8 the master said, "t'ai-po may be said to have reached the highest point ofvirtuous action. thrice he declined the kingdom, and the people in ignorance ofhis motives could not express their approbation of his conduct." the master said, "respectfulness, without the rules of propriety, becomeslaborious bustle; carefulness, without the rules of propriety, becomes timidity;boldness, without the rules of propriety, becomes insubordination;straightforwardness, without the rules of propriety, becomes rudeness. "when those who are in high stations perform well all their duties to theirrelations, the people are aroused to virtue. when old friends are not neglectedby them, the people are preserved from meanness." the philosopher tsang being ill, he cared to him the disciples of his school,and said, "uncover my feet, uncover my hands. it is said in the book of poetry,'we should be apprehensive and cautious, as if on the brink of a deep gulf, asif treading on thin ice, i and so have i been. now and hereafter, i know myescape from all injury to my person. o ye, my little children." the philosopher tsang being ill, meng chang went to ask how he was. tsang said to him, "when a bird is about to die, its notes are mournful;when a man is about to die, his words are good. "there are three principles of conduct which the man of high rank shouldconsider specially important:-that in his deportment and manner he keep fromviolence and heedlessness; that in regulating his countenance he keep near tosincerity; and that in his words and tones he keep far from lowness andimpropriety. as to such matters as attending to the sacrificial vessels, thereare the proper officers for them." the philosopher tsang said, "gifted with ability, and yet putting questionsto those who were not so; possessed of much, and yet putting questions to thosepossessed of little; having, as though he had not; full, and yet countinghimself as empty; offended against, and yet entering into no altercation;formerly i had a friend who pursued this style of conduct." the philosopher tsang said, "suppose that there is an individual who can beentrusted with the charge of a young orphan prince, and can be commissioned withauthority over a state of a hundred li, and whom no emergency however great candrive from his principles:-is such a man a superior man? he is a superior manindeed." the philosopher tsang said, "the officer may not be without breadth of mindand vigorous endurance. his burden is heavy and his course is long. "perfect virtue is the burden which he considers it is his to sustain;-is itnot heavy? only with death does his course stop;-is it not long? the master said, "it is by the odes that the mind is aroused. "it is by the rules of propriety that the character is established. "it is from music that the finish is received." the master said, "the people may be made to follow a path of action, butthey may not be made to understand it." the master said, "the man who is fond of daring and is dissatisfied withpoverty, will proceed to insubordination. so will the man who is not virtuous,when you carry your dislike of him to an extreme." the master said, "though a man have abilities as admirable as those of theduke of chau, yet if he be proud and niggardly, those other things are reallynot worth being looked at." the master said, "it is not easy to find a man who has learned for threeyears without coming to be good." the master said, "with sincere faith he unites the love of learning; holdingfirm to death, he is perfecting the excellence of his course. "such an one will not enter a tottering state, nor dwell in a disorganizedone. when right principles of government prevail in the kingdom, he will showhimself; when they are prostrated, he will keep concealed. "when a country is well governed, poverty and a mean condition are things tobe ashamed of. when a country is ill governed, riches and honor are things to beashamed of." the master said, "he who is not in any particular office has nothing to dowith plans for the administration of its duties." the master said, "when the music master chih first entered on his office,the finish of the kwan tsu was magnificent;-how it filled the ears!" the master said, "ardent and yet not upright, stupid and yet not attentive;simple and yet not sincere:-such persons i do not understand." the master said, "learn as if you could not reach your object, and werealways fearing also lest you should lose it." the master said, "how majestic was the manner in which shun and yu heldpossession of the empire, as if it were nothing to them! the master said, "great indeed was yao as a sovereign! how majestic was he!it is only heaven that is grand, and only yao corresponded to it. how vast washis virtue! the people could find no name for it. "how majestic was he in the works which he accomplished! how glorious in theelegant regulations which he instituted!" shun had five ministers, and the empire was well governed. king wu said, "i have ten able ministers." confucius said, "is not the saying that talents are difficult to find, true?only when the dynasties of t'ang and yu met, were they more abundant than inthis of chau, yet there was a woman among them. the able ministers were no morethan nine men. "king wan possessed two of the three parts of the empire, and with those heserved the dynasty of yin. the virtue of the house of chau may be said to havereached the highest point indeed." the master said, "i can find no flaw in the character of yu. he used himselfcoarse food and drink, but displayed the utmost filial piety towards the spirits.his ordinary garments were poor, but he displayed the utmost elegance in hissacrificial cap and apron. he lived in a low, mean house, but expended all hisstrength on the ditches and water channels. i can find nothing like a flaw inyu." |
Powered by Discuz! X3.4
Copyright © 2001-2021, Tencent Cloud.
