"Confucius - Sayings of, Harvard Classicst" - читать интересную книгу автора (Confucius)

[5] Meng Yi asked the duty of a son.
The Master said: “Obedience.”
As Fan Chґih 1 was driving him, the Master said: “Meng-sun 2 asked me the duty of a son; I
answered ‘Obedience.’”
“What did ye mean?” said Fan Chґih.
“To serve our parents with courtesy whilst they live,” said the Master; “to bury them with all
courtesy when they die; and to worship them with all courtesy.”
[6] Meng Wu asked the duty of a son.
The Master said: “What weighs on your father and mother is concern for your health.”
[7] Tzu-yu 3 asked the duty of a son.
The Master said: “To-day a man is called dutiful if he keep his father and mother. But we keep
both our dogs and horses, and unless we honour parents, is it not all one?”
[8] Tzu-hsia asked the duty of a son.
The Master said: “Our manner is the hard part. For the young to be a stay in toil, and leave the
wine and cakes to their elders, is this to fulfil their duty?”
[9] The Master said: “If I talk all day to Hui, 4 like a dullard, he never stops me. But when he is gone,
if I pry into his life, I find he can do what I say. No, Hui is no dullard.”
[10] The Master said: “Look at a man’s acts; watch his motives; find out what pleases him: can the man
evade you? Can the man evade you?”
[11] The Master said: “Who keeps the old akindle and adds new knowledge is fitted to be a teacher.”
[12] The Master said: “A gentleman is not a vessel.”
[13] Tzu-kung asked, What is a gentleman?
The Master said: “He puts words into deed first, and sorts what he says to the deed.”
[14] The Master said: “A gentleman is broad and fair: the vulgar are biassed and petty.”
[15] The Master said: “Study without thought is vain: thought without study is dangerous.”
[16] The Master said: “Work on strange doctrines does harm.”
[17] The Master said: “Yu, 5 shall I teach thee what is understanding? To know what we know, and
know what we do not know, that is understanding.”
[18] Tzu-chang 6 studied with an eye to pay.
The Master said: “Listen much, keep silent when in doubt, and always take heed of the tongue;
thou wilt make few mistakes. See much, beware of pitfalls, and always give heed to thy walk; thou
wilt have little to rue. If thy words are seldom wrong, thy deeds leave little to rue, pay will follow.”
[19] Duke Ai 7 asked: “What should be done to make the people loyal?”
Confucius answered: “Exalt the straight, set aside the crooked, the people will be loyal. Exalt the
crooked, set aside the straight, the people will be disloyal.”
[20] Chi Kґang 8 asked how to make the people lowly, faithful, and willing.
The Master said: “Behave with dignity, they will be lowly: be pious and merciful, they will be
faithful: exalt the good, teach the unskilful, they will grow willing.”
[21] One said to Confucius: “Why are ye not in power, Sir?”
The Master answered: “What does the book say of a good son? ‘An always dutiful son, who is a
friend to his brothers, showeth the way to rule.’ This also is to rule. What need to be in power?”
[22] The Master said: “Without truth I know not how man can live. A cart without a crosspole, a
carriage without harness, how could they be moved?”
[23] Tzu-chang asked whether we can know what is to be ten generations hence.
The Master said: “The Yin 9 inherited the manners of the Hsia; 10 the harm and the good that they
wrought them is known. The Chou 11 inherited the manners of the Yin; the harm and the good that
they wrought them is known. And we may know what is to be, even an hundred generations hence,
when others follow Chou.”
[24] The Master said: “To worship the ghosts of strangers is fawning. To see the right and not do it is
want of courage.”