Chapter 11: 先进第十一 — Lunyu — Taiyi Pavilion Chapter 11: 先进第十一
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The Master said, "Those who first advance in ritual and music are the rustic people; those who later advance in ritual and music are the noble men. If I were to employ them, I would follow the former."
The Master said, "Those who followed me in Chen and Cai have never returned to my door."
Virtuous conduct: Yan Yuan, Min Ziqian, Ran Boniu, Zhong Gong. Eloquence: Zai Wo, Zi Gong. Governance: Ran You, Ji Lu. Culture and learning: Zi You, Zi Xia.
The Master said, "Hui is no help to me—there is nothing I say that he does not delight in."
The Master said, "Filial indeed is Min Ziqian! No one can find fault with what his parents and brothers say about him."
Nan Rong repeated the lines about the white jade three times. Confucius gave him his elder brother's daughter in marriage.
Ji Kangzi asked, "Which of your disciples is fond of learning?" Confucius replied, "There was Yan Hui who was fond of learning, but unfortunately his life was short—he died. Now there is none."
When Yan Hui died, Yan Lu begged for the Master's carriage to provide an outer coffin. The Master said, "Talented or not, each speaks of his own son. When Li died, he had a coffin but no outer coffin. I did not go on foot to provide him with an outer coffin, because I follow behind the great officers—I cannot go on foot."
When Yan Hui died, the Master said, "Alas! Heaven is destroying me! Heaven is destroying me!" When Yan Hui died, the Master wept for him with great grief. His followers said, "Master, you are grieving too much!" He said, "Am I grieving too much? If I do not grieve deeply for this man, for whom should I grieve?" When Yan Hui died, the disciples wanted to give him a lavish burial. The Master said, "It cannot be done." The disciples gave him a lavish burial. The Master said, "Hui regarded me as a father, but I could not treat him as a son. This is not my doing—it is the doing of you young men!"
Ji Lu asked about serving ghosts and spirits. The Master said, "If you cannot serve people, how can you serve ghosts?" He then said, "May I ask about death?" The Master said, "If you do not understand life, how can you understand death?"
Min Ziqian stood by the Master's side, looking respectful and upright; Zi Lu looked bold and vigorous; Ran You and Zi Gong looked cheerful and at ease. The Master was pleased. "As for You," he said, "he will not die a natural death."
The people of Lu were rebuilding the Long Treasury. Min Ziqian said, "Why not follow the old pattern? Why must it be rebuilt?" The Master said, "This man seldom speaks, but when he does, he hits the mark."
The Master said, "The sound of You's zither—why does it come from my door?" The disciples then stopped respecting Zi Lu. The Master said, "You has ascended the hall, but has not yet entered the inner chamber."
Zi Gong asked, "Who is more worthy, Shi or Shang?" The Master said, "Shi goes too far; Shang falls short." "Then is Shi superior?" The Master said, "Going too far is as bad as falling short."
The Ji family was richer than the Duke of Zhou, yet Qiu collected taxes for them and added to their wealth. The Master said, "He is no disciple of mine. You young men may beat the drum and attack him."
Chai is simple-minded; Shen is dull; Shi is biased; You is coarse.
The Master said, "Hui is close to perfection, yet he is often in need. Ci does not accept fate, yet he engages in trade, and his guesses often hit the mark."
Zi Zhang asked about the way of the good person. The Master said, "If one does not follow the footsteps, one cannot enter the inner chamber."
The Master said, "One who is praised for being sincere—is he a true gentleman, or merely one who puts on a solemn appearance?"
Zi Lu asked, "Should one act immediately upon hearing something?" The Master said, "When your father and elder brother are still alive, how can you act immediately upon hearing something?" Ran You asked, "Should one act immediately upon hearing something?" The Master said, "Act immediately upon hearing it." Gongxi Hua said, "When You asked, you said, 'Your father and elder brother are still alive'; when Qiu asked, you said, 'Act immediately upon hearing it.' I am confused—may I ask?" The Master said, "Qiu tends to hold back, so I urged him forward; You tends to rush ahead, so I held him back."
When the Master was trapped in Kuang, Yan Hui arrived later. The Master said, "I thought you were dead!" Hui said, "While you are alive, how would I dare to die?"
Ji Ziran asked, "Can Zhong You and Ran Qiu be called great ministers?" The Master said, "I thought you were asking about someone else—so it's only about You and Qiu. Those who are called great ministers serve their ruler with the Way, and if they cannot, they resign. Now You and Qiu can be called ordinary ministers." "Then do they follow their ruler in everything?" The Master said, "If it were patricide or regicide, they would not follow."
Zi Lu sent Zi Gao to be steward of Fei. The Master said, "You are harming another man's son." Zi Lu said, "There are people to govern and altars to serve—why must one read books before one can be considered learned?" The Master said, "That is why I detest glib talkers."
Zi Lu, Zeng Xi, Ran You, and Gongxi Hua were sitting in attendance. The Master said, "Though I am a day older than you, do not think of me as such. You often say, 'No one knows me!' But if someone did know you, what would you do?" Zi Lu immediately replied, "A state of a thousand chariots, hemmed in by great powers, invaded by armies, and suffering from famine—if I governed it, in three years I could make the people courageous and know the right 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 governed it, in three years I could make the people prosperous. As for ritual and music, I would wait for a gentleman." "Chi, what about you?" He replied, "I do not say I am capable, but I would like to learn. In temple ceremonies or diplomatic meetings, wearing the proper robes and cap, I would like to serve as a minor assistant." "Dian, what about you?" The sound of the zither faded, then came a final chord. He set down the zither and rose, replying, "My wish differs from those of the three gentlemen." The Master said, "What harm is there? Each is speaking of his own aspiration." He said, "In late spring, when the spring robes are finished, I would go with five or six adults and six or seven children to bathe in the Yi River, enjoy the breeze at the Rain Altar, and return home singing." The Master sighed deeply and said, "I am with Dian!" The three others left, and Zeng Xi stayed behind. He said, "What do you think of the words of the three?" The Master said, "Each was simply speaking of his own aspiration." "Why did you smile at You?" "To govern a state requires ritual—his words were not modest, so I smiled at him." "Was Qiu not speaking of a state?" "Where do you see a territory of sixty or seventy li square, or fifty or sixty, as not being a state?" "Was Chi not speaking of a state?" "Temple ceremonies and diplomatic meetings—are these not matters of the feudal lords? If Chi serves as a minor assistant, who could serve as a major one?"