Chapter 20: 尧曰第二十 — Lunyu — Taiyi Pavilion Chapter 20: 尧曰第二十
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Yao said, "Oh! You, Shun! The heavenly succession now rests upon your person. Hold fast to the Mean. If the people throughout the land fall into hardship and poverty, Heaven's blessings will be forever lost."
Shun likewise charged Yu with these words.
Tang said, "I, Lu, the little child, dare to offer a black bull and solemnly announce to the great and sovereign God: The guilty I dare not pardon. Your ministers I dare not conceal—their deeds are known to Your heart. If I myself am guilty, let not the people of the world be punished. If the people of the world are guilty, let the guilt rest upon me alone."
Zhou granted great gifts, and the good became prosperous. "Though you have close relatives, they are not as valuable as benevolent people. If the people commit faults, let the blame fall on me alone."
Carefully regulate weights and measures, examine laws and regulations, restore abandoned offices—then the government will function throughout the land. Revive extinct states, restore broken lines of succession, promote the worthy who have withdrawn from society—then the hearts of the people throughout the land will turn toward you. What is to be valued most: the people, food, mourning rites, and sacrifices. Generosity wins the multitude; trustworthiness gains the people's trust; diligence brings results; fairness brings joy.
Zizhang asked Confucius, "How should one conduct oneself to govern effectively?" Confucius said, "Honor the five excellences and reject the four evils—then you may govern."
Zizhang said, "What are the five excellences?" Confucius said, "The noble person is generous without being wasteful; makes people work without causing resentment; has desires without being greedy; is dignified without being arrogant; is awe-inspiring without being fierce."
Zizhang said, "What does it mean to be generous without being wasteful?" Confucius said, "Follow what benefits the people and let them benefit from it—is this not generosity without waste? Choose tasks the people can do and make them work—who would resent that? Desire benevolence and attain benevolence—how could there be greed? The noble person, whether dealing with many or few, great or small, dares not be negligent—is this not dignity without arrogance? The noble person straightens his robes and cap, composes his gaze, and appears solemn so that people look up to him in awe—is this not awe-inspiring without being fierce?"
Zizhang said, "What are the four evils?" Confucius said, "To execute without having taught is called cruelty. To demand results without having warned is called tyranny. To issue orders carelessly and then enforce them strictly is called thievery. To give to others but be stingy in the giving is called acting like a petty official."
Confucius said, "Without understanding destiny, one cannot become a noble person. Without understanding ritual, one cannot establish oneself. Without understanding words, one cannot know others."