Book 10 · Xiang Dang 鄉黨
10.1
孔子於鄉黨，恂恂如也，似不能言者。
其在宗廟朝廷，便便言，唯謹爾。
In his home village Confucius was simple and quiet, as if he could not speak.
In the ancestral temple and at court he spoke readily, but with care.
10.2
朝與下大夫言，侃侃如也；
與上大夫言，誾誾如也。
君在，踧踖如也，與與如也。
At court, speaking with the lower high officers, he was frank and pleasant;
speaking with the upper high officers, he was mild and exact.
When the ruler was present, he was reverent and watchful, composed and dignified.
10.3
君召使擯，色勃如也。
足躩如也，揖所與立，左右手，衣前後，襜如也。
趨進，翼如也。
賓退，必復命，曰：「賓不顧矣。」
When the ruler summoned him to receive guests, his face would change.
His steps were quick. Bowing to those he stood with, to the left and to the right, he kept his robe hanging straight in front and behind.
Hastening forward, he moved as if on wings.
When the guest had left, he always reported, “The guest no longer looks back.”
10.4
入公門，鞠躬如也，如不容。
立不中門，行不履閾。
過位，色勃如也，足躩如也，其言似不足者。
攝齊升堂，鞠躬如也，屏氣似不息者。
出，降一等，逞顏色，怡怡如也；
沒階趨進，翼如也；
復其位，踧踖如也。
On entering the palace gate, he bent his body, as if there were not room for him.
He did not stand in the middle of the gateway, and in passing through he did not tread on the threshold.
Passing the ruler’s place, his face changed, his steps quickened, and he spoke as if short of breath.
Lifting the hem of his robe as he went up into the hall, he bent his body and held his breath as if not breathing.
Coming out and descending one step, he relaxed his face and looked at ease;
at the foot of the steps he hastened forward, as if on wings;
returning to his place, he was reverent and watchful.
10.5
執圭，鞠躬如也；
如不勝。
上如揖，下如授，勃如戰色，足縮縮如有循。
享禮有容色，私覿愉愉如也。
Holding the jade tablet, he bent his body,
as if its weight were too much for him.
He raised it as if bowing, lowered it as if handing something over, his face changed as if in fear, and his feet moved in small steps as if following a line.
At the offering of gifts his face was gracious; at a private audience he was relaxed and pleasant.1
10.6
君子不以紺緅飾，紅紫不以為褻服；
當暑，袗絺綌，必表而出之。
緇衣羔裘，素衣麑裘，黃衣狐裘。
褻裘長，短右袂。
必有寢衣，長一身有半。
狐貉之厚以居。
去喪無所不佩。
非帷裳，必殺之。
羔裘玄冠，不以弔。
吉月，必朝服而朝。
The gentleman did not use dark blue or maroon for trimmings, and red and purple he did not use for clothes worn at home;
in hot weather he wore an unlined robe of fine or coarse linen, always over an inner garment when going out.
With a black robe, lambskin; with an undyed robe, fawn skin; with a yellow robe, fox fur.
His fur robe for home was long, with the right sleeve short.
He always had a nightgown, one and a half times his height.
Thick fox and badger furs were for sitting at home.
Out of mourning, he wore every pendant.
Except for the pleated court skirt, his skirts were always cut narrow at the top.
Lambskin and a black cap were not worn on visits of condolence.
On the first day of the month, he always went to court in court dress.2
10.7
齊，必有明衣布。
齊，必變食。
居，必遷坐。
When fasting, he always wore a bright robe of linen.
When fasting, he always changed his food.
At home, he always moved from his usual seat.
10.8
食不厭精，膾不厭細。
食饐而餲，魚餒而肉敗不食，色惡不食，臭惡不食，失飪不食，不時不食，割不正不食，不得其醬不食。
肉雖多，不使勝食氣。
惟酒無量，不及亂。
沽酒，市脯，不食。
不撤薑食。
不多食。
祭於公，不宿肉。
祭肉，不出三日；
出三日，不食之矣。
食不語，寢不言。
雖疏食，菜羹，瓜祭，必齊如也。
He did not tire of rice finely hulled, nor of meat finely minced.
Rice that had spoiled and turned sour, fish that had gone soft, meat that had gone bad, he did not eat. Food of a bad color he did not eat; food of a bad smell he did not eat; food badly cooked he did not eat; food out of season he did not eat; meat not cut properly he did not eat; food without its proper sauce he did not eat.
Though there was plenty of meat, he did not let it overpower the rice.
Only in wine he set himself no limit, but he never reached the point of confusion.
Wine bought from a shop and dried meat from the market he did not eat.
He did not remove the ginger from his food.
He did not eat much.
Meat from a sacrifice at the ducal court he did not keep overnight.
Meat from his own sacrifices he did not keep beyond three days;
beyond three days, he did not eat it.
At meals he did not converse; in bed he did not talk.
Even with coarse rice and vegetable broth, he made an offering, and always gravely.3
10.9
席不正不坐。
If his mat was not set straight, he did not sit on it.
10.10
鄉人飲酒，杖者出，斯出矣。
鄉人儺，朝服而立於阼階。
When the villagers drank wine together, he left as soon as those with canes had left.
When the villagers held the exorcism, he stood in court dress on the eastern steps.4
10.11
問人於他邦，再拜而送之。
康子饋藥，拜而受之，曰：「丘未達，不敢嘗。」
When sending greetings to someone in another state, he bowed twice as he sent off the messenger.
When Kangzi sent him medicine, he bowed and accepted it, saying, “I do not know it, and I dare not taste it.”
10.12
廄焚，子退朝，曰：「傷人乎？」
不問馬。
The stables burned. Returning from court, the Master said, “Was anyone hurt?”
He did not ask about the horses.
10.13
君賜食，必正席先嘗之。
君賜腥，必熟而薦之。
君賜生，必畜之。
侍食於君，君祭先飯。
疾君視之，東首，加朝服拖紳。
君命召，不俟駕行矣。
When the ruler sent him a gift of cooked food, he always set his mat straight and tasted it first.
When the ruler sent him raw meat, he always had it cooked and offered it to his ancestors.
When the ruler sent him a live animal, he always kept it.
When he attended the ruler at a meal, while the ruler made the offering, he tasted the food first.
When he was ill and the ruler came to see him, he lay with his head to the east, with his court robe laid over him and his sash drawn across it.
When the ruler’s command summoned him, he set off on foot without waiting for his horses to be harnessed.
10.14
入大廟，每事問。
When he entered the Grand Temple, he asked about everything.
10.15
朋友死，無所歸，曰：「於我殯。」
朋友之饋，雖車馬，非祭肉，不拜。
When a friend died with no one to take charge of him, he said, “Let him lie in state at my house.”
For a friend’s gifts, even a carriage and horses, he did not bow, unless it was meat from a sacrifice.
10.16
寢不尸，居不容。
見齊衰者，雖狎必變。
見冕者與瞽者，雖褻必以貌。
凶服者式之；
式負版者，有盛饌，必變色而作。
迅雷風烈必變。
Asleep, he did not sprawl like a corpse; at home, he kept no formal airs.
When he saw anyone in mourning dress, even someone he knew well, his face always changed.
When he saw anyone in a ceremonial cap or anyone blind, even in private, he always showed respect.
To anyone in mourning clothes he bowed from his carriage;
he bowed from his carriage to those carrying the census tablets. When a splendid meal was served, his face always changed and he rose.
At sudden thunder or a violent wind, his face always changed.
10.17
升車，必正立執綏。
車中不內顧，不疾言，不親指。
Mounting his carriage, he always stood straight and took hold of the cord.
In the carriage he did not look about, did not speak hastily, and did not point.
10.18
色斯舉矣，翔而後集。
曰：「山梁雌雉，時哉時哉！」
子路共之，三嗅而作。
Seeing the look of men, it rose, circled, and then settled.
He said, “The hen pheasant on the hill bridge, how timely! How timely!”
Zilu cupped his hands to it; it sniffed three times and flew off.5
Notes
1. The jade tablet was the token of the ruler’s commission, carried by an envoy to another court.
2. Several of these rules are obscure; the readings follow Zhu Xi. The gentleman here is Confucius.
3. The Lu text reads 必, always, for 瓜, melon, and we follow it. With 瓜 the line would read: even with coarse rice, vegetable broth, and melon.
4. The exorcism drove out pestilence at the year’s end. The eastern steps were the host’s side of the hall.
5. A broken passage whose readings divide widely. Some take 共 as offering food, or as Zilu’s salute; others read 嗅 as a bird spreading its wings.