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XV.1. Ling, prince of Wei, asked Confucius about the art of deploying armies. Confucius replied:— I have been taught how to arrange the stands and vessels for sacrifices; I have not learned how to command armies.The next day Confucius left. In the state of Chen, food ran short. His followers were weakened by hunger; none of them could rise. Zilu, angry, approached him and said:— Is the wise man also subject to such hardships?The Master said:— The wise man remains firm and courageous in adversity. A common man, in adversity, loses all sense of right and wrong.
子曰：“赐也，如以予为多学而识之者与？”对曰：“然。非与？”曰：“非也。予一以贯之。”
XV.2. The Master said:— Ci, do you consider me a man who has learned much and retained much?— Yes, replied Zigong. Am I mistaken?— You are mistaken, replied Confucius. One single principle underlies everything.
子曰：“由，知德者鲜矣。”
XV.3. The Master said:— You, few men know the virtue.
Notes: He who does not possess virtue cannot know its nature or its charms.
子曰：“无为而治者，其舜也与？夫何为哉。恭己正南面而已矣。”
XV.4. The Master said:— Shun was a prince who, almost without having to do anything, kept the empire in perfect order. What did he do? He was reverent towards himself and stood solemnly facing south.
子张问行。子曰：“言忠信，笃敬，虽蛮貊之邦行矣。言不忠信，不笃敬，虽州里行乎哉？立，见其参于前也；在舆，见其倚于衡也。夫然后行。”子张书诸绅。
XV.5. Zizhang asked what was the means to influence other men. The Master replied:— A man sincere and truthful in his words, cautious and respectful in his actions, will have influence even among the barbarians of the south or north. A man who is neither sincere nor truthful in his words, nor cautious nor respectful in his actions, will he have any influence even in a town or village? When you stand, see these four virtues standing before your eyes. When you are in a carriage, see them seated on the yoke. By this means you will acquire influence.Zizhang wrote these words of the Master on his sash.
子曰：“直哉史鱼。邦有道如矢，无道如矢。君子哉遽伯玉。邦有道则仕，无道则可卷而怀之。”
XV.6. The Master said:— How admirable is the uprightness of the historiographer Yu! Whether the government is good or bad, he follows the right path like an arrow. How wise is Ju Boyu! When the government is good, he serves; when it is bad, he knows how to withdraw and keep his virtue hidden.
Notes: The historiographer was an official annalist. Yu was a daifu in the state of Wei; his name was Qiu. After his death, his corpse still gave advice to his prince. When ill and about to die, he said to his son: “At court, I could not obtain that wise men should be appointed to office and the wicked removed. After my death, do not perform the funeral ceremonies. It will be enough to deposit my body in the north hall.” The prince, going to perform the usual lamentations, asked the reason for this singularity. The son of the deceased answered with a deep voice: “My father commanded it thus.” “I am at fault,” said the prince. At once he ordered the corpse of the deceased to be dressed in the hall where this honor was given to his guests. Then he appointed Ju Boyu and removed Mi Zixia (his unworthy minister).
子曰：“可与言而不与之言，失人；不可与言而与之言，失言。知者不失人，亦不失言。”
XV.7. The Master said:— If you refuse to teach a man who is capable of learning, you lose a man, that is, you leave in ignorance a man whom you might have made wise and good. If you teach a man who is not capable of learning, you lose your teaching. A wise man neither loses men nor his teachings.
子曰：“志士仁人，求生以害仁，you杀身以成仁。”
XV.8. The Master said:— A man of virtue or resolved to become so, does not seek to preserve his life at the expense of his virtue. There are times when he sacrifices his life, thereby completing his virtue.
子贡问为仁。子曰：“工欲善其事，先利其器。居是邦也，事其大夫之贤者，友其士之仁者。”
XV.9. Zigong asked what was needed to become perfect. The Master replied:— Just as a workman who wants to do good work must first sharpen his tools, so in the state where you live, serve those who are its best officials, and associate with those who are its most virtuous men.
颜渊问为邦。子曰：“行夏之时，殷之辂，周之冕，则韶舞。放郑声，佞人。郑声淫，佞人殆。”
XV.10. Yan Yuan asked Confucius what was needed to govern a state well.The Master replied:— The emperor should follow the calendar of the Xia. He should adopt the carriage of the Yin and wear the cap of the Zhou in ceremonies. He should make the Shao dance be performed. He should banish the music of the state of Zheng and keep sycophants at a distance. The music of Zheng is lascivious; sycophants are dangerous.
子曰：“人无远虑，有近忧。”
XV.11. The Master said:— He whose foresight does not extend far will soon be in trouble.
子曰：“已矣乎！吾未见好德如好色者也。”
XV.12. The Master said:— Must we then despair? I have not yet seen a man who loves virtue as much as he loves a beautiful appearance.
子曰：“臧文仲，窃位者与？知柳下惠之贤，不与立也。”
XV.13. The Master said:— Does not Zang Wenzhong use his position as a thief? He knew the wisdom of Hui of Liuxia and did not ask for his assistance at court.
Notes: Hui of Liuxia was Chen Huan, named Qin, a great prefect of Lu. He drew his salary from the city of Liuxia. He received the posthumous name of Hui, which means Benevolent.
子曰：“躬自厚而薄责于人，远怨矣。”
XV.14. The Master said:— He who is severe with himself and indulgent in judging others avoids resentment.
子曰：“不曰如之何如之何者，末如之何也已矣。”
XV.15. The Master said:— I have nothing to say to him who asks not: How shall I do this? How shall I do that?
子曰：“群居终日，不及义，行小慧，矣哉！”
XV.16. The Master said:— How difficult it is for those who gather in crowds and stay together all day, who say nothing good and follow the deceptive lights of their own cleverness!
Notes: They cannot enter the path of virtue; they will have sorrows and pains.
子曰：“君子义以为质，以行之，sun以出之，xin以成之。君子哉！”
XV.17. The Master said:— The sage takes justice for his basis; he practices it in accordance with the rules laid down by the ancients; he makes it manifest modestly; he keeps it faithfully. Such a man deserves the name of a sage.
子曰：“君子病无能焉，病人之不己知也。”
XV.18. The Master said:— The sage is sad that he cannot practice virtue perfectly; he is not sad that he is not known by men.
子曰：“君子疾没世而名不称焉。”
XV.19. The Master said:— The sage does not want to die before he has become worthy of praise.
子曰：“君子求诸己，人求诸人。”
XV.20. The Master said:— The sage expects everything from his own efforts; the common man expects everything from the favor of others.
子曰：“君子矜而不争，而不党。”
XV.21. The Master said:— The sage is master of himself and quarrels with none; he is sociable, but is not a partisan.
子曰：“君子不以言举人，以人废言。”
XV.22. The Master said:— The sage does not promote a man for his good words alone, nor reject a good word because of its speaker.
子贡问曰：“有一言而可以终身行之者乎？”子曰：“其恕乎！己所不欲勿施于人。”
XV.23. Zigong asked if there was one word which could be a guide for his whole life. The Master replied:— Is it not the word “reciprocity”? What you do not wish for yourself, do not do to others.
子曰：“吾之于人也，毁shui誉，you所誉者，有所试矣。斯民也，代之所以直道而行也。”
XV.24. The Master said:— Who is the one that I have praised or blamed excessively? If I praise someone too much, it is because I have recognized that he will become worthy of such praise. Our people is that which the emperors of the three dynasties treated with the greatest fairness.
子曰：“吾犹及史之阙文也，马者，人乘之，亡矣夫！”
XV.25. The Master said:— In my youth, I have still seen a historiographer who did not write anything of which he was not certain, and a rich man who lent his horses to others. Now such men are no more.
子曰：“巧言乱德，不忍则乱大谋。”
XV.26. The Master said:— Glib words confuse what is good; a little impatience ruins great plans.
子曰：“众恶之，察焉；众好之，察焉。”
XV.27. The Master said:— When the hatred or favor of the crowd is directed at a man, examine his conduct before judging whether he is worthy of hatred or affection.
子曰：“人能弘道，道弘人。”
XV.28. The Master said:— Man can develop his natural virtues; natural virtues do not make man perfect.
Notes: The virtues that nature gives to each man (with existence) are perfect in themselves. The difference between good and bad men is due to the difference of the elements of which their bodies are composed, and of the habits they have contracted. When a sage holds school, all men can, under his direction, recover the primitive perfection of their natural virtues, and deserve no longer to be placed among the bad.
子曰：“过而不改，谓过矣。”
XV.29. The Master said:— Not to correct oneself after a mistake is a real mistake.
子曰：“吾尝终日不食，夜不寝，思，益，如学也。”
XV.30. The Master said:— Formerly I spent whole days without eating and whole nights without sleeping, to devote myself to meditation. I got little result from it. It is better to study with others.
子曰：“君子谋道不谋食。者，在其中矣；学也，在其中矣。君子忧道不忧贫。”
XV.31. The Master said:— The disciple of virtue turns his thoughts to virtue and not to food. The farmer cultivates the land to get his food; but when the harvest fails he is at his wits’ end and starves. On the contrary, the disciple of virtue, by devoting himself to virtue, draws to him honors and riches. He gives his thoughts to virtue and does not worry about poverty.
子曰：“知及之，不能守之，得之，失之。知及之，能守之，庄以莅之，民不敬。知及之，能守之，以莅之，之不以礼，善也。”
XV.32. The Master said:— If a man knows the doctrine of the sages and is not able to put it in practice, his knowledge is of no use. If a man knows the doctrine of the sages and is able to put it in practice, but is not dignified in public, the people will not respect him. If a man knows the doctrine of the sages, is able to put it in practice, and is dignified in public, but does not direct the people according to the established rules, this is not the perfection.
子曰：“君子不可小知，可大受也。小人不可大受，可小知也。”
XV.33. The Master said:— The sage cannot be appreciated in small things, but he can be entrusted with great things. The common man cannot be entrusted with great things, but can be appreciated in small things.
子曰：“民之于仁也，于水火。水火，见蹈而死者矣，见蹈仁而死者也。”
XV.34. The Master said:— Virtue is more necessary to the people than water and fire. I have seen men perish by stepping into water or fire; I have never seen anyone perish by stepping into the path of virtue.
子曰：“当仁不让于师。”
XV.35. The Master said:— He who devotes himself chiefly to the practice of virtue can rival a master, i.e., guide himself and others.
子曰：“君子贞而不谅。”
XV.36. The Master said:— The sage clings firmly to the truth and duty; he does not cling obstinately to his own ideas.
子曰：“事君，其事而后其食。”
XV.37. The Master said:— He who serves his prince should perform his duties with care and think about his salary only afterwards.
子曰：“道不同，相为谋。”
XV.38. The Master said:— The sage admits to his school all men, without distinction.
子曰：“辞，而已矣。”
XV.39. The Master said:— Language must express clearly the thought; that is enough.
师冕见，阶，曰：“阶也。”，席，曰：“席也。”，坐，告之曰：“某在斯，在斯。”师冕出，张问曰：“与师言之，与？”子曰：“然。固相师之道也。”
XV.41. The prefect of music Mian having come to visit Confucius, when he arrived at the steps, the Master said:— Here are the steps.When he arrived at the mat, the philosopher said:— Here is the mat.When everyone was seated, the Master said to the prefect of music:— A certain one is here; another is there.When the prefect Mian had retired, Zizhang asked if it was a duty to speak thus to the prefect of music.— Certainly, replied the Master, it is a duty to help the directors of music thus.
