1. The Master said, "Yong (雍) is good enough to be the ruler."
子曰：「雍也可使南面。」
2. Zhong Gong (仲弓; Yong) asked about Lord Zi Sang Bo (子桑伯). The Master said, "He is all right. He is simple." Zhong Gong said, "One could have a respectable dwelling and yet maintain simplicity in one's conduct and thus face the people; that is also possible, isn't it? Having a simple dwelling and to stick to simplicity in one's conduct; isn't it making too much of simplicity?" The Master said, "What Yong just said is quite right."
仲弓問子桑伯子，子曰：「可也簡。」仲弓曰：「居敬而行簡，以臨其民，不亦可乎？居簡而行簡，無乃大簡乎？」子曰：「雍之言然。」
3. Duke Ai (哀) asked, "Among your students, who is fond of learning?" Confucius replied, "A man called Yan Hui was fond of learning. He was unwavering in his wrath. He did not repeat the same mistake twice. Unfortunately, he died early. Now there is none. I have not since heard of a man who is fond of learning."
哀公問：「弟子孰為好學？」孔子對曰：「有顏回者好學，不遷怒，不貳過。不幸短命死矣！今也則亡，未聞好學者也。」
[ 先進 7 季康子問：「弟子孰為好學？」孔子對曰：「有顏回者好學，不幸短命死矣！今也則亡。」 ]
4. Zi Hua (子華; 公西華; Chi) was sent to Qi (齊) as an emissary. Ran Zi (冉子; 冉有; Qiu) wanted to provide for Zi Hua's mother, so he asked for grain. The Master said, "Give her six bushels." Ran Zi asked more. "Give her eighteen bushels" said the Master. Ran Zi gave her eighty bushels of grain. The Master said, "When Chi was going to Qi, he was riding a fat horse, wearing a fur coat. So I heard. A noble man should broadly supply urgent deficiencies rather than top up the rich.
子華使於齊，冉子為其母請粟。子曰：「與之釜。」請益。曰：「與之庾。」冉子與之粟五秉。子曰：「赤之適齊也，乘肥馬，衣輕裘。吾聞之也，君子周急不繼富。」
5. Yuan Si (原思) was appointed administrator of a town under the jurisdiction of Confucius. Confucius gave him nine hundred measures of grain. Yuan Si declined. The Master said, "Yes, take it. Could you not give it to the villagers in your neighbourhood?"
原思為之宰，與之粟九百，辭。子曰：「毋！以與爾鄰里鄉黨乎！」
6. The Master spoke of Zhong Gong, "Suppose an unsightly spotted cow had a calf which is red, has horns perfectly formed all around. Even if one does not want to use it for sacrificial offering, would the mountains and the rivers give it a pass?"
子謂仲弓曰：「犂牛之子騂且角，雖欲勿用，山川其舍諸？」
7. The Master said, "Hui (回) has a mind which does not go against ethical integrity for three months on end. The rest would manage to do so for a day or for a month and that is it."
子曰：「回也，其心三月不違仁，其餘則日月至焉而已矣。」
8. Lord Ji Kang (季康) asked, "Is Zhong You (仲由; aka. Zi Lu) good enough to work for the government?" The Master said, "You (由) is decisive. Let him work for the government. There will be no problem." "Is Ci (賜; Zi Gong) good enough to work for the government?" The Master said, "Ci is accomplished. Let him work for the government. There will be no problem." "Is Qiu (求; Ran You) good enough to work for the government?" The Master said, "Qiu has many talents. Let him work for the government. There will be no problem."
季康子問：「仲由可使從政也與？」子曰：「由也果，於從政乎何有？」曰：「賜也，可使從政也與？」曰：「賜也達，於從政乎何有？」曰：「求也，可使從政也與？」曰：「求也藝，於從政乎何有？」
9. Mr. Ji (季) appointed Min Zi Qian (閔子騫) as the administrator of the town of Fei (費). Min Zi Qian said, "Would you be good enough to decline it on my behalf? If he should send for me again, I'd better be beyond the river Wen (汶)."
季氏使閔子騫為費宰。閔子騫曰：「善為我辭焉。如有復我者，則吾必在汶上矣。」
10. Bo Niu (伯牛; 冉耕 Ran Geng) had a serious disease. The Master paid a visit. Through the window, the Master was holding his hand. The Master said, "What a loss! Fate, it must be. How could this man have this disease! How could this man have this disease!"
伯牛有疾，子問之，自牖執其手，曰：「亡之，命矣夫！斯人也而有斯疾也！斯人也而有斯疾也！」
11. The Master said, "What a winner Hui is! With a bit of rice in a bamboo basket and some water in a ladle made of dried marrow rind, he lives in a squalid alleyway. Other people would not have overcome the sorrow. Hui is unchanging in his delight. What a winner Hui is!"
子曰：「賢哉回也！一簞食，一瓢飲，在陋巷。人不堪其憂，回也不改其樂。賢哉回也！」
12. Ran Qiu (冉求) said, "It is not that I do not delight in what you teach us. I simply do not have enough force." The Master said, "He who does not have enough force would drop out half way. Now, you don't even start."
冉求曰：「非不說子之道，力不足也。」子曰：「力不足者，中道而廢。今女畫。」
13. The Master spoke to Zi Xia (子夏), "You should be a noble scholar. Don't be a petty and lowly scholar."
子謂子夏曰：「女為君子儒，無為小人儒。」
14. Zi You (子游) became the administrator of the township of Wu Cheng (武城). The Master said, "Have you got some good people, eh?" Zi You said, "There is a man called Tan Tai Mie Ming (澹臺滅明). In his conduct, he does not take the shortcut. If it is not for an official business, he has not set his foot in my office."
子游為武城宰。子曰：「女得人焉爾乎？」曰：「有澹臺滅明者，行不由徑。非公事，未嘗至於偃之室也。」
15. The Master said, "Meng Zhi Fan (孟之反) does not show off. He was among the last to retreat. But when the troop was about to enter the gate, he was lashing his horse. He said, "I dared not stay behind; but my horse was slow."
子曰：「孟之反不伐，奔而殿。將入門，策其馬，曰：『非敢後也，馬不進也。』
16. The Master said, "If you are not a smooth talker like Zhu Te (祝鮀) and yet have the beauty of Song Zhao (宋朝), you will have difficulty in today's world."
子曰：「不有祝鮀之佞而有宋朝之美，難乎免於今之世矣！」
17. The Master said, "Who can leave a room without using the door? How come no one abides by the Way?"
子曰：「誰能出不由戶？何莫由斯道也？」
18. The Master said, "If your simplicity overshadows your learning, you become vulgar. If your learning overshadows your simplicity, you become bookish. Only when learning and simplicity complement each other, will you be a noble man."
子曰：「質勝文則野，文勝質則史。文質彬彬，然後君子。」
19. The Master said, "Man should live honestly. If you live crookedly, all you can manage, if lucky, is to avoid being caught."
子曰：「人之生也直，罔之生也幸而免。」
20. The Master said, "Having the knowledge is not as good as being fond of knowing. To be fond of knowing is not as good as to remain delighted through the knowledge."
子曰：「知之者不如好之者，好之者不如樂之者。」
21. The Master said, "With those who are above average, you can have a discussion to reach a higher aim. With those who are below average, you cannot have a discussion to reach a higher aim."
子曰：「中人以上，可以語上也；中人以下，不可以語上也。」
22. Fan Chi (樊遲) asked about knowledge. The Master said, "Serving people with righteousness, revering the ghosts and the spirits and yet keeping them at a distance -- this can be regarded as knowledge." He asked about ethical integrity. The Master said, "A man of ethical integrity would tackle the difficult things first and leave the spoils to be considered afterwards. This can be regarded as ethical integrity."
樊遲問知。子曰：「務民之義，敬鬼神而遠之，可謂知矣。」問仁。曰：「仁者先難而後獲，可謂仁矣。」
23. The Master said, "Delighted is a man of knowledge, like water. Delighted is a man of ethical integrity, like a mountain. A man of knowledge is dynamic. A man of ethical integrity is serene. A man of knowledge is full of joy. A man of ethical integrity lives on for a long time."
子曰：「知者樂水，仁者樂山；知者動，仁者靜；知者樂，仁者壽。」
24. The Master said, "If Qi (齊) undergoes a reform, it will be like Lu (魯). If Lu undergoes a reform, it will attain the Way."
子曰：「齊一變，至於魯；魯一變，至於道。」
25. The Master said, "A square which is not square! Square, isn't it? Bloody square!'
子曰：「觚不觚，觚哉！觚哉！」
26. Zai Wo (宰我) asked, "Suppose a man of ethical integrity is told that going into the well is what ethical integrity would require him to do. Would he do it?" The Master said, "How could that be so? A noble man could go there but he would not fall in there. It is possible to cheat him but he will not be misguided."
宰我問曰：「仁者，雖告之曰：『井有仁焉。』其從之也？」子曰：「何為其然也？君子可逝也，不可陷也；可欺也，不可罔也。」
27. The Master said, "A noble man has a broad learning and he tightens it with Li. Is it still possible for him to over-step?"
子曰：「君子博學於文，約之以禮，亦可以弗畔矣夫！」
28. The Master had an audience with Nan Zi (南子). Zi Lu was not pleased. The old man went pale and said, "If I did something inappropriate, Heaven will loathe it. Heaven will loathe it!'
子見南子，子路不說。夫子矢之曰：「予所否者，天厭之！天厭之！」
29. The Master said, "To maintain the balance and to be constant; they are indeed the ultimate virtues! People rarely have them since long ago."
子曰：「中庸之為德也，其至矣乎！民鮮久矣。」
30. Zi Gong said, "How about broadly looking after the people and thus bringing all living beings to their fulfilment? Can it be called ethical integrity?" The Master said, "How can it merely be ethical integrity? It must be Sainthood! Even Yao (堯) and Shun (舜) fell short of this. Ethical integrity means no more than this: As I want to stand so I help others to stand too; as I want to succeed so I help others to succeed too. Being able to derive the lessons from what is near; this can be called the method of practising ethical integrity."
子貢曰：「如有博施於民而能濟眾，何如？可謂仁乎？」子曰：「何事於仁，必也聖乎！堯舜其猶病諸！夫仁者，己欲立而立人，己欲達而達人。能近取譬，可謂仁之方也已。」
