Book 13 · Zilu 子路
13.1
子路問「政」。
子曰：「先之，勞之。」
請益。
曰：「無倦。」
Zilu asked about government.
The Master said, “Go before them, and work hard for them.”
He asked for more.
The Master said, “Do not tire.”
13.2
仲弓為季氏宰，問「政」。
子曰：「先有司，赦小過，舉賢才。」
曰：「焉知賢才而舉之？」
曰：「舉爾所知，爾所不知，人其舍諸！」
When Zhonggong was steward to the Ji, he asked about government.
The Master said, “Put your officers first, pardon small faults, and raise up worthy and talented men.”
He said, “How do I recognize worthy and talented men in order to raise them up?”
He said, “Raise up those you know. Those you do not know, will others pass them over?”
13.3
子路曰：「衛君待子而為政，子將奚先？」
子曰：「必也正名乎！」
子路曰：「有是哉？
子之迂也！
奚其正？」
子曰：「野哉，由也！
君子於其所不知，蓋闕如也。
名不正，則言不順；
言不順，則事不成；
事不成，則禮樂不興；
禮樂不興，則刑罰不中；
刑罰不中，則民無所措手足。
故君子名之必可言也，言之必可行也。
君子於其言，無所苟而已矣！」
Zilu said, “The ruler of Wei is waiting for you to take charge of government. What will you put first?”
The Master said, “It would have to be the rectifying of names!”
Zilu said, “Is that so?
How far off the point you are!
Why rectify them?”
The Master said, “How rustic you are, You!
What he does not know, a gentleman leaves blank.
If names are not correct, speech does not follow;
if speech does not follow, affairs are not accomplished;
if affairs are not accomplished, ritual and music do not flourish;
if ritual and music do not flourish, punishments miss the mark;
if punishments miss the mark, the people have nowhere to put hand or foot.
So when the gentleman names a thing, it can surely be spoken, and when he speaks of it, it can surely be done.
The gentleman is never careless in his words, and that is all!”
13.4
樊遲請學稼，子曰：「吾不如老農。」
請學為圃，曰：「吾不如老圃。」
樊遲出，子曰：「小人哉，樊須也！
上好禮，則民莫敢不敬；
上好義，則民莫敢不服；
上好信，則民莫敢不用情。
夫如是，則四方之民，襁負其子而至矣；
焉用稼！」
Fan Chi asked to learn farming. The Master said, “I am not as good as an old farmer.”
He asked to learn gardening. The Master said, “I am not as good as an old gardener.”
When Fan Chi had gone out, the Master said, “What a petty man Fan Xu is!
If those above love ritual, none of the people will dare to be irreverent;
if those above love what is right, none of the people will dare not to submit;
if those above love good faith, none of the people will dare to hide the truth.
When it is like this, the people of the four quarters will come with their children strapped to their backs;
what need is there for farming?”
13.5
子曰：「誦詩三百，授之以政，不達；
使於四方，不能專對。
雖多，亦奚以為？」
The Master said, “A man may recite the three hundred Songs, yet when given a post in government he cannot carry it through;
sent to the four quarters, he cannot answer on his own.
However many he knows, what use are they?”
13.6
子曰：「其身正，不令而行；
其身不正，雖令不從。」
The Master said, “When he is correct in himself, things are done without his giving orders;
when he is not correct in himself, though he gives orders they are not obeyed.”
13.7
子曰：「魯衛之政，兄弟也。」
The Master said, “The governments of Lu and Wei are brothers.”1
13.8
子謂衛公子荊善居室：「始有，曰『苟合矣』；
少有，曰『苟完矣』；
富有，曰『苟美矣。』」
The Master said of Prince Jing of Wei2 that he managed his household well: “When he first had something, he said, ‘This will just about do’;
when he had a little more, he said, ‘This is just about complete’;
when he was rich, he said, ‘This is just about splendid.’”
13.9
子適衛，冉有僕。
子曰：「庶矣哉！」
冉有曰：「既庶矣，又何加焉？」
曰：「富之。」
曰：「既富矣，又何加焉？」
曰：「教之。」
The Master went to Wei, and Ran You drove for him.
The Master said, “What a multitude of people!”
Ran You said, “When they are so many, what more should be done for them?”
He said, “Make them rich.”
He said, “When they are rich, what more should be done for them?”
He said, “Teach them.”
13.10
子曰：「苟有用我者，期月而已可也，三年有成。」
The Master said, “If someone would employ me, in a year things would be in hand, and in three years there would be results.”
13.11
子曰：「『善人為邦百年，亦可以勝殘去殺矣。』
誠哉是言也！」
The Master said, “‘If good men governed a state for a hundred years, they could overcome cruelty and do away with killing.’
How true that saying is!”
13.12
子曰：「如有王者，必世而後仁。」
The Master said, “Even if a true king arose, it would surely take a generation before humaneness prevailed.”
13.13
子曰：「苟正其身矣，於從政乎何有？
不能正其身，如正人何？」
The Master said, “If a man can be correct in himself, what difficulty would he have in taking part in government?
If he cannot be correct in himself, how can he correct others?”
13.14
冉子退朝，子曰：「何晏也？」
對曰：「有政。」
子曰：「其事也！
如有政，雖不吾以，吾其與聞之！」
Master Ran came back from court. The Master said, “Why so late?”
He replied, “There was government business.”
The Master said, “It must have been household affairs!
If there had been government business, though I am not employed, I would have heard of it!”3
13.15
定公問：「一言而可以興邦，有諸？」
孔子對曰：「言不可以若是其幾也！
人之言曰：『為君難，為臣不易。』
如知為君之難也，不幾乎一言而興邦乎？」
曰：「一言而喪邦，有諸？」
孔子對曰：「言不可以若是其幾也！
人之言曰：『予無樂乎為君，唯其言而莫予違也。』
如其善而莫之違也，不亦善乎？
如不善而莫之違也，不幾乎一言而喪邦乎？」
Duke Ding asked, “Is there a single saying that can make a state flourish?”
Confucius replied, “A saying cannot be expected to have such an effect!
But people say, ‘It is hard to be a ruler, and not easy to be a minister.’
If a ruler knew that it is hard to be a ruler, would that not come close to a single saying making a state flourish?”
He said, “Is there a single saying that can ruin a state?”
Confucius replied, “A saying cannot be expected to have such an effect!
But people say, ‘I take no joy in being a ruler, except that no one goes against what I say.’
If what he says is good and no one goes against it, is that not good?
If what he says is not good and no one goes against it, would that not come close to a single saying ruining a state?”
13.16
葉公問政。
子曰：「近者說，遠者來。」
The Lord of She asked about government.
The Master said, “When those near are pleased, those far away will come.”
13.17
子夏為莒父宰問政。
子曰：「無欲速，無見小利。
欲速則不達，見小利則大事不成。」
When Zixia was steward of Jufu, he asked about government.
The Master said, “Do not want things done quickly; do not look for small gains.
If you want things done quickly, you will not reach your goal; if you look for small gains, great affairs will not be accomplished.”
13.18
葉公語孔子曰：「吾黨有直躬者，其父攘羊而子證之。」
孔子曰：「吾黨之直者異於是，父為子隱，子為父隱，直在其中矣。」
The Lord of She said to Confucius, “Among my people there is one who walks upright. When his father stole a sheep, the son bore witness against him.”
Confucius said, “The upright among my people are different. The father covers for the son, and the son covers for the father. Uprightness lies in that.”
13.19
樊遲問仁。
子曰：「居處恭，執事敬，與人忠，雖之夷狄，不可棄也。」
Fan Chi asked about humaneness.
The Master said, “Be respectful in private life, reverent in handling affairs, and conscientious in dealing with others. Even among the barbarians, these must not be abandoned.”
13.20
子貢問曰：「何如斯可謂之士矣？」
子曰：「行己有恥，使於四方，不辱君命，可謂士矣。」
曰：「敢問其次？」
曰：「宗族稱孝焉，鄉黨稱弟焉。」
曰：「敢問其次？」
曰：「言必信，行必果；
硜硜然，小人哉！
抑亦可以為次矣。」
曰：「今之從政者何如？」
子曰：「噫！
斗筲之人，何足算也！」
Zigong asked, “What must one be like to be called a man of service?”
The Master said, “One who has a sense of shame in his own conduct and, sent to the four quarters, does not disgrace his ruler’s commission can be called a man of service.”
He said, “May I ask about the next?”
He said, “One whose clan calls him filial and whose village calls him respectful to his elders.”
He said, “May I ask about the next?”
He said, “One who must keep his word and must carry through what he does;
a stubborn petty man!
Still, he may perhaps be counted next.”
He said, “What of those in government today?”
The Master said, “Oh!
Men of a peck or a bushel, not worth counting!”
13.21
子曰：「不得中行而與之，必也狂狷乎？
狂者進取，狷者有所不為也。」
The Master said, “If I cannot find men who walk the middle way to associate with, then it must be the wild or the scrupulous!
The wild go forward and take hold; the scrupulous have things they will not do.”
13.22
子曰：「南人有言曰：『人而無恒，不可以作巫醫。』
善夫！
『不恒其德，或承之羞。』」
子曰：「不占而已矣。」
The Master said, “The southerners have a saying: ‘A man without constancy cannot even become a shaman or a healer.’
Well said!
‘If he is not constant in his virtue, disgrace may come upon him.’”4
The Master said, “It is simply that such a man would not consult the oracle.”
13.23
子曰：「君子和而不同，小人同而不和。」
The Master said, “The gentleman is in harmony but not the same; the petty man is the same but not in harmony.”
13.24
子貢問曰：「鄉人皆好之，何如？」
子曰：「未可也。」
「鄉人皆惡之，何如？」
子曰：「未可也。
不如鄉人之善者好之，其不善者惡之。」
Zigong asked, “If all in his village like a man, what of him?”
The Master said, “Not enough.”
“If all in his village hate him, what of him?”
The Master said, “Not enough.
Better if the good in his village like him and those who are not good hate him.”
13.25
子曰：「君子易事而難說也，說之不以道，不說也，及其使人也，器之。
小人難事而易說也，說之雖不以道，說也，及其使人也，求備焉。」
The Master said, “The gentleman is easy to serve and hard to please. Please him by what is not the Way, and he is not pleased; and when he employs others, he uses each according to his capacity.
The petty man is hard to serve and easy to please. Please him by what is not the Way, and he is pleased all the same; and when he employs others, he expects everything of them.”
13.26
子曰：「君子泰而不驕，小人驕而不泰。」
The Master said, “The gentleman is at ease without arrogance; the petty man is arrogant without ease.”
13.27
子曰：「剛毅木訥，近仁。」
The Master said, “Firm, resolute, plain, and slow of speech: these are close to humaneness.”
13.28
子路問曰：「何如斯可謂之士矣？」
子曰：「切切偲偲，怡怡如也，可謂士矣。
朋友切切偲偲，兄弟怡怡。」
Zilu asked, “What must one be like to be called a man of service?”
The Master said, “Earnest and searching in counsel, and genial: he can be called a man of service.
With friends earnest and searching, with brothers genial.”
13.29
子曰：「善人教民七年，亦可以即戎矣。」
The Master said, “When good men have taught the people for seven years, they may take up arms.”
13.30
子曰：「以不教民戰，是謂棄之。」
The Master said, “To send untaught people to war is called throwing them away.”
Notes
1. Lu was founded by the Duke of Zhou and Wei by his younger brother, Kangshu; in Confucius’s day both were in a like state of decline.
2. A son of a duke of Wei, praised also by Wu’s prince Jizha as a gentleman.
3. Ran Qiu was serving the Ji family; Confucius pointedly calls its business household affairs, not the business of the state.
4. The second saying is a line of the Changes, under the hexagram Heng, Constancy.