Confucius (孔子)
Chinese teacher from the state of Lu, whose sayings his followers collected in the Analects. Later ages took him as the model of the teacher and the gentleman.
551–479 BCE
Sayings on learning, friends and family
Confucius and his followers, Analects (Lunyu), in the Chinese text of James Legge, The Chinese Classics, vol. 1 (Oxford, 1893) · about 400 BCE (sayings of Confucius, who died in 479 BCE, collected after his death)
子曰、學而時習之、不亦說乎。有朋自遠方來、不亦樂乎。人不知而不慍、不亦君子乎。
The Master said: To learn and practice it at the right times, isn’t that a pleasure? To have a friend come from far away, isn’t that a joy? To go unrecognized by others and feel no resentment, isn’t that the mark of a gentleman?
子曰、弟子、入則孝、出則弟、謹而信、汎愛眾、而親仁、行有餘力、則以學文。
The Master said: Young people should show filial duty at home and respect for elders outside it, be careful and trustworthy, love people widely and keep close to the good. If they have strength left over, let them spend it on culture.
子曰、君子不重、則不威、學則不固。主忠信。無友不如己者。過則勿憚改。
The Master said: A gentleman who is not serious will not be respected, and his learning will not hold firm. Put loyalty and good faith first. Have no friend who is not your equal. When you make a mistake, do not be afraid to fix it.
子曰、君子食無求飽、居無求安、敏於事、而慎於言、就有道、而正焉、可謂好學也已。
The Master said: A gentleman does not look for a full stomach or a comfortable home, is quick in his work and careful in his speech, and goes to those who have the Way to be set straight. Such a man can be called eager to learn.
子曰、不患人之不己知、患不知人也。
The Master said: Do not worry that others do not know you; worry that you do not know others.
子曰、為政以德、譬如北辰、居其所、而眾星共之。
The Master said: One who governs by virtue is like the North Star, which stays in its place while all the stars turn toward it.
子曰、詩三百、一言以蔽之、曰、思無邪。
The Master said: The Odes number three hundred, yet one saying can cover them all. It is this: No crooked thoughts.
子曰、溫故而知新、可以為師矣。
The Master said: One who reviews the old and so learns the new is fit to be a teacher.
子曰、君子周而不比、小人比而不周。
The Master said: A gentleman is broad in sympathy and does not take sides; a petty person takes sides and is not broad.
子曰、學而不思則罔、思而不學則殆。
The Master said: Learning without thinking leaves a person lost; thinking without learning leaves a person in danger.
子曰、由、誨女知之乎、知之為知之、不知為不知、是知也。
The Master said: You, shall I teach you what knowing is? To know a thing is to know it; not to know it is to say you do not know; that is what it is to know.
子曰、人而無信、不知其可也、大車無輗、小車無軏、其何以行之哉。
The Master said: A person without good faith is of no use that I can see. A big cart without its yoke-bar, a small cart without its yoke-bar, how could either move?
子曰、里仁為美、擇不處仁、焉得知。
The Master said: It is fine to live where goodness is. If you choose a home without goodness, how can you call yourself wise?
子曰、君子之於天下也、無適也、無莫也、義之與比。
The Master said: In dealing with the world, a gentleman is not set for anything or against anything; he goes along with what is right.
子曰、君子懷德、小人懷土、君子懷刑、小人懷惠。
The Master said: A gentleman thinks of virtue; a petty person thinks of home comforts. A gentleman thinks of the law; a petty person thinks of favors.
子曰、不患無位、患所以立、不患莫己知、求為可知也。
The Master said: Do not worry about having no position; worry about what you need to hold one. Do not worry that no one knows you; seek to be worth knowing.
子曰、君子喻於義、小人喻於利。
The Master said: A gentleman understands what is right; a petty person understands what pays.
子曰、見賢思齊焉、見不賢而內自省也。
The Master said: When you see a worthy person, think of becoming his equal; when you see an unworthy one, look inward and examine yourself.
子曰、父母在、不遠遊、遊必有方。
The Master said: While your parents are alive, do not travel far; if you do travel, have a set destination.
子曰、父母之年、不可不知也、一則以喜、一則以懼。
The Master said: The age of your parents must always be known: on one side it is a reason for gladness, on the other a reason for fear.
子曰、古者言之不出、恥躬之不逮也。
The Master said: The people of old kept their words back, ashamed that their own actions might fall short.
子謂子產、有君子之道四焉、其行己也恭、其事上也敬、其養民也惠、其使民也義。
The Master spoke of Zichan: he had four of the gentleman’s ways. In his own conduct he was courteous; in serving his superiors, respectful; in caring for the people, kind; in employing the people, just.
子曰、晏平仲善與人交、久而敬之。
The Master said: Yan Pingzhong was good at friendship; even after a long time he still treated them with respect.
子曰、已矣乎、吾未見能見其過、而內自訟者也。
The Master said: I give up! I have yet to see anyone who can see his own faults and bring the charge against himself inwardly.
子曰、十室之邑、必有忠信、如丘者焉、不如丘之好學也。
The Master said: In a town of ten households there are sure to be people as loyal and trustworthy as I am, but none who love learning as I do.
子曰、述而不作、信而好古、竊比於我老彭。
The Master said: I pass things on and do not make them up; I trust the ancient ways and love them. In this I would quietly set myself beside our Lao Peng.
子曰、默而識之、學而不厭、誨人不倦、何有於我哉。
The Master said: To take things in silently and remember them, to study and not tire of it, to teach others and not grow weary: which of these do I have?
子曰、德之不脩、學之不講、聞義不能徙、不善不能改、是吾憂也。
The Master said: Virtue not cultivated, learning not discussed, hearing what is right and being unable to move toward it, knowing what is wrong and being unable to change it: these are what trouble me.
子之燕居、申申如也、夭夭如也。
When the Master was at ease at home, he was relaxed and unhurried and cheerful in look.
子曰、志於道。據於德。依於仁。游於藝。
The Master said: Set your heart on the Way. Rely on virtue. Lean on goodness. Move freely among the arts.
子曰、自行束脩以上、吾未嘗無誨焉。
The Master said: From anyone who brought a bundle of dried meat or more, I never refused to teach him.
子曰、不憤不啟、不悱不發、舉一隅、不以三隅反、則不復也。
The Master said: I do not open the door for one who is not eager, or draw out the words of one who is not struggling to say them. If I show one corner of a subject and he cannot come back with the other three, I will not teach it again.
子曰、飯疏食飲水、曲肱而枕之、樂亦在其中矣、不義而富且貴、於我如浮雲。
The Master said: Coarse rice to eat, water to drink, a bent arm for a pillow: there is joy in this too. Wealth and rank got by wrong means are to me like floating clouds.
葉公問孔子於子路、子路不對。子曰、女奚不曰、其為人也、發憤忘食、樂以忘憂、不知老之將至云爾。
The Duke of She asked Zilu about Confucius, and Zilu did not answer. The Master said: Why did you not say, He is the sort of man who forgets his meals when he is eager to learn, forgets his troubles in his joy, and does not notice that old age is on its way?
子曰、我非生而知之者、好古、敏以求之者也。
The Master said: I was not born knowing things. I love the ancient ways and have worked hard to seek them.
子曰、三人行、必有我師焉、擇其善者而從之、其不善者而改之。
The Master said: Walking with two others, I am sure to find a teacher among them. I pick out their good points and follow them; I see their bad points and correct them in myself.
子釣而不綱、弋不射宿。
The Master fished but not with a net; he used a corded arrow, but never shot at a roosting bird.
子與人歌、而善、必使反之、而後和之。
When the Master sang with others and they sang well, he always had them repeat it, and then joined in.
子曰、奢則不孫、儉則固、與其不孫也、寧固。
The Master said: Extravagance makes people overbearing; thrift makes them narrow. Rather than be overbearing, better to be narrow.
子曰、君子坦蕩蕩、小人長戚戚。
The Master said: A gentleman is calm and open; a petty person is always full of worry.
子曰、人無遠慮、必有近憂。
The Master said: A person who does not plan far ahead will have trouble close at hand.
子曰、已矣乎、吾未見好德如好色者也。
The Master said: I give up! I have never seen anyone love virtue as people love a beautiful face.
子曰、躬自厚、而薄責於人、則遠怨矣。
The Master said: Ask much of yourself and little of others, and resentment will keep far away.
子曰、群居終日、言不及義、好行小慧、難矣哉。
The Master said: Spending all day together in a crowd, never speaking of what is right, and fond of showing off small cleverness: it is hard to know what to do with such people!
子曰、君子義以為質、禮以行之、孫以出之、信以成之、君子哉。
The Master said: A gentleman takes rightness as his core, carries it out by ritual, speaks it with humility, and completes it with good faith. That is a gentleman!
子曰、君子病無能焉、不病人之不己知也。
The Master said: A gentleman is troubled by his own lack of ability; he is not troubled that others do not know him.
子曰、君子矜而不爭、群而不黨。
The Master said: A gentleman is dignified but does not quarrel; he joins with others but forms no cliques.
子曰、君子不以言舉人、不以人廢言。
The Master said: A gentleman does not promote a person for his words, nor throw out words because of the person.
子曰、眾惡之、必察焉、眾好之、必察焉。
The Master said: When the crowd dislikes a person, look into it yourself; when the crowd likes a person, look into it yourself.
子曰、過而不改、是謂過矣。
The Master said: To make a mistake and not correct it: that is what a real mistake is.
子曰、性相近也、習相遠也。
The Master said: By nature people are close to one another; by habit they grow far apart.
子曰、禮云禮云、玉帛云乎哉、樂云樂云、鍾鼓云乎哉。
The Master said: Ritual, ritual, they say! Does that mean jade and silk? Music, music, they say! Does that mean bells and drums?
子曰、道聽而塗說、德之棄也。
The Master said: To hear something on the road and repeat it on the road is to throw virtue away.
子曰、予欲無言。子貢曰、子如不言、則小子何述焉。子曰、天何言哉、四時行焉、百物生焉、天何言哉。
The Master said: I wish to say nothing. Zigong said: If you do not speak, Master, what will we, your pupils, have to pass on? The Master said: Does Heaven speak? The four seasons run their course; all creatures grow. Does Heaven speak?
子曰、飽食終日、無所用心、難矣哉、不有博奕者乎、為之猶賢乎已。
The Master said: To eat one’s fill all day and put one’s mind to nothing, what can come of that! Are there not board games? Even playing them is better than idling.
Preface to the Treatise on Cold Damage
Zhang Zhongjing, Treatise on Cold Damage and Miscellaneous Diseases, preface · c. 200–206 (within ten years of the start of the Jian'an era, 196)
孔子云生而知之者上學則亞之多聞博識知之次也
Confucius said, "Those who are born knowing are the highest. Those who learn come next. Those who hear much and remember widely come after them."