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XIII.1. Zilu asked Confucius how to govern the people. The Master replied:— Let the ruler set an example of all virtues himself, and assist the people in their work. Zilu asked the Master to say more. Confucius replied:— Let the ruler strive unremittingly to do the two things I have just mentioned.
仲弓为季氏宰，问政。子曰：“先有司，赦小过，举贤才。”曰：“焉知贤才而举之？”曰：“举尔所知，尔所不知，人其舍诸？”
XIII.2. Zhonggong was the chief steward of the head of the Ji family. He asked Confucius about administration. The Master said:— Put officials in charge, that is, do not do everything yourself, but use the officials who are under your orders; pardon minor offenses; appoint wise and capable men. Zhonggong said:— How will I know the wise and capable men to entrust with positions? Confucius replied:— Appoint those you know. As for those you do not know, won’t others bring them to your attention?
子路曰：“卫君待子而为政，子将奚先？”子曰：“必也正名乎。”子路曰：“有是哉，子之迂也。奚其正？”子曰：“野哉由也。君子于其所不知，盖阙如也。名不正则言不顺，言不顺则事不成，事不成则礼乐不兴，礼乐不兴则刑罚不中，刑罚不中则民无所措手足。故君子名之必可言也，言之必可行也。君子于其言，无所苟而已矣。”
XIII.3. Zilu said:— If the prince of Wei awaits you to regulate public affairs, what would you attend to first?— To rectify names, replied the Master. Zilu said:— Is this reasonable? Master, you are straying from the point. What is this reform of names for? The Master replied:— What a coarse fellow You is! A wise man does not say or do what he does not know. “If names are not appropriate to things, language will be in confusion. If language is in confusion, things will not be done. If things are not done, rites and music will not flourish. If rites and music do not flourish, punishments will not be just. If punishments are not just, the people will not know where to put hand or foot. A wise ruler gives things their proper names, and each thing is treated according to the meaning of the name he gives it. In choosing names he is very careful.”
Notes:
XIII.3. Kui Gui, heir presumptive of Ling, prince of Wei, ashamed of his mother Nanzi’s unrestrained and licentious conduct, wanted to kill her. Failing, he fled. Prince Ling wanted to appoint Ying as his heir. Ying refused. At Prince Ling’s death, his wife Nanzi appointed Ying as heir of the principality. Ying refused again. She gave the principality to Zhe, son of Kui Gui, to oppose son to father. Thus, Kui Gui, in trying to kill his mother, incurred his father’s displeasure; and Zhe, in taking princely authority, opposed his father Kui Gui. Both were like men without a father. Clearly, they were unworthy to rule. If Confucius had been in charge of the government, he would have begun by rectifying names (only he who fulfilled the duties would be called father or son). He would have informed the emperor of the origin and all details of the affair; he would have asked him to order all lords of the land to recognize Ying as heir to the principality. Then, the law governing father-son relations would be restored. Names would regain their true meaning, natural law would be observed, language would be unambiguous, and things would be done properly.
樊迟请学稼，子曰：“吾不如老农。”请学为圃，曰：“吾不如老圃。”樊迟出，子曰：“小人哉，樊须也。上好礼，则民莫敢不敬；上好义，则民莫敢不服；上好信，则民莫敢不用情。夫如是，则四方之民，襁负其子而至矣。焉用稼？”
XIII.4. Fan Chi asked Confucius to teach him agriculture. The Master replied:— An old farmer would teach you better than I. Fan Chi asked him to teach him the art of cultivating gardens. Confucius replied:— An old gardener would teach you better than I. As Fan Chi retired, the Master said:— How narrow-minded Fan Xu is! If the prince loves propriety, no subject will dare to neglect it. If the prince loves justice, no subject will dare to disobey. If the prince loves sincerity, no subject will dare to act in bad faith. If things are thus, the people of all regions will come with their little children on their backs. Why should he learn agriculture?
子曰：“诵诗三百，授之以政，不达，使于四方，不能专对，虽多，亦奚以为？”
XIII.5. The Master said:— Suppose a man has learned the three hundred odes of the Book of Poetry; if, being charged with a part of the government, he is unskilled; if, being sent to a foreign country, he is unable to answer questions, what is the use of his literature?
子曰：“其身正，不令而行；其身不正，虽令不从。”
XIII.6. The Master said:— If the prince himself is virtuous, the people will fulfill their duties without being commanded; if the prince is not virtuous, though he issue orders, the people will not obey them.
子曰：“鲁卫之政，兄弟也。”
XIII.7. The Master said:— The governments of Lu and Wei are like brothers.
Notes:
XIII.7. The principality of Lu was governed by the descendants of Zhougong, and that of Wei by the descendants of Kangshu. The two dynasties therefore descended from two brothers. In Confucius’ time, they were both in decline, and both countries were equally troubled.
子谓卫公子荆：“善居室，始有，曰苟合矣；少有，曰苟完矣；富有，曰苟美矣。”
XIII.8. The Master said that Gongzi Jing, steward of the principality of Wei, was always satisfied with the state of his house; that when he first had some possessions, he said:— I have a little, that when he had sufficient means, he said:— I am nearly at the height of opulence, that when he became rich, he said:— I am nearly in splendor.
子适卫，冉有仆，子曰：“庶矣哉。”冉有曰：“既庶矣，又何加焉？”曰：“富之。”曰：“既富矣，又何加焉？”曰：“教之。”
XIII.9. The Master went to the principality of Wei with Ran You, who drove his chariot. The Master said:— How numerous the people are! Ran You said:— Now that they are numerous, what should be done for them? The Master replied:— Make them rich. Ran You said:— When they are rich, what more should be done for them?— Teach them, replied Confucius.
子曰：“苟有用我者，期月而已可也，三年有成。”
XIII.10. The Master said:— If a prince charged me with the administration of public affairs, in a year it would be in good order, in three years it would be perfect.
子曰：“善人为邦百年，亦可以胜残去杀矣。诚哉，是言也。”
XIII.11. The Master said:— If virtuous princes should succeed one another for a hundred years, they would, says a poet, correct the most criminal men and abolish capital punishments. What true words these are!
子曰：“如有王者，必世而后仁。”
XIII.12. The Master said:— If a true king appeared, in thirty years virtue would prevail everywhere.
子曰：“苟正其身矣，于从政乎何有？不能正其身，如正人何？”
XIII.13. The Master said:— If a man can govern himself, what difficulty will he have in governing others? But if he cannot govern himself, how can he govern others?
冉子退朝，子曰：“何晏也？”对曰：“有政。”子曰：“其事也如有政，虽不吾以，吾其与闻之。”
XIII.14. Ran You returning from court, the Master said:— Why so late? Ran You replied:— I was detained by public business. The Master said:— You were detained by the private affairs of Ji Sun. If there had been public business, though I were no longer in charge, I should have been consulted about it.
定公问：“一言而可以兴邦，有诸？”孔子对曰：“言不可以若是其几也。人之言曰：为君难，为臣不易。如知为君之难也，不几乎一言而兴邦乎？”曰：“一言而丧邦，有诸？”孔子对曰：“言不可以若是其几也。人之言曰：予无乐乎为君，唯其言而莫予违也。如其善而莫之违也，不亦善乎？如不善而莫之违也，不几乎一言而丧邦乎？”
XIII.15. Ding, prince of Lu, asked Confucius if there was a maxim which, being followed, would enable him to rule perfectly. Confucius replied:— One sentence cannot have such great influence. It is commonly said that it is hard to be a good prince, and not easy to be a good minister of state. If a prince understands the difficulty of ruling, will not this one sentence almost suffice for the perfect regulation of his administration? The prince Ding said:— Is there a maxim such that, if a prince puts it in practice, he would lose his state? Confucius replied:— One sentence cannot have such great influence. It is commonly said: I take no pleasure in the exercise of power; one thing pleases me, that when I speak, no one contradicts me. If the prince speaks well and no one contradicts him, that is good. But if he speaks ill and no one contradicts him, will not this one bad principle bring him to the verge of losing his state?
叶公问政。子曰：“近者说，远者来。”
XIII.16. The prince of She asked Confucius about the art of government. The Master replied:— If those who live near the prince are content, and those who live far come, the government is in good order.
子夏为苣父宰，问政。子曰：“无欲速，无见小利，欲速则不达，见小利则大事不成。”
XIII.17. Zixia, being prefect of Jufu, asked Confucius about the government of prefectures. The Master said:— Do not be in haste; do not seek petty advantages. He who is in haste will not get far; he who seeks petty advantages neglects great things.
叶公语孔子曰：“吾党有直躬者，其父攘羊，而子证之。”孔子曰：“吾党之直者异于是，父为子隐，子为父隐，直在其中矣。”
XIII.18. The prince of She said to Confucius:— In my country there are men who make a profession of uprightness. Among them, if a father steals a sheep, his son bears witness against him. Confucius replied:— In my country upright men act otherwise. The father conceals the faults of his son, and the son those of his father. This is uprightness in the middle course.
樊迟问仁。子曰：“居处恭，执事敬，与人忠，虽之夷狄，不可弃也。”
XIII.19. Fan Chi asked Confucius about perfection. The Master replied:— When you are alone, examine yourself; in the management of affairs, be reverent; in your dealings with others, be loyal. Even among the barbarians, these three are not to be neglected.
子贡问曰：“何如斯可谓之士矣？”子曰：“行己有耻，使于四方，不辱君命，可谓士矣。”曰：“敢问其次。”曰：“宗族称孝焉，乡党称悌焉。”曰：“敢问其次。”曰：“言必信，行必果，胫胫然小人哉，抑亦可以为次矣。”曰：“今之从政者何如？”子曰：“噫！斗筲之人，何足算也。”
XIII.20. Zigong asked what was necessary to be called a disciple of wisdom. The Master replied:— He whose conduct is guided by a sense of shame and who, when sent to foreign countries, does not disgrace his prince, may be called a disciple of wisdom. Zigong said:— May I ask what is the second?— He, replied Confucius, whose filial piety is acknowledged by his family, and whose respect for relatives is praised by his neighbors. Zigong said:— May I ask what is the third?— One who is firm in his words and resolute in his actions, though he be a common man, may be called the third. Zigong said:— What of those who now govern the country? The Master said:— Alas! they are like baskets and panniers that are not worth counting.
子曰：“不得中行而与之，必也狂狷乎！狂者进取，狷者有所不为也。”
XIII.21. The Master said:— Because I have no disciples who can keep themselves in the middle course, I follow those who have high aims and not those who are obstinate in their actions. The former press on; the latter do not yield.
子曰：“南人有言曰：人而无恒，不可以作巫医。善夫！”不恒其德，或承之羞。子曰：“不占而已矣。”
XIII.22. The Master said:— The people of the south say: Unsteady men cannot make good wizards or physicians. True saying! The Yi Jing says: He who is not constant will be laughed at. The Master said:— People do not reflect on this, and from this comes all evil.
子曰：“君子和而不同，小人同而不和。”
XIII.23. The Master said:— The wise man harmonizes, but does not conform; the small man conforms, but does not harmonize.
子贡问曰：“乡人皆好之，何如？”子曰：“未可也。”乡人皆恶之，何如？”子曰：“未可也。不如乡人之善者好之，其不善者恶之。”
XIII.24. Zigong asked what to think of a man who is liked by all the people of his country. The Master replied:— This does not sufficiently prove his virtue. Zigong asked:— What to think of one who is hated by all the people of his country? The Master replied:— This does not sufficiently prove his virtue. It would be better to say of one who is liked by all good men and hated by all bad men, that he is virtuous.
子曰：“君子易事而难说也。说之不以其道，不说也；及其使人也，器之。小人难事而易说也。说之虽不以道，说之；及其使人也，求备焉。”
XIII.25. The Master said:— It is easy to be in the service of the wise man, but hard to please him. To please him by means not in accordance with duty, we cannot. But when he uses people, he considers their abilities. It is hard to be in the service of the small man, but easy to please him. To please him, even by means not in accordance with duty, is possible. But when he uses people, he demands all things from them.
子曰：“君子泰而不骄，小人骄而不泰。”
XIII.26. The Master said:— The wise man is calm, but not arrogant; the small man is arrogant, but not calm.
子曰：“刚毅木讷，近仁。”
XIII.27. The Master said:— The stern, the resolute, the simple, and the taciturn are near to goodness.
子路问曰：“何如斯可谓之士矣？”子曰：“切切、缌缌然、怡怡如也，可谓士矣。朋友切切缌缌，兄弟怡怡。”
XIII.28. Zilu asked Confucius what was necessary to be called a disciple of wisdom. The Master replied:— He who is earnest, pure, and cheerful, may be called a disciple of wisdom. He who is earnest with his friends and cheerful with his brothers, is a disciple of wisdom.
子曰：“善人教民七年，亦可以戒戎矣。”
XIII.29. The Master said:— If a good man were to teach the people for seven years, they could be made to follow orders.
子曰：“以不教民战，是谓弃之。”
XIII.30. The Master said:— To lead the people to war without first cultivating their virtue is to abandon them.
