达巷党人曰：“大哉孔子！博学而无所成名。”子闻之，谓门弟子曰：“吾何执？执御乎，执射乎？吾执御矣。”
1. A man of the village of Ta-hsiang said, 'Great indeed is the philosopher K'ung! His learning is extensive, and yet he does not render his name famous by any particular thing.' 2. The Master heard the observation, and said to his disciples, 'What shall I practise? Shall I practise charioteering, or shall I practise archery? I will practise charioteering.'
子曰：“麻冕，礼也；今也纯，俭，吾从众。拜下，礼也；今拜乎上，泰也；虽违众，吾从下。”
1. The Master said, 'The linen cap is that prescribed by the rules of ceremony, but now a silk one is worn. It is economical, and I follow the common practice. 2. 'The rules of ceremony prescribe the bowing below the hall, but now the practice is to bow only after ascending it. That is arrogant. I continue to bow below the hall, though I oppose the common practice.'
子绝四：毋意、毋必、毋固、毋我。
There were four things from which the Master was entirely free. He had no foregone conclusions, no arbitrary predeterminations, no obstinacy, and no egoism.
子畏于匡，曰：“文王既没，文不在兹乎？天之将丧斯文也，后死者不得与于斯文也；天之未丧斯文也，匡人其如予何？”
1. The Master was put in fear in K'wang. 2. He said, 'After the death of King Wan, was not the cause of truth lodged here in me? 3. 'If Heaven had wished to let this cause of truth perish, then I, a future mortal, should not have got such a relation to that cause. While Heaven does not let the cause of truth perish, what can the people of K'wang do to me?'
太宰问于子贡曰：“夫子圣者与，何其多能也？”子贡曰：“固天纵之将圣，又多能也。”子闻之，曰：“太宰知我乎？吾少也贱，故多能鄙事。君子多乎哉？不多也。”
1. A high officer asked Tsze-kung, saying, 'May we not say that your Master is a sage? How various is his ability!' 2. Tsze-kung said, 'Certainly Heaven has endowed him unlimitedly. He is about a sage. And, moreover, his ability is various.' 3. The Master heard of the conversation and said, 'Does the high officer know me? When I was young, my condition was low, and therefore I acquired my ability in many things, but they were mean matters. Must the superior man have such variety of ability? He does not need variety of ability.' 4. Lao said, 'The Master said, "Having no official employment, I acquired many arts."'
牢曰：“子云：‘吾不试，故艺。’”
The Master said, 'Am I indeed possessed of knowledge? I am not knowing. But if a mean person, who appears quite empty-like, ask anything of me, I set it forth from one end to the other, and exhaust it.'
子曰：“吾有知乎哉？无知也。有鄙夫问于我，空空如也。我叩其两端而竭焉。”
The Master said, 'The FANG bird does not come; the river sends forth no map:-- it is all over with me!'
子曰：“凤鸟不至，河不出图，吾已矣夫！”
When the Master saw a person in a mourning dress, or any one with the cap and upper and lower garments of full dress, or a blind person, on observing them approaching, though they were younger than himself, he would rise up, and if he had to pass by them, he would do so hastily.
子见齐衰者、冕衣裳者与瞽者，见之，虽少，必作，过之必趋。
1. Yen Yuan, in admiration of the Master's doctrines, sighed and said, 'I looked up to them, and they seemed to become more high; I tried to penetrate them, and they seemed to become more firm; I looked at them before me, and suddenly they seemed to be behind. 2. 'The Master, by orderly method, skilfully leads men on. He enlarged my mind with learning, and taught me the restraints of propriety. 3. 'When I wish to give over the study of his doctrines, I cannot do so, and having exerted all my ability, there seems something to stand right up before me; but though I wish to follow and lay hold of it, I really find no way to do so.'
颜渊喟然叹曰：“仰之弥高，钻之弥坚。瞻之在前，忽焉在后。夫子循循然善诱人，博我以文，约我以礼，欲罢不能。既竭吾才，如有所立卓尔，虽欲从之，末由也已。”
1. The Master being very ill, Tsze-lu wished the disciples to act as ministers to him. 2. During a remission of his illness, he said, 'Long has the conduct of Yu been deceitful! By pretending to have ministers when I have them not, whom should I impose upon? Should I impose upon Heaven? 3. 'Moreover, than that I should die in the hands of ministers, is it not better that I should die in the hands of you, my disciples? And though I may not get a great burial, shall I die upon the road?'
子疾病，子路使门人为臣。病间，曰：“久矣哉，由之行诈也！无臣而为有臣，吾谁欺？欺天乎？且予与其死于臣之手也，无宁死于二三子之手乎！且予纵不得大葬，予死于道路乎？”
Tsze-kung said, 'There is a beautiful gem here. Should I lay it up in a case and keep it? or should I seek for a good price and sell it?' The Master said, 'Sell it! Sell it! But I would wait for one to offer the price.'
子贡曰：“有美玉于斯，韫椟而藏诸？求善贾而沽诸？”子曰：“沽之哉，沽之哉！我待贾者也。”
1. The Master was wishing to go and live among the nine wild tribes of the east. 2. Some one said, 'They are rude. How can you do such a thing?' The Master said, 'If a superior man dwelt among them, what rudeness would there be?'
子欲居九夷。或曰：“陋，如之何？”子曰：“君子居之，何陋之有！”
The Master said, 'I returned from Wei to Lu, and then the music was reformed, and the pieces in the Royal songs and Praise songs all found their proper places.'
子曰：“吾自卫反鲁，然后乐正，《雅》、《颂》各得其所。”
The Master said, 'Abroad, to serve the high ministers and nobles; at home, to serve one's father and elder brothers; in all duties to the dead, not to dare not to exert one's self; and not to be overcome of wine:-- which one of these things do I attain to?'
子曰：“出则事公卿，入则事父兄，丧事不敢不勉，不为酒困，何有于我哉？”
The Master standing by a stream, said, 'It passes on just like this, not ceasing day or night!'
子在川上曰：“逝者如斯夫！不舍昼夜。”
The Master said, 'I have not seen one who loves virtue as he loves beauty.'
子曰：“吾未见好德如好色者也。”
The Master said, 'The prosecution of learning may be compared to what may happen in raising a mound. If there want but one basket of earth to complete the work, and I stop, the stopping is my own work. It may be compared to throwing down the earth on the level ground. Though but one basketful is thrown at a time, the advancing with it is my own going forward.'
子曰：“譬如为山，未成一篑，止，吾止也；譬如平地，虽覆一篑，进，吾往也。”
The Master said, 'Never flagging when I set forth anything to him;-- ah! that is Hui.'
子曰：“语之而不惰者，其回也与！”
The Master said of Yen Yuan, 'Alas! I saw his constant advance. I never saw him stop in his progress.'
子谓颜渊，曰：“惜乎！吾见其进也，未见其止也。”
The Master said, 'There are cases in which the blade springs, but the plant does not go on to flower! There are cases where it flowers, but no fruit is subsequently produced!'
子曰：“苗而不秀者有矣夫，秀而不实者有矣夫。”
The Master said, 'A youth is to be regarded with respect. How do we know that his future will not be equal to our present? If he reach the age of forty or fifty, and has not made himself heard of, then indeed he will not be worth being regarded with respect.'
子曰：“后生可畏，焉知来者之不如今也？四十、五十而无闻焉，斯亦不足畏也已。”
The Master said, 'Can men refuse to assent to the words of strict admonition? But it is reforming the conduct because of them which is valuable. Can men refuse to be pleased with words of gentle advice? But it is unfolding their aim which is valuable. If a man be pleased with these words, but does not unfold their aim, and assents to those, but does not reform his conduct, I can really do nothing with him.'
子曰：“法语之言，能无从乎？改之为贵。巽与之言，能无说乎？绎之为贵。说而不绎，从而不改，吾末如之何也已矣。”
The Master said, 'Hold faithfulness and sincerity as first principles. Have no friends not equal to yourself. When you have faults, do not fear to abandon them.'
子曰：“主忠信。毋友不如己者，过，则勿惮改。”
The Master said, 'The commander of the forces of a large state may be carried off, but the will of even a common man cannot be taken from him.'