Chapter 7: 述而第七 — Lunyu — Taiyi Pavilion Chapter 7: 述而第七
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The Master said, "I transmit but do not create. I trust and delight in antiquity. I venture to compare myself to our old Peng."
The Master said, "Silently to store up knowledge, to learn without satiety, to teach others without weariness—what do these things have to do with me?"
The Master said, "Not cultivating virtue, not refining what I have learned, not being able to move toward righteousness when I hear of it, not being able to correct my faults—these are my worries."
When the Master was at leisure, he was relaxed and cheerful.
The Master said, "How I have declined! It has been so long since I last dreamed of the Duke of Zhou!" The Master said, "Set your heart on the Way, base yourself on virtue, rely on benevolence, and wander through the arts."
The Master said, "From anyone who offered even a token gift of dried meat, I have never refused to teach."
The Master said, "I do not enlighten those who are not eager to learn, nor stir up those who are not struggling to speak. If I lift one corner and the student cannot come back with the other three, I do not repeat."
When the Master ate beside someone in mourning, he never ate his fill.
On a day when he had wept, he would not sing.
The Master said to Yan Hui, "When called upon, we act; when set aside, we withdraw. Only you and I have this attitude." Zilu said, "If you were leading the army, whom would you take with you?" The Master said, "I would not take the man who fights a tiger bare-handed or crosses a river without a boat, dying without regret. I would take someone who approaches a task with caution and who succeeds through careful planning."
The Master said, "If wealth could be pursued, I would do it even if it meant being a gatekeeper with a whip. But if it cannot be pursued, I will follow what I love."
The Master was cautious about three things: fasting, war, and illness.
When the Master was in Qi, he heard the Shao music and for three months did not know the taste of meat. He said, "I never imagined that music could reach such heights!" Ran You said, "Does the Master support the ruler of Wei?" Zigong said, "I will ask him." He went in and said, "What kind of men were Bo Yi and Shu Qi?" The Master said, "They were ancient sages." Zigong said, "Did they have any resentment?" The Master said, "They sought benevolence and attained it. What resentment could they have?" Zigong came out and said, "The Master does not support him."
The Master said, "Eating coarse rice, drinking water, and using a bent arm as a pillow—there is joy in this too. Wealth and honor gained through unrighteousness are like floating clouds to me."
The Master said, "If I were given a few more years, so that I could study the Book of Changes at fifty, I might avoid great errors."
What the Master spoke of in refined language were the Book of Songs, the Book of History, and the practice of ritual—all in refined language.
The Duke of She asked Zilu about Confucius, and Zilu did not answer. The Master said, "Why did you not say: He is a man who in his enthusiasm forgets to eat, in his joy forgets his worries, and does not realize that old age is coming?"
The Master said, "I was not born with knowledge. I am one who loves antiquity and diligently seeks it."
The Master did not speak of strange phenomena, feats of strength, disorder, or spirits.
The Master said, "When three people walk together, there is surely a teacher for me. I pick out what is good in them and follow it; what is not good, I correct in myself."
The Master said, "Heaven has given me virtue—what can Huan Tui do to me?" The Master said, "My disciples, do you think I am hiding something from you? I hide nothing. I do nothing that I do not share with you—that is who I am."
The Master taught four things: culture, conduct, loyalty, and trustworthiness.
The Master said, "I cannot hope to meet a sage; meeting a gentleman would be enough."
The Master said, "I cannot hope to meet a truly good person; meeting someone with constancy would be enough. To have nothing yet claim to have plenty, to be empty yet claim to be full, to be poor yet claim to be rich—such a person can hardly be constant."
The Master fished with a line but not with a net; he shot at birds but not at those roosting.
The Master said, "There may be those who act without understanding—I am not like that. Listen widely, choose what is good and follow it; see much and remember it—this is the next best thing to knowledge."
The people of Huxiang were difficult to talk to. When a boy from there was received, the disciples were puzzled. The Master said, "I approve of his coming forward, not of his turning back. Why be so harsh? When someone cleanses himself to come forward, I approve of his cleansing, not his past."
The Master said, "Is benevolence far away? If I desire benevolence, it is here."
Chen Sibai asked, "Did Duke Zhao know the rites?" Confucius said, "He knew the rites." After Confucius left, Chen Sibai bowed to Wuma Qi and said, "I have heard that the gentleman is not partial. Is the gentleman also partial? The Duke took a wife from Wu, who shared his surname, and called her Wu Mengzi. If the Duke knew the rites, who does not?" Wuma Qi reported this. The Master said, "I am fortunate. If I make a mistake, people are sure to know it."
When the Master sang with someone and the other sang well, he would always ask them to repeat it, and then harmonize with them.
The Master said, "In culture, perhaps I am like others. But in living as a gentleman in practice, I have not yet achieved it."
The Master said, "As for sageliness and benevolence—how dare I claim them? But to practice them without tiring and to teach others without weariness—that can be said of me." Gongxi Hua said, "This is precisely what we disciples cannot learn."
When the Master was seriously ill, Zilu asked to pray. The Master said, "Is there such a thing?" Zilu replied, "There is. The prayer says: 'Pray to the spirits above and below.'" The Master said, "I have been praying for a long time."
The Master said, "Extravagance leads to arrogance; frugality leads to stubbornness. Rather than arrogance, better stubbornness."
The Master said, "The gentleman is open and at ease; the petty man is always worried and anxious."
The Master was gentle yet stern, awe-inspiring yet not fierce, respectful yet at ease.