Tsze-lu asked about government. The Master said, "Go before the people withyour example, and be laborious in their affairs."He requested further instruction, and was answered, "Be not weary in thesethings."Chung-kung, being chief minister to the head of the Chi family, asked aboutgovernment. The Master said, "Employ first the services of your variousofficers, pardon small faults, and raise to office men of virtue andtalents."Chung-kung said, "How shall I know the men of virtue and talent, so that Imay raise them to office?" He was answered, "Raise to office those whom youknow. As to those whom you do not know, will others neglect them?"Tsze-lu said, "The ruler of Wei has been waiting for you, in order with youto administer the government. What will you consider the first thing to bedone?"The Master replied, "What is necessary is to rectify names.""So! indeed!" said Tsze-lu. "You are wide of the mark! Why must there besuch rectification?"The Master said, "How uncultivated you are, Yu! A superior man, in regardto what he does not know, shows a cautious reserve.
"If names be not correct, language is not in accordance with the truth ofthings. If language be not in accordance with the truth of things, affairscannot be carried on to success.
"When affairs cannot be carried on to success, proprieties and music do notflourish. When proprieties and music do not flourish, punishments will notbe properly awarded. When punishments are not properly awarded, the peopledo not know how to move hand or foot.
"Therefore a superior man considers it necessary that the names he uses maybe spoken appropriately, and also that what he speaks may be carried outappropriately. What the superior man requires is just that in his wordsthere may be nothing incorrect."Fan Ch'ih requested to be taught husbandry. The Master said, "I am not sogood for that as an old husbandman." He requested also to be taughtgardening, and was answered, "I am not so good for that as an oldgardener."Fan Ch'ih having gone out, the Master said, "A small man, indeed, is FanHsu! If a superior man love propriety, the people will not dare not to bereverent. If he love righteousness, the people will not dare not to submitto his example. If he love good faith, the people will not dare not to besincere. Now, when these things obtain, the people from all quarters willcome to him, bearing their children on their backs; what need has he of aknowledge of husbandry?"The Master said, "Though a man may be able to recite the three hundredodes, yet if, when intrusted with a governmental charge, he knows not howto act, or if, when sent to any quarter on a mission, he cannot give hisreplies unassisted, notwithstanding the extent of his learning, of whatpractical use is it?"The Master said, "When a prince's personal conduct is correct, hisgovernment is effective without the issuing of orders. If his personalconduct is not correct, he may issue orders, but they will not befollowed."The Master said, "The governments of Lu and Wei are brothers."The Master said of Ching, a scion of the ducal family of Wei, that he knewthe economy of a family well. When he began to have means, he said, "Ha!
here is a collection-!" When they were a little increased, he said, "Ha!
this is complete!" When he had become rich, he said, "Ha! this isadmirable!"When the Master went to Weil Zan Yu acted as driver of his carriage.
The Master observed, "How numerous are the people!"Yu said, "Since they are thus numerous, what more shall be done for them?""Enrich them, was the reply.
"And when they have been enriched, what more shall be done?" The Mastersaid, "Teach them."The Master said, "If there were any of the princes who would employ me, inthe course of twelve months, I should have done something considerable. Inthree years, the government would be perfected."The Master said, "'If good men were to govern a country in succession for ahundred years, they would be able to transform the violently bad, anddispense with capital punishments.' True indeed is this saying!"The Master said, "If a truly royal ruler were to arise, it would stirrequire a generation, and then virtue would prevail."The Master said, "If a minister make his own conduct correct, whatdifficulty will he have in assisting in government? If he cannot rectifyhimself, what has he to do with rectifying others?"The disciple Zan returning from the court, the Master said to him, "How areyou so late?" He replied, "We had government business." The Master said,"It must have been family affairs. If there had been government business,though I am not now in office, I should have been consulted about it."The Duke Ting asked whether there was a single sentence which could make acountry prosperous. Confucius replied, "Such an effect cannot be expectedfrom one sentence.
"There is a saying, however, which people have -'To be a prince isdifficult; to be a minister is not easy.'
"If a ruler knows this,-the difficulty of being a prince,-may there not beexpected from this one sentence the prosperity of his country?"The duke then said, "Is there a single sentence which can ruin a country?"Confucius replied, "Such an effect as that cannot be expected from onesentence. There is, however, the saying which people have-'I have nopleasure in being a prince, but only in that no one can offer anyopposition to what I say!'
"If a ruler's words be good, is it not also good that no one oppose them?
But if they are not good, and no one opposes them, may there not beexpected from this one sentence the ruin of his country?"The Duke of Sheh asked about government.
The Master said, "Good government obtains when those who are near are madehappy, and those who are far off are attracted."Tsze-hsia! being governor of Chu-fu, asked about government. The Mastersaid, "Do not be desirous to have things done quickly; do not look at smalladvantages. Desire to have things done quickly prevents their being donethoroughly. Looking at small advantages prevents great affairs from beingaccomplished."The Duke of Sheh informed Confucius, saying, "Among us here there are thosewho may be styled upright in their conduct. If their father have stolen asheep, they will bear witness to the fact."Confucius said, "Among us, in our part of the country, those who areupright are different from this. The father conceals the misconduct of theson, and the son conceals the misconduct of the father. Uprightness is tobe found in this."Fan Ch'ih asked about perfect virtue. The Master said, "It is, inretirement, to be sedately grave; in the management of business, to bereverently attentive; in intercourse with others, to be strictly sincere.
Though a man go among rude, uncultivated tribes, these qualities may not beneglected."Tsze-kung asked, saying, "What qualities must a man possess to entitle himto be called an officer? The Master said, "He who in his conduct of himselfmaintains a sense of shame, and when sent to any quarter will not disgracehis prince's commission, deserves to be called an officer."Tsze-kung pursued, "I venture to ask who may be placed in the next lowerrank?" And he was told, "He whom the circle of his relatives pronounce tobe filial, whom his fellow villagers and neighbors pronounce to befraternal."Again the disciple asked, "I venture to ask about the class still next inorder." The Master said, "They are determined to be sincere in what theysay, and to carry out what they do. They are obstinate little men. Yetperhaps they may make the next class."Tsze-kung finally inquired, "Of what sort are those of the present day, whoengage in government?" The Master said "Pooh! they are so many pecks andhampers, not worth being taken into account."The Master said, "Since I cannot get men pursuing the due medium, to whom Imight communicate my instructions, I must find the ardent and thecautiously-decided. The ardent will advance and lay hold of truth; thecautiously-decided will keep themselves from what is wrong."The Master said, "The people of the south have a saying -'A man withoutconstancy cannot be either a wizard or a doctor.' Good!
"Inconstant in his virtue, he will be visited with disgrace."The Master said, "This arises simply from not attending to theprognostication."The Master said, "The superior man is affable, but not adulatory; the meanman is adulatory, but not affable."Tsze-kung asked, saying, "What do you say of a man who is loved by all thepeople of his neighborhood?" The Master replied, "We may not for thataccord our approval of him." "And what do you say of him who is hated byall the people of his neighborhood?" The Master said, "We may not for thatconclude that he is bad. It is better than either of these cases that thegood in the neighborhood love him, and the bad hate him."The Master said, "The superior man is easy to serve and difficult toplease. If you try to please him in any way which is not accordant withright, he will not be pleased. But in his employment of men, he uses themaccording to their capacity. The mean man is difficult to serve, and easyto please. If you try to please him, though it be in a way which is notaccordant with right, he may be pleased. But in his employment of men, hewishes them to be equal to everything."The Master said, "The superior man has a dignified ease without pride. Themean man has pride without a dignified ease."The Master said, "The firm, the enduring, the simple, and the modest arenear to virtue."Tsze-lu asked, saying, "What qualities must a man possess to entitle him tobe called a scholar?" The Master said, "He must be thus,-earnest, urgent,and bland:-among his friends, earnest and urgent; among his brethren,bland."The Master said, "Let a good man teach the people seven years, and they maythen likewise be employed in war."The Master said, "To lead an uninstructed people to war, is to throw themaway."