No More Learning

" (Did they) regret it? "
(Confucius) said : They sought manhood, and reached manhood, how could they regret after that?
(Tze-Kung) came out and said: He's not for him. (No go. Not business, won't work. )
xv
1. He said: A meal of rough rice to eat water to drink, bent arm for a pillow, I can be hap~y in sucht condition, riches and honours got by injustice seem to' me drifting clouds.
XVI
1. He said : If many years were added to me, I would' give fifty to the study of The Book of the Changes, andi might thereby manage to avoid great mistakes.
/(' .
l1
43
/I' 'J
. /. . 1'.
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,_. ,;
? ? ? ? ? CONFUCIAN ANALECTS XVII
1. [L. : What he constantly talked of, hut ya? means also elegant. ] He frequently spoke of (and kept refining his expression about) the Odes, the Historic Documents,
the observance of rites (ceremonial, correct procedure) all frequently (or polished) in his talk.
XVIII
1. The Duke of Sheh asked Tze-Lu about Confucius; Tze-J_,u did not answer.
2. He said : Couldn't you have said: He's so keen and eager he forgets to eat, so happy he forgets his troubles and doesn't know age is coming upon him?
XIX
1. He said: I wasn't born knowing; Jove antiquity (the antients), actively investigating.
xx
1. He did not expatiate on marvels, feats of strength, disorder or the spirits of the air.
XXI
1. He said : three of us walking along, perforce one to teach me, if he gets it right, I follow, if he errs, I do different.
XXII
1. He said: Heaven gave me my conscience, what can Hwan T'ui do to me.
XXIII
1. He said : You two or three, do I hide anything from you? I do not hide anything from you, I don't go
IlOOK SEVEN
XXIV
1. He taught by four things : literature, procedure, sincerity (middle-heart) and standing by his word. [P. rather better: employait quatrc sortes d'enseignements. Taught by means of four things. ]
xxv
1. He said : I have not managed to see a sage man. If I could manage to see a proper man (one in whom
the ancestral voices function) that would do.
2. He said: A totally good man, I have not managed to see. If I could see a constant man (consistent, a
" regular fellow ") that would do.
3. To lack and pretend to have, to be empty and
pretend to be full, to be tight and pretend to be liberal : hard to attain consistency (in that case).
XXVI
1. He fished but not with a net; shot but not at sit- ting birds.
XXVII
1. If there are men who start off without knowledge, I don't. I listen a lot and pick out what is balanced, see a lot and keep the tone of the word, and so manage to
know.
XXVIII
l. It was bothersome to talk with Hu-hsiang folk, the disciples were worried when Kung received a boy. 2. He said: I give to those who approach, not to those who go away; who is so deep; if a man wash and approach, I give to the clean (or, to his cleanliness) I
don't uphold his past (or his future).
XXIX
1. He said: Manhood, how is it something afar off; I want to be human, and that humanity I get to.
45
along and not give it you, that's me. the real Ch'iu, Confucius-Hillock. )
44
(You are getting
? ? ? ? CONFUCIAN ANALECTS
xxx
1. The Minister of Crimes in Ch'an asked Confucius if the Duke Chao knew the correct procedure. Con- fucius said : he knew the procedure.
2. Confucius went out, and (the Minister) beckoned to Wu-ma Ch'i saying: I hear the gentleman is not pre- judiced (partisan) yet he is partisan. The prince m:irried a Wu, of the same surname as (himself) and called her Wu-elder. If that's knowing proper procedure, who don't know procedure?
3. Wu-ma Ch'i reported this. Confucius said: Ch'iu's lucky (i. e. , I am lucky). If I make a mistake it's bound to be known.
XXXI
1. If he was with a man who sang true, he would
make him repeat and sing in harmony with him.
XXXII
1. He said : I am about up to anyone else in education,
it's the personal conduct of a proper man, that's what I don't come up to.
XXXIII
1. He said : As sage, as full man, can I set myself up as a model? I try and don't slack when tired, I teach men without weariness, that's the limit of what you can say of me. Kung-hsi Hwa said: Exactly what we younger chaps can't get by study.
XXXIV
1. He was very ill. Tze-Lu asked to pray. He said: Does one? Tze-Lu answered : one does. The Eulogies say: We have prayed for you to the upper and lower spirits venerable. He said: I, Ch'iu, have been praying for a long time.
46
BOOK SEVEN
xxxv
1. He said : extravagance is not a pattern for grand- sons; parsimony is pattern of obstinacy; better be obstinate than break the line to posterity.
XXXVI
1. He said: the proper man: sun-rise over the land, level, grass, sun, shade, flowing out; the mean man adds distress to distress.
XXXVII
1. He was both mild and precise; grave and not
aggressive, reverent and tranquil.
47
? BOOK EIGHT
Tai Po
I
1. He said of T'ai Po: It can be said that he com- pletely brought his acts up to the level of his inwit; three times refusing the empire, the people could not arrive at weighing the act.
[Note: T a i Po abdicated in favour o f his younger brothlf'I', Wan's father, in order that Wan might inherit. This because he con- sidered Wan the member of the family capable of delivering the state from the Yirt dynasty. ]
[Syntactical trouble re/" three times. " Wan's father
iuas the third S? On. The three might mean "in lhree ways"; for hiniself, his second brother, ood their heirs? )
II
1. He said : respect without rules of procedure be-
comes laborious fuss; scrupulosity without rules of
procedure, timidity (fear to show the thought) ; boldness
without such rules breeds confusion ; directness without rules of procedure becomes rude.
2. Gentlemen "bamboo-horse" to their relatives [the bamboo is both hard on the sttrface and pliant] and the people will rise to manhood; likewise be auld (acquaint- ance) not neglected, the people will not turn mean (pilfer).
III
1. Tsang-tze was ill ; called his disciples saying : uncover my feet, my hands, the Odes say : cautious, tread light as on the edge of a deep gulph, or on thin ice. And now and for the future I know what I am escaping, my children.
48
" 1. 2.
BOOK EIGHT
IV
Tsang-tze was ill, Mang Chang-tze went to enquire.
Tsang said : When a bird is about to die its note
is mournful, when a man is about to die, his ~ords are balanced.
3. There are three things a gentleman honours in his way of life : that in taking energetic action he maintain a calm exterior at far remove fron1 over-bearing and sloth, that his facial expression come near to correspond- ing with what he says, that the spirit of his talk be not me~n nor of double-talk. The sacrificial covered splint frmt baskets and altar platters have assistants to look after them.
1.
v
Tsang-tze said : Able yet willing to ask those who
:were not talented, possessed of many things, but enquir-
mg of those who had few, having as though he had not, full and acting as if empty, not squabbling when offended, I once had a friend who followed that service.
VI
1. Tsang-tze said : Fit to be guardian of a six cubits orphan (a prince under 15) in governing a state of an hundred ii who cannot be grabbed by the approach of great-tallies [ta chieh 795 (e) 6433. 30 must mean some- thing more than L's "any emergency," i. e. , must indicate no-t getting rattled either at nearing the annual report ta the overlord, or by the coming near it, i. e. , to the chance of appropriating to himself the symbol of power] a proper man? aye, a man of right breed.
VII
1. Tsang-tze: An officer cannot Jack magnanimous
courage (boldness of bow-arm) he carries weight on a Jong journey.
49
? ? ? -----------? ? -- - -
? CONFUCIAN ANALECTS
2. Full manhood in fulfilling his personal duties, is that not weighty, death and then it ends, is not that long?
VIII
1. He said : Aroused by the Odes.
2. Stablished by the rites.
3. Brought into perfect focus by music.
IX
1. He said : People can be made to sprout (produce, act, follow), they cannot be commissioned to know.
x
1. He said: In love with audacity and loathing (sickened at) poverty: (leads to) confusion; when a man's lack of manly qualities is excessively deep that also
means disorder.
XI
1. He said : Though a man have the Duke of Chou's brilliant ability, if he be high-horsey and stingy, the rest is not worth looking at.
XII
1. He said: It is not easy to study for three years without some good grain from it.
[Ideogram ku; interesting as meaning both corn and g. aod, or good luck. ]
XIII
1. He said: strong and faithfully loving study [strong, again the "bamboo-horse": hard and supple]
maintaining till death the balanced, radiant process.
2. As for looking for troubled waters to fish in. Not
enter a province on the brink, nor live in a disorganized
so
BOOK EIGHT
province; when the empire has the process (is function- ing) will be looked at; when it is without organization, will be out of sight.
3. When a state is functioning, poverty and meanness
are shameful; when a state is in chaos (ill governed)
riches and honours are shameful.
corrupt government. ]
[Let us say: under a
XIV
1. He said : not being in (an) office; not plan its
functioning.
xv
1. He said: when Music Master Chih began [L. entered office] the ensemble finale of the fish-hawk song, came wave over wave an ear-full and how!
XVI
1. He said : Uppish and not straight, ignorant and dishonest [let us say: not spontaneous]. quite simple and still not keeping their word; I don't make 'em out. [Empty-headed, and not keeping their word. ]
XVII
1. He said: study as if unattainable, as if fearing to lose (grip on lt).
XVIII
1. He said : lofty as the spirits of the hills and the
grain-mother, Shun and Yu held the empire, as if not
in a mortar with it.
[M. 7615, e: as if unconcerned. ] XIX
1. He said: How great was Yao's activity as ruler
lofty as the spirits of the hills; only the heavens' working 51
? ? ? ? ? CONFUCIAN ANALECTS
is great, and Yao alone on that pattern, spreading as
grass, sunlight and shadow, the people could not find if a name.
2. How marvellous the way he brought his energies
to a focus. Brilliant-gleaming? the perfect expression
of his statutes.
xx
l. Shun had five men [emphasis on "men," I thinle] for ministers and the en1pire was governed.
2.
King Wu said : I have ten able ministers [vide L. and M. 4220. a 3. ] [Unorthodox reading: King Wu said : I have ten men to serve me in this chaos. M. 4220. 27. I have ten obstreperous, wrong-headed ministers. ]
3. Kung-tze said : Talents are really hard to find. The houses of T'ang (Yao) and Yu (in the person of Shun). At the time of (Yao of the house of) T'ang and (Shun of) Yu in their plenitude, there were a woman and nine men only.
4. Having two thirds of the empire, by keeping them
in service, (in the uniform) of Yin, the conscientiousness of Chou can be said to have attained its maximum in action.
XXI
l. He said: I find Yu without. flaw, frugal in drink- ing and eating, showing the utmost filial continuity vvith the spirits and powers of air, badly dressed ordinarily, but absolutely elegant in sacrificial black and blue robes and sovran-cap (mortar board), an inferior palace for a house, he put all his energy into the irrigation and drain- age (aqueducts and ditches), I find him utterly flawless.
52
BOOK NINE
Tze Han
I
l. He seldom spoke of profits, destiny, and total
manhood.
II
l. A villager from Ta-Hsiang said: Great man, Kung- tze extends his studies but does nothing to bring his reputation to a point.
2. Confucius heard this and asked his young students : what should I do, take up charioteering or take up archery? I'll take up charioteering.
III
l. He said : The ceremonial hemp eap is now silk; that's an econon1y, I conform.
2. Bowing as you enter the hall is according to the rites, they now bow when they have come up the hall, cheeky; although against the common usage, I conform
[or continue (to bow)] at the lower end of the hall. IV
l. He was cut off from four things; he had no pre- judices, no categoric imperatives, no obstinacy or no obstinate residues, no time-lags, no egotism.
1~
2.
v
He was alarmed in Kwang.
Said: King Wan has passed on, the wan (the pre-
cise knowledge) is rooted here?
3. If heaven were about to destroy that spirit of precision, after Wan's death, it would not have lasted on
53
? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? CONFUCIAN ANALECTS
and been given to me. If heaven is not about to destroy
BOOK NINE
x
,l, Yen Yuan sighed heavily and said : I looked up, they filled the aloft; I bored in to them and they were totally solid; respectfully standing before them, they sud- denly took root-hold in consequence.
2. The big man, orderly, one point tied to another, with perfect balance induces men (words that grow as easily as weed, but are good, grain-words), he enlarges us with literature, and keeps us in bound by the rites.
[ u Rites": This word li3 contains something of the idea in the French" ii sait vivre," though it would be an exaggeration to say that one ca. n always render it by that phrase. J
XI
He was very ill, Tze-Lu wanted the students to act
that spirit, what are the people of Kwang to me? what can they do to me? ]
VI
[L. :
1. A great minister said to Tze-kung : your big man is
a sage, how versatile he is.
2. Tze-kung said: Aye, by heaven's indulgence is
almost a sage, and also very versatile.
3. Confucius heard, and said : does the great minister know me? I was poor when young and therefore can do many things, humble jobs. Need a proper man, a gentle- man, be versatile? He need not.
4. Lao says He said : I was not trained (educated to
the examinations)* and therefore learned the various arts.
VII
1. He said : How do I grasp knowledge? I am not wise, but if a plain man ask me, empty as empty [like? work in a cave? ], [L: J I set it forth from one end to the other and exhaust it.
["Kn. ock at double," or at both starts or principles, suggests the meaning: investigate the paradox, or the two principles, the conjunction, apparent contradiction, and then exhaust the question. ]
VIII
1. He said : the miracle bird has not arrived, the river
gives forth no map (of turtle-shell), I've only myself to rely on.
IX
1. Seeing anyone in mourning or in full ceremonial
dress and cap, or a blind man (one of the blind musicians)
even though they were young he would rise, or, passing,
pass quickly.
*L. : having no official job.
54
Wishing to finish, I cannot; having exhausted my
- - - - - ------------
? 3.
talent, it is as if something was built up lofty; although I wish to comply with it, there is no way (to do so com- pletely) (branch causes stop).
1.
as ministers.
2. In an interval of the fever He said: Yu (Tze-Lu) has been being too-clever for a long time, whom would I fool by pretending to have ministers when I haven't: fool heaven?
3. Wouldn't it be better to die among two or three
intimates than in ministers' hands? Might not have a big
funeral, but I wouldn't just die in a ditch [lit: going along a road].
XII
1. Tze-kung said: I have a beautiful gem here; put it in a case and hoard it, or try to get a good price and sell it? He said : sell it, sell it, I wait for its price.
XIII
1. He was wanting to live among the wild tribes.
2. Someone said : Rough, vulgar, how do you mean?
55
? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? CONFUCIAN ANALECTS
He said : if the right kind of man lived there, how would they stay so?
XIV (Arrangement of the Song book)
1. He said: From Wei I came back to Lu and the music was put in order, the Elegantiae and the Lauds were each put in its proper place.
xv
1. He said : In public to be useful to the Dukes and
Ministers, in private to be useful to one's father and elder
brothers, not daring to neglect the service of the dead; not to be obstinate with drink; how does this apply to me?
XVI
1. Standing on a river-bank he said : it is what passes
like that, indeed, not stopping day, night.
XVII
1. I do not see love of looking into the mind and acting ? on what one sees there to match love of someone having
beauty.
XVIII
I do not in the least understand the le. rt of this chapter. Only guess at it I can make is:
1. He said: As a mountain (grave-mound) is not made perfect by one basket of earth; yet has position, I take position. If you dump one basket of earth on a level plain it is a start (toward the heap? ), I make that start.
The chapter might conceivably refer ta deter-
mining the proper site for a tumulus even if one could not complete it. L. unsatisfied as ta mean- ing, and P. unsatisfactory.
56
1.
1.
BOOK NINE
XIX
He said: Never inert in conversation, that was Elui.
xx
He described Yen Yuan : Alas, I see him advance,
? --. ---------~------
? I never see him stop (take a position).
Putting the accent an the hsi (2-5), "a pity! "
as Legge does not.
There is n. o more important technical :term in
the Confucian philosophy than this chih (3) the hitching post, position, place one is in, and works from. Turn back also to the difficult chapter xviii above.
XXI
1. He said : There are sprouts that do not flower;
flowers that come not to fruit, oh yes.
XXII
1. He said: You can respect 'em soon after birth,
how can one know what will come up to present record;
at forty or fifty and not heard (or if they don't hear sense) that (maturity) just isn't enough to respect.
XXIII
1. He said : Can one help agreeing with talk of sound
doctrine? It's the altering to enact that matters; can one
fail to be pleased with south-east gentleness of discourse, it's the elucidation that matters. To be pleased and not elucidate (not understand), to assent but not act on. I just don't know how to take (that sort).
XXIV
1. He said : Put first getting to the centre of the mind,
and keeping one's word; no friends not like one; when a mistake is made, not fearing to change.
57
? ? ? ? ? ? ? CONFUCIAN ANALECTS
xxv
1. He said : The commander of three army corps can b,e kidnapped, you cannot kidnap a plain man's will.
XVI
1. Standing by a man dressed in furs, unembarrassed,
Yu could do that?
2. No hates, no greeds, how can he use evil means?
3. Tze-lu kept repeating this to himself. Confucius said : How can that be enough for complete goodness?
XXVII
1. He said: When the year goes a-cold we know pine
and cypress, then you can carve them.
XXVIII
1. He said : The wise are not flustered, the humane
'are not melancholy, the bold are not anxious. *
XXIX
1. He said : There are some we can study with, but
cannot accompany in their mode of action; there are some
we can collaborate with, but cannot build sound con-
-struction with, some we can construct with but not agree
with as to the significance of what we are doing.
xxx
I. The flowers of the prunus japonica deflect and turn, do I not think of you dwelling afar?
2. He said : It is not the thought, how can there be distance in that?
*These are definitions of words.
58
BOOK TEN
Heang Tang (villeggiatura)
I
------------
? Kung-tze in his village, looking as if he were too 2. In the dynastic temple, or court, speaking with
1.
simple-hearted to utter.
easy pertinence; answering with prompt respect.
II
1. At court with the Lower-great officers straight from the shoulder; with the Upper-great officials with gentle courtesy.
2. With the sovran present, level alertness, grave readiness.
III
1. On the Prince calling him to receive a visitor, his
face registered a change and his legs flexed.
2. He saluted (the officers whom he was standing with), left and right hand, his robe fore and aft evenly
adjusted.
3. Swiftly advanced as if winged.
4. The visitor gone, it was his duty to report saying :
the guest does not look back.
IV
1. Entering the ducal gate he hunched up like a ball
as if there wasn't room.
2. Did not stand in the middle of the gateway, nor tread on the threshold-stone door-sill in going out.
3. Passing the sovran's standing place his expression
changed and his legs seemed to flex, he spoke as if short of breath.
59
? ? ? ? ? ?