7. I transmit
1. The Master said, “I transmit; I do not create. I lay my trust and find pleasure in the old. I even compare myself to Lao Peng (老彭).”
子曰：「述而不作，信而好古，竊比於我老彭。」
2. The Master said, “Not to boast about what I know; to learn without finding it irksome, to teach people diligently — Do I have any problem with these?”
子曰：「默而識之，學而不厭，誨人不倦，何有於我哉？」
3. The Master said, “To fail to cultivate virtues, fail to teach what I have learned, fail to follow what I have realised to be right, fail to reform what is not good — these are my worries.”
子曰：「德之不脩，學之不講，聞義不能徙，不善不能改，是吾憂也。」
4. In his moments of leisure, the Master was relaxed and radiant.
子之燕居，申申如也，夭夭如也。
5. The Master said, “Seriously, I must be getting old. It has been quite a while since I cease to see the Duke of Zhou in my dream.”
子曰：「甚矣吾衰也！久矣吾不復夢見周公。」
6. The Master said, “Have the determination to practise the Way, stick to the good things which you have figured out, abide by ethical integrity and give yourself freely to liberal arts.”
子曰：「志於道，據於德，依於仁，游於藝。」
7. The Master said, “Anyone who came of his own accord with a bundle of dried meat or more, I have never refused to teach.”
子曰：「自行束脩以上，吾未嘗無誨焉。」
8. The Master said, “Without a heart seething with rage, you won’t understand. Without gnashing your teeth, you won’t develop yourself further. When I raise one corner and if you don’t respond by raising the remaining three corners, I won’t repeat again.”
子曰：「不憤不啟，不悱不發，舉一隅不以三隅反，則不復也。」
9. When the Master was eating next to a person who is in mourning, he did not have his full.
子食於有喪者之側，未嘗飽也
10. On the day when he wailed at a funeral, the Master did not sing.
子於是日哭，則不歌。
11. The Master spoke to Yan Yuan, “To get things done when hired and to lie low when fired; only you and I are like this!” Zi Lu said, “If you are to be in command of three armies, with whom will you be doing it?” The Master said, “He who beats up a tiger, dares to swim across a river and would not mind dying — I won’t be with that sort of man. I will certainly be with a man who faces the affair with trepidation, who likes to plan ahead and who manages to get things done.”
子謂顏淵曰：「用之則行，舍之則藏，唯我與爾有是夫！」子路曰：「子行三軍，則誰與？」子曰：「暴虎馮河，死而無悔者，吾不與也。必也臨事而懼，好謀而成者也。」
12. The Master said, “If wealth is something that can be obtained by pursuing, I too would work even as a caning officer. But it seems that wealth is not something that can be obtained by pursuing. So I do what I like.”
子曰：「富而可求也，雖執鞭之士，吾亦為之。如不可求，從吾所好。」
13. The Master paid a great deal of attention to the following: pre-ceremonial purification, war and illness.
子之所慎：齊，戰，疾。
14. When the Master was in Qi (齊), he heard shao (韶) music. For three months, he did not notice the taste of meat. He said, “I never thought music could reach such a height.”
子在齊聞韶，三月不知肉味。曰：「不圖為樂之至於斯也！」
15. Ran You (冉有) said, “Is our Master supporting the ruler of Wei (衛)?” Zi Gong said, “OK, I will ask him.” He went in and said, “Bo Yi (伯夷) and Shu Qi (叔齊), what kind of men were they?” The Master said, “They were superior men of the olden days.” “You mean, they put their grievances behind?” said Zi Gong. The Master said, “They wanted ethical integrity and they got it. What grievance, then?” Zi Gong came out and said, “Our Master is not supporting the ruler of Wei.”
冉有曰：「夫子為衛君乎？」子貢曰：「諾。吾將問之。」入，曰：「伯夷、叔齊何人也？」曰：「古之賢人也。」曰：「怨乎？」曰：「求仁而得仁，又何怨。」出，曰：「夫子不為也。」 [Ruler of Wei at the time (輒; Zhe) was fighting against his father (蒯瞶; Kuai Wei) who was trying to get to the throne. Perhaps Confucius supported neither Zhe nor Kuai Wei, as both of them were greedy for the power.]
16. The Master said, “To have a simple meal followed by water; and then to lie down resting your head on your bent arm. The joy of life is also there. Unjustly acquired wealth and honour are, for me, just like floating clouds.”
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。」
17. The Master said, “If I had a few more years, I could complete the study of the book of changes (周易). I shall then be free from big mistakes.
子曰：「加我數年，五十以學易，可以無大過矣。」
18. The Master always talked about the Poems, the Documents and observance of Li. He always talked about all these.
子所雅言，詩、書、執禮，皆雅言也。
19. The Duke of She (葉) asked Zi Lu about Confucius. Zi Lu ignored him. The Master said, “Why didn’t you say that he is the kind of man who would forget about eating when he is outraged, forget his worries when he is happy and he does not know that old age will eventually get to him.”
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。」
20. The Master said, “I am not a person who knew from birth. I am a person who is fond of the old and who diligently seeks the knowledge.”
子曰：「我非生而知之者，好古，敏以求之者也。」
21. The Master did not talk about supernatural forces and disturbing spirits.
子不語 怪，力，亂，神。
22. The Master said, “Suppose I am in a group of three men. There is bound to be my teacher. I choose the good one to emulate him. And I choose the bad one to correct myself.”
子曰：「三人行，必有我師焉。擇其善者而從之，其不善者而改之。」
23. The Master, “Virtues of Heaven are given to me. What can a guy like Huan Tei (桓魋) do to me?”
子曰：「天生德於予，桓魋其如予何？」
24. The Master said, “You guys, are you hiding something from me? I don’t hide anything from you. I don’t do anything without you guys. This is my style.”
子曰：「二三子以我為隱乎？吾無隱乎爾。吾無行而不與二三子者，是丘也。」
25. The Master taught us through his learning, his conduct, his loyalty and his trust in us.
子以四教：文，行，忠，信。
26. The Master said, “As for the Holy man, I cannot find such a man. But I can find a noble man. As for the Angelic man, I cannot find such a man. But I can find a constant man. There are people who pretend to have it while they don’t, pretend to be full while they are empty, pretend to be at ease while they are constrained. They can hardly be constant.
子曰：「聖人，吾不得而見之矣；得見君子者，斯可矣。」子曰：「善人，吾不得而見之矣；得見有恆者，斯可矣。亡而為有，虛而為盈，約而為泰，難乎有恆矣。」
27. The Master would go fishing but would not use a fishing net. He would go hunting but would not shoot a bird in the nest.
子釣而不綱，弋不射宿。
28. The Master said, “Perhaps there are people who say things they know nothing about. I don’t do that. I gather a lot of information and then choose the good things and follow them. I accumulate a lot of experience and then I understand. This is the way to knowledge.”
子曰：「蓋有不知而作之者，我無是也。多聞擇其善者而從之，多見而識之，知之次也。」
29. People from the village of Hu (互) were difficult to talk to. But a servant boy from the village had an audience. The pupils were dismayed. The Master said, “You go with those who are advanced and you stay away from those who are backward. What’s so wrong with that? He purified himself and came to me. I appreciate his purity. I do not vouch for his past.”
互鄉難與言，童子見，門人惑。子曰：「與其進也，不與其退也，唯何甚！人潔己以進，與其潔也，不保其往也。」
30. The Master said, “Is ethical integrity far away from me? If I only want it, I can have it right away.”
子曰：「仁遠乎哉？我欲仁，斯仁至矣。」
31. A judicial officer of Chen (陳) asked whether Duke Zhao (昭) of Lu (魯) knew the Li. Confucius said, “He knew the Li.” Confucius left. The officer greeted Wu Ma Qi (巫馬期) and went up to him. The officer said, “I heard that a noble man does not form a faction. Has your noble man nevertheless formed a faction? The Duke took his wife from Wu (吳) and she has the same surname as his. He concealed this by calling her ‘Wu Meng Zi (吳孟子)’. If the Duke knew the Li, who didn’t?” Wu Ma Qi reported this. The Master said, “I am lucky! If I should ever make the slightest mistake, people surely notice!”
陳司敗問昭公知禮乎？孔子曰：「知禮。」孔子退，揖巫馬期而進之，曰：「吾聞君子不黨，君子亦黨乎？君取於吳為同姓，謂之吳孟子。君而知禮，孰不知禮？」巫馬期以告。子曰：「丘也幸，苟有過，人必知之。」
32. When the Master was singing with others, if there is a good piece he would always have it repeated and then he would join in polyphony.
子與人歌而善，必使反之，而後和之。
33. The Master said, “As for erudition, I am incomparable. As for actually practicing a noble man’s conduct, however, there are things I still have not figured out.”
子曰：「文，莫吾猶人也。躬行君子，則吾未之有得。」
34. The Master said, “Sainthood and ethical integrity: how dare I lay claim on such things. But I do endeavour to attain them without finding it loathsome and I teach people without being remiss. That is what I can claim to be doing. Gong Xi Hua (公西華) said, “That, precisely, is what we pupils cannot learn.”
子曰：「若聖與仁，則吾豈敢？抑為之不厭，誨人不倦，則可謂云爾已矣。」公西華曰：「正唯弟子不能學也。」
35. The Master was seriously ill. Zi Lu wanted to pray. The Master said, “Is it usual to do so?” “Yes,” said Zi Lu, “in a prayer, it is said, ‘I pray for thee, to the spirits of the above and of the below, with reverence.'” The Master said, “I have been praying like that for a long while already.”
子疾病，子路請禱。子曰：「有諸？」子路對曰：「有之。誄曰：『禱爾于上下神祇。』」子曰：「丘之禱久矣。」
36. The Master said, “Affluence will make you arrogant. Frugality will make you stubborn. It is better to be stubborn than to be arrogant.”
子曰：「奢則不孫，儉則固。與其不孫也，寧固。」
37. The Master said, “A noble man has a big heart. The petty and the lowly have endless worries.”
子曰：「君子坦蕩蕩，小人長戚戚。」
38. The Master was warm yet firm. He had authority but he was not ferocious. He was modest and comforting.
子溫而厲，威而不猛，恭而安。