manage a household. When he first had something, he said, 'It is just enough'; when he had a little more, he said, 'It is just complete'; when he had plenty, he said, 'It is just beautiful.'"

13.9

The Master went to Wei. Ran You drove his carriage. The Master said, "What a population!" Ran You said, "Since there are so many people, what more should be done?" The Master said, "Enrich them." Ran You said, "And when they are enriched, what more should be done?" The Master said, "Educate them."

13.10

The Master said, "If someone were to employ me, within a year things could be set in order, and within three years there would be results."

13.11

The Master said, "'If good men governed the state for a hundred years, they could indeed overcome cruelty and do away with killing.' How true are these words!"

13.12

The Master said, "If a true king were to arise, it would take a generation before benevolence prevailed."

13.13

The Master said, "If one could but correct oneself, what difficulty would there be in governing? But if one cannot correct oneself, how can one correct others?"

13.14

Ran You returned from court. The Master said, "Why are you so late?" He replied, "There were matters of governance." The Master said, "Those were merely matters of routine. Had there been matters of governance, though I am no longer in office, I would have heard of them."

13.15

Duke Ding asked, "Is there a single saying that can make a state flourish?" Confucius replied, "A saying cannot be expected to have such immediate effect. Yet there is a saying among men: 'It is hard to be a ruler, and not easy to be a minister.' If one knew how hard it to be a ruler, would that not be close to a single saying making a state flourish?" The Duke asked, "Is there a single saying that can ruin a state?" Confucius replied, "A saying cannot be expected to have such immediate effect. Yet there is a saying among men: 'I take no pleasure in being a ruler, except that no one goes against my words.' If those words are good and no one goes against them, that is fine; but if they are not good and no one goes against them, would that not be close to a single saying ruining a state?"

13.16

The Duke of She asked about governance. The Master said, "Let those near at hand be glad, and let those far off come."

13.17

Zixia, magistrate of Jufu, asked about governance. The Master said, "Do not seek quick results, and do not look to small gains. Seek quick results, and you will not succeed; look to small gains, and great tasks will not be accomplished."

13.18

The Duke of She said to Confucius, "Among my people there is one who is upright: his father stole a sheep, and he bore witness against him." Confucius said, "Among my people, the upright are different from this: a father conceals for his son, and a son conceals for his father. Uprightness lies in this."

13.19

Fan Chi asked about benevolence. The Master said, "Be grave in your bearing, be earnest in your work, and be loyal in your dealings with others. Even if you go among the Yi and Di tribes, you must not forsake this."

13.20

Zigong asked, "What must a man be like to be called a 'scholar-official'?" The Master said, "He acts with a sense of shame, and when sent on a mission to the four quarters he does not disgrace his lord's commission—such a man may be called a 'scholar-official'." Zigong said, "May I ask about the next level?" The Master said, "His clan praises him for filial piety, and his community praises him for fraternal deference." Zigong said, "May I ask about the next level?" The Master said, "He keeps his word and follows through on his actions, and though he may be stubborn and narrow, he may perhaps count as the next level." Zigong said, "What about those who govern today?" The Master said, "Alas! They are men of narrow capacity—not worth counting."

13.21

The Master said, "If I cannot find men of the Middle Way to associate with, then I must turn to the impetuous and the cautious. The impetuous press forward; the cautious refrain from certain things."

13.22

The Master said, "The people of the south have a saying: 'A man without constancy cannot be a shaman or a physician.' Well said! 'If one is not constant in virtue, he will on occasion bring disgrace upon himself.'" The Master added, "It simply means he should not perform divination."

13.23

The Master said, "The gentleman harmonizes but does not conform; the petty man conforms but does not harmonize."

13.24

Zigong asked, "What if everyone in the village liked a man?" The Master said, "That is not enough." "What if everyone in the village disliked him?" The Master said, "That is not enough. It is better if the good men of the village like him and the bad men dislike him."

13.25

The Master said, "The gentleman is easy to serve but hard to please. He is not pleased unless you please him by the Way; but when he employs others, he assigns them tasks suited to their abilities. The petty man is hard to serve but easy to please. He is pleased even if you do not please him by the Way; but when he employs others, he demands perfection."

13.26

The Master said, "The gentleman is at ease without being arrogant; the gentleman is arrogant without being at ease."

13.27

The Master said, "Firm, resolute, simple, and slow to speak—these qualities are close to humaneness."

13.28

Zilu asked, "What must one be like to be called a 'shi'?" The Master said, "Urgent in earnestness, harmonious in joy—one may be called a 'shi'. Among friends, urgent in earnestness; among brothers, harmonious in joy."

13.29

The Master said, "If a good man were to train the people for seven years, they could be sent to war."

13.30

The Master said, "To send the people to war without having trained them is to throw them away."