Book 11 · Xian Jin 先進
11.1
子曰：「先進於禮樂，野人也；
後進於禮樂，君子也。
如用之，則吾從先進。」
The Master said, “Those who first advanced in ritual and music were rustics;
those who advanced later in ritual and music were gentlemen.
If I were to use them, I would follow those who came first.”1
11.2
子曰：「從我於陳蔡者，皆不及門也。」
德行：顏淵、閔子騫、冉伯牛、仲弓；
言語：宰我、子貢；
政事：冉有、季路；
文學：子游、子夏。
The Master said, “Of those who were with me in Chen and Cai,2 none is at my gate now.”
For virtuous conduct: Yan Yuan, Min Ziqian, Ran Boniu, and Zhonggong;
for speech: Zai Wo and Zigong;
for government: Ran You and Jilu;
for letters and learning: Ziyou and Zixia.
11.3
子曰：「回也，非助我者也！
於吾言，無所不說。」
The Master said, “Hui is no help to me!
There is nothing I say that he does not delight in.”
11.4
子曰：「孝哉閔子騫，人不間於其父母昆弟之言。」
The Master said, “How filial Min Ziqian is! No one finds fault with what his parents and brothers say of him.”
11.5
南容三復白圭，孔子以其兄之子妻之。
Nan Rong repeated the lines on the white jade tablet again and again,3 and Confucius gave him his elder brother’s daughter in marriage.
11.6
季康子問：「弟子孰為好學？」
孔子對曰：「有顏回者好學，不幸短命死矣！
今也則亡。」
Ji Kangzi asked, “Which of your disciples loves learning?”
Confucius replied, “There was Yan Hui who loved learning. Unfortunately his allotted span was short, and he died!
Now there is no one.”
11.7
顏淵死，顏路請子之車以為之槨。
子曰：「才不才，亦各言其子也。
鯉也死，有棺而無槨；
吾不徒行，以為之槨，以吾從大夫之後，不可徒行也。」
When Yan Yuan died, Yan Lu4 asked for the Master’s carriage to pay for an outer coffin.
The Master said, “Talented or not, each of us speaks of his own son.
When Li5 died, he had an inner coffin but no outer one;
I did not go on foot to provide him an outer coffin. Since I follow in the rank of high officer, I cannot go on foot.”
11.8
顏淵死，子曰：「噫！
天喪予！
天喪予！」
When Yan Yuan died, the Master said, “Oh!
Heaven has bereft me!
Heaven has bereft me!”
11.9
顏淵死，子哭之慟。
從者曰：「子慟矣！」
曰：「有慟乎！
非夫人之為慟而誰為！」
When Yan Yuan died, the Master wept for him without restraint.
His followers said, “Master, you weep without restraint!”
He said, “Do I weep without restraint?
If not for this man, for whom should I?”
11.10
顏淵死，門人欲厚葬之，子曰：「不可。」
門人厚葬之。
子曰：「回也，視予猶父也，予不得視猶子也。
非我也，夫二三子也。」
When Yan Yuan died, the disciples wanted to give him a lavish burial. The Master said, “You must not.”
The disciples gave him a lavish burial.
The Master said, “Hui looked on me as a father, but I have not been able to treat him as a son.
It was not my doing. It was you, my friends.”
11.11
季路問事鬼神。
子曰：「未能事人，焉能事鬼？」
「敢問死？」
曰：「未知生，焉知死？」
Jilu asked about serving spirits.
The Master said, “Before you can serve men, how can you serve spirits?”
“May I ask about death?”
He said, “Before you understand life, how can you understand death?”
11.12
閔子侍側，誾誾如也；
子路，行行如也；
冉有、子貢，侃侃如也。
子樂。
若由也，不得其死然。
Master Min stood in attendance at his side, mild and exact;
Zilu, bold and strong;
Ran You and Zigong, frank and pleasant.
The Master was happy.
“A man like You will not die a natural death.”6
11.13
魯人為長府。
閔子騫曰：「仍舊貫，如之何？
何必改作！」
子曰：「夫人不言，言必有中。」
The people of Lu were rebuilding the Long Treasury.
Min Ziqian said, “Why not keep to the old pattern?
Why must it be built anew?”
The Master said, “That man does not speak, but when he speaks he is sure to hit the mark.”
11.14
子曰：「由之瑟，奚為於丘之門？」
門人不敬子路。
子曰：「由也升堂矣！
未入於室也！」
The Master said, “What is You’s zither doing at my gate?”
The disciples stopped treating Zilu with respect.
The Master said, “You has come up into the hall!
He has not yet entered the inner room!”
11.15
子貢問：「師與商也孰賢？」
子曰：「師也過，商也不及。」
曰：「然則師愈與？」
子曰：「過猶不及。」
Zigong asked, “Which is the worthier, Shi or Shang?”
The Master said, “Shi goes too far, and Shang does not go far enough.”
He said, “Then is Shi the better?”
The Master said, “To go too far is the same as not to go far enough.”
11.16
季氏富於周公，而求也為之聚斂而附益之。
子曰：「非吾徒也，小子鳴鼓而攻之可也！」
The Ji were richer than the Duke of Zhou, and yet Qiu gathered in taxes for them and added to their wealth.
The Master said, “He is no disciple of mine. You may sound the drum and attack him, my young friends!”
11.17
柴也愚，參也魯，師也辟，由也喭。
Chai is simple, Shen is slow, Shi is extreme, You is rough.7
11.18
子曰：「回也其庶乎！
屢空，賜不受命，而貨殖焉；
億則屢中。」
The Master said, “Hui is nearly there!
He is often empty-handed. Ci does not accept his lot, and he goes into trade;
his guesses are often right.”
11.19
子張問善人之道。
子曰：「不踐跡，亦不入於室。」
Zizhang asked about the way of the good man.
The Master said, “He does not walk in others’ footsteps, but neither does he enter the inner room.”
11.20
子曰：「論篤是與，君子者乎？
色莊者乎？」
The Master said, “To approve of earnest talk, is that approving of a gentleman?
Or of one who only puts on a grave face?”
11.21
子路問：「聞斯行諸？」
子曰：「有父兄在，如之何其聞斯行之！」
冉有問：「聞斯行諸？」
子曰：「聞斯行之！」
公西華曰：「由也問：『聞斯行諸？』
子曰：『有父兄在。』
求也問：『聞斯行諸？』
子曰：『聞斯行之。』
赤也惑，敢問。」
子曰：「求也退，故進之；
由也兼人，故退之。」
Zilu asked, “When I hear something, should I act on it?”
The Master said, “While your father and elder brothers are alive, how can you act on it as soon as you hear it?”
Ran You asked, “When I hear something, should I act on it?”
The Master said, “When you hear it, act on it!”
Gongxi Hua said, “When You asked, ‘When I hear something, should I act on it?’
you said, ‘Your father and elder brothers are alive.’
When Qiu asked, ‘When I hear something, should I act on it?’
you said, ‘When you hear it, act on it.’
I am perplexed, and I venture to ask.”
The Master said, “Qiu holds back, so I urged him on;
You has the boldness of two men, so I held him back.”
11.22
子畏於匡，顏淵後。
子曰：「吾以女為死矣！」
曰：「子在，回何敢死！」
The Master was in danger in Kuang, and Yan Yuan fell behind.
The Master said, “I thought you were dead!”
He said, “While you are alive, how would I dare to die?”
11.23
季子然問：「仲由、冉求，可謂大臣與？」
子曰：「吾以子為異之問，曾由與求之問。
所謂大臣者，以道事君，不可則止；
今由與求也，可謂具臣矣。」
曰：「然則從之者與？」
子曰：「弒父與君，亦不從也。」
Ji Ziran8 asked, “Can Zhong You and Ran Qiu be called great ministers?”
The Master said, “I expected a question about someone out of the ordinary, and it is only about You and Qiu.
What are called great ministers serve their ruler by the Way, and when they cannot, they resign;
now You and Qiu can be called ministers who fill the posts.”
He said, “Then they will simply do as they are told?”
The Master said, “If it were to kill a father or a ruler, they would not do it.”
11.24
子路使子羔為費宰。
子曰：「賊夫人之子！」
子路曰：「有民人焉，有社稷焉，何必讀書，然後為學？」
子曰：「是故惡夫佞者。」
Zilu made Zigao9 steward of Bi.
The Master said, “You are doing harm to another man’s son!”
Zilu said, “There are the people there, and there are the altars of the soil and grain. Why must one read books before he can be called learned?”
The Master said, “That is why I hate glib men.”
11.25
子路、曾皙、冉有、公西華侍坐。
子曰：「以吾一日長乎爾，毋吾以也。
居則曰：『不吾知也！』
如或知爾，則何以哉？」
子路率爾而對曰：「千乘之國，攝乎大國之間，加之以師旅，因之以饑饉，由也為之，比及三年，可使有勇，且知方也。」
夫子哂之。
「求，爾何如？」
對曰：「方六七十，如五六十，求也為之，比及三年，可使足民；
如其禮樂，以俟君子。」
「赤，爾何如？」
對曰：「非曰能之，願學焉！
宗廟之事，如會同，端章甫，願為小相焉。」
「點，爾何如？」
鼓瑟希，鏗爾，舍瑟而作。
對曰：「異乎三子者之撰。」
子曰：「何傷乎？
亦各言其志也。」
曰：「莫春者，春服既成；
冠者五六人，童子六七人，浴乎沂，風乎舞雩，詠而歸。」
夫子喟然嘆曰：「吾與點也！」
三子者出，曾皙後。
曾皙曰：「夫三子者之言何如？」
子曰：「亦各言其志也已矣！」
曰：「夫子何哂由也？」
曰：「為國以禮，其言不讓，是故哂之。」
「唯求則非邦也與？」
「安見方六七十，如五六十，而非邦也者。」
「唯赤，非邦也與？」
「宗廟會同，非諸侯而何？
赤也為之小，孰能為之大！」
Zilu, Zeng Xi,10 Ran You, and Gongxi Hua were sitting in attendance.
The Master said, “I may be a day or so your elder, but do not hold back on my account.
You are always saying, ‘No one knows us!’
If someone did know you, what would you do?”
Zilu answered at once, “A state of a thousand chariots, hemmed in between great states, beset by invading armies and afflicted by famine: if I were in charge of it, within three years I could give the people courage and a sense of direction.”
The Master smiled at him.
“Qiu, what about you?”
He replied, “A territory of sixty or seventy li square, or fifty or sixty: if I were in charge of it, within three years I could see that the people had enough;
as for ritual and music, I would wait for a gentleman.”
“Chi, what about you?”
He replied, “I do not say I could do it, but I would like to learn!
At the affairs of the ancestral temple, or at a gathering of the lords, I would like to be a junior assistant in a black robe and cap.”
“Dian, what about you?”
His playing on the zither slowed, then with a final note he set it aside and rose.
He replied, “My wish is different from what these three have set out.”
The Master said, “What harm is there in that?
Each is only stating his wish.”
He said, “In late spring, when the spring clothes are made,
with five or six young men who have been capped and six or seven boys, to bathe in the Yi, enjoy the breeze at the Rain Altar,11 and go home singing.”
The Master sighed deeply and said, “I am with Dian!”
The three went out, and Zeng Xi stayed behind.
Zeng Xi said, “What of the words of those three?”
The Master said, “Each was only stating his wish, that is all!”
He said, “Why did you smile at You?”
He said, “A state is governed by ritual, and his words were not modest. That is why I smiled.”
“And was Qiu not speaking of a state?”
“Where have you seen a territory of sixty or seventy li square, or fifty or sixty, that was not a state?”
“And Chi, was he not speaking of a state?”
“The ancestral temple and the gatherings, what are these if not the business of the lords?
If Chi would be a junior assistant, who could be a senior one?”
Notes
1. Read with Zhu Xi: the men of the early Zhou, plain in their ritual, against the polished men of the present. Others take the first and later to be Confucius’s own earlier and later disciples.
2. In 489 BC Confucius and his disciples were cut off without food between the states of Chen and Cai.
3. The lines are in the ode “Yi” of the Songs: a flaw in a white jade tablet can be ground away, but a flaw in words cannot. Nan Rong appears at 5.1.
4. Yan Wuyou, Yan Hui’s father, himself a disciple.
5. Kong Li, courtesy name Boyu, Confucius’s son, who died before his father.
6. The words have no speaker in the Chinese; they are taken as the Master’s. Zilu died in 480 BC in a coup in Wei.
7. Chai is Gao Chai, Zigao; Shen is Master Zeng; Shi is Zizhang; You is Zilu.
8. A younger son of the Ji family.
9. Gao Chai, courtesy name Zigao, a young disciple.
10. Zeng Dian, courtesy name Xi, father of Master Zeng.
11. The altar south of the Lu capital where the rain dance was performed, near the river Yi.