Book 20 · Yao Yue 堯曰
20.1
堯曰：「咨！
爾舜！
天之歷數在爾躬，允執其中！
四海困窮，天祿永終。」
舜亦以命禹。
曰：「予小子履，敢用玄牡，敢昭告于皇皇后帝，有罪不敢赦，帝臣不蔽，簡在帝心！
朕躬有罪，無以萬方；
萬方有罪，罪在朕躬。」
「周有大賚，善人是富。」
「雖有周親，不如仁人；
百姓有過，在予一人。
謹權量，審法度，修廢官，四方之政行焉。
興滅國，繼絕世，舉逸民，天下之民歸心焉。
所重民，食喪祭。
寬則得眾，信則民任焉。
敏則有功，公則說。」
Yao said, “Oh!
You, Shun!
The succession ordained by Heaven rests on your person. Hold faithfully to the center!
If the land within the four seas falls into distress and want, Heaven’s gifts to you will end forever.”
Shun too charged Yu with these words.
He said,1 “I, Lü, your little child, dare to offer a black bull and dare to declare plainly to the most august Lord on High: the guilty I dare not pardon, and your servants, O Lord, I will not conceal; the choice lies in your heart, O Lord!
If I myself am guilty, let it not fall on the myriad regions;
if the myriad regions are guilty, let the guilt rest on my person.”
“The Zhou bestowed great gifts, and the good were made rich.”
“Though I have close kin, they are not equal to humane men;
if the common people do wrong, let it rest on me, the One Man.”2
He was careful with weights and measures, examined the laws and standards, and restored the offices that had lapsed, and government was carried out in the four quarters.
He revived states that had been destroyed, restored lines that had been cut off, and raised up men who had withdrawn, and the hearts of the people of the world turned to him.
What he gave weight to: the people, food, mourning, and sacrifice.
Be generous, and you will win the multitude; keep good faith, and the people will rely on you.
Be diligent, and you will have success; be fair, and they will be pleased.
20.2
子張問於孔子曰：「何如斯可以從政矣？」
子曰：「尊五美，屏四惡，斯可以從政矣。」
子張曰：「何謂五美？」
子曰：「君子惠而不費，勞而不怨，欲而不貪，泰而不驕；
威而不猛。」
子張曰：「何謂惠而不費？」
子曰：「因民之所利而利之，斯不亦惠而不費乎？
擇可勞而勞之，又誰怨！
欲仁而得仁，又焉貪！
君子無眾寡，無小大，無敢慢，斯不亦泰而不驕乎！
君子正其衣冠，尊其瞻視，儼然人望而畏之，斯不亦威而不猛乎！」
子張曰：「何謂四惡？」
子曰：「不教而殺謂之虐，不戒視成謂之暴，慢令致期謂之賊，猶之與人也，出納之吝，謂之有司。」
Zizhang asked Confucius, “What must one be like to take part in government?”
The Master said, “Honor the five excellences and banish the four evils, and you can take part in government.”
Zizhang said, “What are the five excellences?”
The Master said, “The gentleman is generous without expense, works the people hard without their resentment, has desires without greed, is at ease without arrogance,
and is awe-inspiring without being fierce.”
Zizhang said, “What is meant by generous without expense?”
The Master said, “To benefit the people by what benefits them, is that not to be generous without expense?
If he chooses tasks they can be worked at and works them at those, who will resent it?
If he desires humaneness and gains humaneness, how is he greedy?
Whether with many or few, with small or great, the gentleman never dares to be careless: is that not to be at ease without arrogance?
The gentleman sets his robe and cap straight and keeps his gaze dignified, so that he is stern and others look on him with awe: is that not to be awe-inspiring without being fierce?”
Zizhang said, “What are the four evils?”
The Master said, “To put men to death without having taught them is called cruelty; to demand results without warning is called tyranny; to be slow in giving orders and then insist on the deadline is called robbery; and when something must be given to others, to be grudging in handing it out is called acting like a petty clerk.”
20.3
子曰：「不知命，無以為君子也。
不知禮，無以立也。
不知言，無以知人也。」
The Master said, “One who does not know fate has no way to be a gentleman.
One who does not know ritual has no way to stand.
One who does not know words has no way to know men.”