Book 16 · Ji Shi 季氏
16.1
季氏將伐顓臾。
冉有季路見於孔子曰：「季氏將有事於顓臾。」
孔子曰：「求，無乃爾是過與？
夫顓臾，昔者先王以為東蒙主，且在邦域之中矣，是社稷之臣也，何以伐為？」
冉有曰：「夫子欲之；
吾二臣者，皆不欲也。」
孔子曰：「求，周任有言曰：『陳力就列，不能者止。』
危而不持，顛而不扶，則將焉用彼相矣？
且爾言過矣。
虎兕出於柙，龜玉毀於櫝中，是誰之過與？」
冉有曰：「今夫顓臾，固而近於費，今不取，後世必為子孫憂。」
孔子曰：「求，君子疾夫舍曰『欲之』，而必為之辭。
丘也聞，有國有家者，不患寡而患不均，不患貧而患不安。
蓋均無貧，和無寡，安無傾。
夫如是，故遠人不服，則修文德以來之。
既來之，則安之。
今由與求也，相夫子，遠人不服而不能來也，邦分崩離析，而不能守也，而謀動干戈於邦內，吾恐季孫之憂，不在顓臾，而在蕭牆之內也！」
The head of the Ji was about to attack Zhuanyu.1
Ran You and Jilu went to see Confucius and said, “The Ji are about to take action against Zhuanyu.”
Confucius said, “Qiu, is this not your fault?
Long ago the former kings made Zhuanyu the lord of the sacrifices to Dongmeng, and besides, it lies within our borders. It is a vassal of the altars of the soil and grain. Why attack it?”
Ran You said, “Our master wants it;
we two ministers do not want it.”
Confucius said, “Qiu, Zhou Ren2 had a saying: ‘Put forth your strength and take your place in the ranks; if you cannot, resign.’
If one totters and the helper does not steady him, if one falls and the helper does not hold him up, what use is such a helper?
Besides, what you say is wrong.
When a tiger or a rhinoceros escapes from its cage, or a tortoise shell or a jade is broken in its case, whose fault is it?”
Ran You said, “But Zhuanyu is now strongly walled and close to Bi. If we do not take it now, it is sure to be a worry to the descendants in later generations.”
Confucius said, “Qiu, the gentleman hates those who will not say ‘I want it’ but must make excuses for it.
I have heard that those who hold a state or a house do not worry about having few people but about uneven shares, and do not worry about poverty but about unrest.
For where shares are even there is no poverty, where there is harmony there is no lack of people, and where there is peace there is no overthrow.
That being so, when people far away do not submit, cultivate the virtue of culture to bring them.
When they have come, give them peace.
Now You and Qiu, you assist your master, but when people far away do not submit, you cannot bring them, and when the state is breaking up and falling apart, you cannot hold it together, and instead you plan to wield shield and dagger within the state. I fear the Ji Sun’s worries lie not in Zhuanyu but inside the screen of his own gate!”3
16.2
孔子曰：「天下有道，則禮樂征伐自天子出；
天下無道，則禮樂征伐自諸侯出。
自諸侯出，蓋十世希不失矣；
自大夫出，五世希不失矣。
陪臣執國命，三世希不失矣。
天下有道，則政不在大夫。
天下有道，則庶人不議。」
Confucius said, “When the world has the Way, ritual, music, and punitive expeditions issue from the Son of Heaven;
when the world is without the Way, ritual, music, and punitive expeditions issue from the lords.
When they issue from the lords, it is seldom that power is not lost within ten generations;
when they issue from the high officers, it is seldom not lost within five generations.
When retainers hold the state’s command, it is seldom not lost within three generations.
When the world has the Way, government does not rest with the high officers.
When the world has the Way, the common people do not debate it.”
16.3
孔子曰：「祿之去公室五世矣，政逮於大夫四世矣。
故夫三桓之子孫微矣。」
Confucius said, “It is five generations since revenue left the ducal house, and four generations since government passed to the high officers.
That is why the descendants of the Three Huan are in decline.”4
16.4
孔子曰：「益者三友，損者三友。
友直，友諒，友多聞，益矣。
友便辟，友善柔，友便佞，損矣。」
Confucius said, “There are three kinds of friends who are beneficial and three kinds who are harmful.
To befriend the upright, the faithful, and the well informed is beneficial.
To befriend the ingratiating, the fawning, and the glib is harmful.”
16.5
孔子曰：「益者三樂，損者三樂。
樂節禮樂，樂道人之善，樂多賢友，益矣。
樂驕樂，樂佚遊，樂宴樂，損矣。」
Confucius said, “There are three kinds of pleasure that are beneficial and three kinds that are harmful.
To take pleasure in the measure of ritual and music, in speaking of the good in others, and in having many worthy friends is beneficial.
To take pleasure in arrogant enjoyment, in idle wandering, and in feasting is harmful.”
16.6
孔子曰：「侍於君子有三愆。
言未及之而言謂之躁，言及之而不言謂之隱，未見顏色而言謂之瞽。」
Confucius said, “In attending a gentleman there are three errors.
To speak before it is your turn to speak is called rashness; to fail to speak when it is your turn is called concealment; to speak without watching his face is called blindness.”
16.7
孔子曰：「君子有三戒。
少之時，血氣未定，戒之在色；
及其壯也，血氣方剛，戒之在鬥；
及其老也，血氣既衰，戒之在得。」
Confucius said, “The gentleman has three things to guard against.
In youth, when the blood and breath are not yet settled, he guards against lust;
in his prime, when the blood and breath are at their strongest, he guards against strife;
in old age, when the blood and breath have declined, he guards against acquisitiveness.”
16.8
孔子曰：「君子有三畏：畏天命，畏大人，畏聖人之言。
小人不知天命而不畏也，狎大人，侮聖人之言。」
Confucius said, “The gentleman stands in awe of three things: he stands in awe of the mandate of Heaven, of great men, and of the words of the sages.
The petty man does not know the mandate of Heaven and so does not stand in awe of it; he is familiar with great men and scorns the words of the sages.”
16.9
孔子曰：「生而知之者，上也；
學而知之者，次也；
困而學之，又其次也。
困而不學，民斯為下矣！」
Confucius said, “Those born knowing it are the highest;
those who learn and so know it are next;
those who learn it after meeting with difficulty are next again.
Those who meet with difficulty and still do not learn: these are the lowest of the people!”
16.10
孔子曰：「君子有九思：視思明，聽思聰，色思溫，貌思恭，言思忠，事思敬，疑思問，忿思難，見得思義。」
Confucius said, “The gentleman has nine things he gives thought to: in seeing, he thinks of seeing clearly; in hearing, of hearing keenly; in his look, of being warm; in his manner, of being respectful; in his words, of being conscientious; in his work, of being reverent; in doubt, of asking; in anger, of the trouble it may bring; at the sight of gain, of what is right.”
16.11
孔子曰：「見善如不及，見不善而探湯，吾見其人矣，吾聞其語矣！
隱居以求其志，行義以達其道，吾聞其語矣，未見其人也！」
Confucius said, “‘Looking on the good as if he could not reach it, and on what is not good as if testing scalding water’: I have seen such men, and I have heard such words!
‘Living in seclusion to pursue his aims, practicing what is right to carry through his Way’: I have heard such words, but I have not seen such men!”
16.12
「齊景公有馬千駟，死之日，民無德而稱焉。
伯夷、叔齊餓於首陽之下，民到于今稱之，其斯之謂與？」
“Duke Jing of Qi had a thousand teams of four horses, yet on the day he died the people found no virtue in him to praise.
Bo Yi and Shu Qi starved below Mount Shouyang, and down to this day the people praise them. Is this not what is meant?”5
16.13
陳亢問於伯魚曰：「子亦有異聞乎？」
對曰：「未也。
嘗獨立，鯉趨而過庭。
曰：『學詩乎？』
對曰：『未也。』
『不學詩，無以言。』
鯉退而學詩。
他日，又獨立，鯉趨而過庭。
曰：『學禮乎？』
對曰：『未也。』
『不學禮，無以立。』
鯉退而學禮。
聞斯二者。」
陳亢退而喜曰：「問一得三，聞詩、聞禮，又聞君子之遠其子也。」
Chen Kang asked Boyu, “Have you heard anything different from what we hear?”
He replied, “No.
Once, when he was standing alone, I hurried across the courtyard.
He said, ‘Have you studied the Songs?’
I replied, ‘Not yet.’
‘If you do not study the Songs, you will have nothing to say.’
I withdrew and studied the Songs.
Another day, when he was again standing alone, I hurried across the courtyard.
He said, ‘Have you studied ritual?’
I replied, ‘Not yet.’
‘If you do not study ritual, you will have nothing to stand on.’
I withdrew and studied ritual.
These two things I have heard.”
Chen Kang withdrew and said happily, “I asked one thing and got three: I heard about the Songs, I heard about ritual, and I heard that the gentleman keeps his son at a distance.”
16.14
邦君之妻，君稱之曰夫人，夫人自稱曰小童，邦人稱之曰君夫人，稱諸異邦曰寡小君，異邦人稱之亦曰君夫人。
The wife of the ruler of a state: the ruler calls her “the lady,” and the lady calls herself “the little girl”; the people of the state call her “the ruler’s lady,” and when speaking to other states they call her “our little ruler”; people of other states also call her “the ruler’s lady.”
Notes
1. A small dependent state within Lu, near the Ji family’s town of Bi. Dongmeng is a mountain in Lu.
2. A historian of antiquity.
3. The screen inside the gate stood where ministers waited to see their lord; the trouble would come from within the Ji house itself. Ji Sun is the head of the Ji.
4. The Three Families descended from Duke Huan of Lu.
5. The Chinese names no speaker. Zhu Xi supposes a lost opening 孔子曰 and takes the ode lines at the end of 12.10 to belong here, before the last sentence.