The Wisdom of Confucius

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• Publisher: Philosophical Library/Open Road
• Year: 2010
• ISBN:
  9781453201466
• Topic: Theology & Religion
• Subtopic: Religious Biographies

Hundreds of sage observations from China's most revered scholar Teacher, politician, philosopher, and student, Confucius offered wisdom and aphorisms on a variety of topics that transcend borders and time. Whether considering his own life, human nature, or a society's responsibilities, Confucius's teachings emphasize personal and governmental morality, correctness of social relationships, justice, and sincerity. He aimed to effect social and political reform, and left a legacy of wisdom that remains true today. Organized by topic and accompanied with contextual footnotes, this collection of quotes, sayings, and lessons is often as entertaining as it is educational.

Ten

Good and bad government—Superior
men and humaneness—Miscellaneous sayings—Estimate of historical characters—Murder of a duke—The superior man—Returning good for evil—Worthies retiring from the world—A king’s mourning—A renegade disciple—A precocious youth.

1. Yuen Sz¹ asked what might (be considered to) bring shame on one.

“Pay,” said the Master; “pay—(ever looking to that), whether the country be well or badly governed.”

2. “When imperiousness, boastfulness, resentments, and covetousness cease to prevail (among the people), may it be considered that mutual goodwill has been effected?”—To this question the Master replied, “A hard thing (overcome) it may be considered. But as to the mutual good-will—I cannot tell.”

3. “Learned officials,” said he, “who hanker after a home life, are not worthy of being esteemed as such.”

4. Again, “In a country under good government, speak boldly, act boldly. When the land is ill-governed, though you act boldly, let your words be moderate.”

5. Again, “Men of virtue will needs be men of words [i. e. will speak out], but men of words are not necessarily men of virtue. They who care for their fellow-men will needs be bold, but the bold may not necessarily be such as care for their fellow-men.”

6. Nan-kung Kwoh, who was consulting Confucius, observed respecting I, the skilful archer, and Ngau, who could propel a boat on dry land,¹ that neither of them died a natural death; while Yu and Tsih,² who with their own hands had laboured at husbandry, came to wield imperial sway.

The Master gave him no reply.¹ But when the speaker had gone out he exclaimed, “A superior man, that! A man who values virtue, that!”

7. “There have been noble-minded men,” said he, “who yet were wanting in philanthropy; but never has there been a small-minded man who had philanthropy in him.”

8. He asked, “Can any one refuse to toil for those he loves? Can any one to exhort, who is true-hearted?”

9. Speaking of the preparation of Government Notifications (in his day) he said, “P’i would draw up a rough sketch of what was to be said; the Shi-shuh¹ then looked it carefully through and put it into proper shape; Tsz-yu next, who was master of the ceremonial of State intercourse, improved and adorned its phrases; and Tsz-ch’an of Tung-li added his scholarly embellishments thereto.”

10. To some one who asked his opinion of the last-named,² he said, “He was a kind-hearted man.”—Asked what he thought of Tsz-si,³ he exclaimed, “Alas for him! alas for him!”—Asked again about Kwan Chung,⁴ his answer was, “As to him, he once seized the town of P’in with its three hundred families from the Chief of the Pih clan, who, afterwards reduced to living upon coarse rice, with all his teeth gone, never uttered a word of complaint.”

11. “It is no light thing,” said he, “to endure poverty uncomplainingly; and no difficult thing to bear wealth without becoming arrogant.”

12. Respecting Mang Kung-ch’oh,¹ he said that, while he was fitted for something better than the post of chief officer in the Chau or Wei families, he was not competent to act as minister in (small States like those of) T’ang or Sieh.

13. Tsz-lu asked how he would describe a perfect man. He replied, “Let a man have the sagacity of Tsang Wu-chung,¹ the freedom from covetousness of Kung-ch’oh,² the boldness of Chwang³ of Pin, and the attainments in polite arts of Yen Yu;⁴ and gift him further with the graces taught by the Books of Rites and Music—then he may be considered a perfect man. “But,” said he, “what need of such in these days? The man that may be regarded as perfect (now) is the one who, seeing some advantage to himself, is mindful of righteousness; who, seeing danger, risks his life; and who, if bound by some covenant of long standing, never forgets its conditions as life goes on.”

14. Respecting Kung-shuh W

n,¹ the Master inquired of Kung-ming Kiá,² saying, “Is it true that your master never speaks, never laughs, never takes (aught from others)?”

“Those who told you that of him,” said he, “have gone too far. My master speaks when there is occasion to do so, and men are not surfeited with his speaking. When there is occasion to be merry too, he will laugh, but men have never overmuch of his laughing. And whenever it is just and right to take (things from others), he will take them, but never so as to allow men to think him burdensome.”

“Is that the case with him?” said the Master. “Can it be so?”

15. Respecting Tsang Wu-chung [see 13], the Master said, “When he sought from Lu the appointment of a successor to him, and for this object held on to his possession of (the fortified city of) Fang “if you say he was not then using constraint towards his prince, I must refuse to believe it.”

16. Duke W

n of Tsin he characterized as “artful but not upright”; and duke Hwan of Ts’i as “upright but not artful.”¹

17. Tsz-lu remarked, “When duke Hwan caused his brother Kiu to be put to death, Sháu Hwuh committed suicide, but Kwan Chung did not.² I should say he was not a man who had much good-will in him—eh?”

The Master replied, “When duke Hwan held a great gathering of the feudal lords, dispensing with military equipage, it was owing to Kwan Chung’s energy that such an event was brought about. Match such good-will as that—match it if you can.”

18. Tsz-kung then spoke up. “But was not Kwan Chung wanting in good-will? He could not give up his life when duke Hwan caused his brother to be put to death. Besides, he became the duke’s counsellor.”

“And in acting as his counsellor put him at the head of all the feudal lords,” said the Master, “and unified and reformed the whole empire; and the people, even to this day, reap benefit from what he did. Had it not been for him we should have been going about with locks unkempt and buttoning our jackets (like barbarians) on the left.—Would you suppose that he should show the same sort of attachment as exists between a poor yokel and his one wife—that he would asphyxiate himself in some sewer, leaving no one the wiser?”

19. Kung-shuh W

n’s¹ steward, (who became) the high officer Sien, went up accompanied by W

n to the prince’s hall of audience.²

When Confucius heard of this he remarked, “He may well be esteemed a ‘W

n.’”³

20. The Master having made some reference to the lawless ways of duke Ling of Wei, Ki K’ang said to him, “If he be like that, how is it he does not ruin his position?”

Confucius answered, “The Chung-shuh,¹ Yu, is charged with the entertainment of visitors and strangers; the priest T’o has charge of the ancestral temple; and Wang-sun Kiá has the control of the army and its divisions:—with men such as those, how should he come to ruin?”

21. He once remarked, “He who is unblushing in his words will with difficulty substantiate them.”

22. Ch’in Shing had slain duke Kien.² (Hearing of this), Confucius, after performing his ablutions, went to Court and announced the news to duke Ngai, saying, “Ch’in Hang³ has slain his prince. May I request that you proceed against him?”

“Inform the Chiefs of the Three Families,” said the duke.

(Soliloquizing upon this), Confucius said, “Since he uses me to back his ministers,¹ I did not dare not to announce the ma...

Table of contents

• Cover Page
• Title Page
• Table of Contents
• One
• Two
• Three
• Four
• Five
• Six
• Seven
• Eight
• Nine
• Ten
• Eleven
• Twelve
• Copyright Page