1. When Confucius was in his home town, he was simple and meek. It looked as if he could barely speak. When he was in an ancestral temple or in a court, he spoke fluently without hesitation. But he was respectful.
孔子於鄉黨，恂恂如也，似不能言者。其在宗廟朝廷，便便言，唯謹爾。
2. In court, speaking to counsellors junior to him, he was frank and straightforward. With counsellors senior to him, he would debate cordially and courteously. When the ruler was present, he was polite and cautious. He was also austere and poised.
朝，與下大夫言，侃侃如也；與上大夫言，誾誾如也。君在，踧踖如也。與與如也。
3. A ruler may ask him to receive a guest. When the guest arrives, he would wear a solemn face and tap the floor tile with his foot as a sign of respect. He would greet the guest from where he stood by joining his two hands at his chest. Before as well as after the greeting, his costume was neatly maintained. He would then move forward on his toes in quick steps like a fluttering bird. After the guest has left, he would always report back saying, "The guest has left without looking back."
君召使擯，色勃如也，足躩如也。揖所與立，左右手。衣前後，襜如也。趨進，翼如也。賓退，必復命曰：「賓不顧矣。」
4. When entering the gate of a government office, he would always bend himself, as if the gate was not big enough. He would not stand in the middle of the gate. While entering the gate, he would not step on the threshold. When passing by a place housing ancestral tablets, he would wear a solemn face, tap the floor stone with his foot as a sign of respect and his speech would become like that of a feeble man. He would then hold the hem of his lower garment and climb up to the place, bending himself and holding his breath almost as if he was not breathing. Coming out from the hall, as soon as he laid his foot on the first step, he would unwind. One could tell from his face that he was contented and elated. Having come down to the last step, he would respectfully move on in quick steps on his toes,
like a fluttering bird. When he re-passes by the place, he would be at ease and uninhibited.
入公門，鞠躬如也，如不容。立不中門，行不履閾。過位，色勃如也，足躩如也，其言似不足者。攝齊升堂，鞠躬如也，屏氣似不息者。出，降一等，逞顏色，怡怡如也。沒階趨進，翼如也。復其位，踧踖如也。
5. When holding the jade insignia, he would bend himself, as if it was too heavy to hold. In receiving it from his superior or passing it to his subordinate, he would wear a face of trepidation. While he was holding the insignia, he would walk without lifting his heels from the ground, as if he was being carried away effortlessly. During sacrificial ceremonies, he looked like an expert in rituals and music. In private audience, he was jovial and congenial.
執圭，鞠躬如也，如不勝。上如揖，下如授。勃如戰色，足蹜蹜，如有循。享禮，有容色。私覿，愉愉如也。
6. Our noble man avoided deep purple and orange in decorating the lapels of his coat. Red and violet were not used for his daily wear. In hot weather, he would wear an unlined jacket made of ramie. But he would always put on an outer garment over it before going out. Over a dark costume, he would wear a black lamb skin coat; over a white costume, he would wear a deer skin coat; over a brown costume, he would wear a fox skin coat. His usual skin coats were long except for the right-hand sleeve, which was cut short. He would always wear pyjamas when he went to bed. They were half his length. Fox and mink fur was used to give a full padding to his bedding. When the mourning period was over, he would wear decorations without restriction. With the exception of the prescribed courtly wear, he would always tailor down his clothes to fit him. Wearing a black lamb skin coat and black hat, he would not attend a funeral. In the first month of the year, he would always wear the courtly costume and attend the court.
君子不以紺緅飾。紅紫不以為褻服。當暑，袗絺綌，必表而出之。緇衣羔裘，素衣麑裘，黃衣狐裘。褻裘長。短右袂。必有寢衣，長一身有半。狐貉之厚以居。去喪，無所不佩。非帷裳，必殺之。羔裘玄冠不以弔。吉月，必朝服而朝。
7. During purification, he would always rise at dawn, put on his cloth and say the sidereal prayer. During purification, he would always be on a special diet and stay in a different room.
齊，必有明衣，布。齊，必變食，居必遷坐。
8. He would prefer finely milled rice and thinly sliced meat. When the rice turned bad and began to have a funny taste, when the fish smelled slightly fishy, when the meat was a bit off, he would not eat. When the food was discoloured, he would not eat. When it smelled bad, he would not eat. When it was not piping hot, he would not eat. When it was not served at the right time, he would not eat.
When the food was not cut to the proper shape and size, he would not eat. When it was not accompanied by the right sauce, he would not eat. Even when meat was there in plenty, he would not let his appetite win over him. But he drank like a whale. He would not, however, go out of control. Purchased wine and dried meat from a market, he would not touch. He did not mind spicy food but he would not have it too much. After a sacrificial ceremony in a government office, he would not keep overnight the give-away meat. The meat used in a sacrificial ceremony at home, he would not keep it for more than three days. After three days, he would not eat it. While eating, he would not have long conversations. In bed, he would keep quiet. Even when he only had coarse rice and vegetable soup, he would set aside some of them for the spirits. He was always solemn when he did this.
食不厭精，膾不厭細。食饐而餲，魚餒而肉敗，不食。色惡，不食。臭惡，不食。失飪，不食。不時，不食。割不正，不食。不得其醬，不食。肉雖多，不使勝食氣。惟酒無量，不及亂。沽酒市脯不食。不撤薑食。不多食。祭於公，不宿肉。祭肉不出三日。出三日，不食之矣。食不語，寢不言。雖疏食菜羹，瓜祭，必齊如也。
9. If the cushions were not properly laid out, he would not sit.
席不正，不坐。
10. While drinking with the local people, only after the senior member has left would he also leave. When the local people were having a ritual to fend off a plague, he would wear his courtly costume and stand at the east side of the step.
鄉人飲酒，杖者出，斯出矣。鄉人儺，朝服而立於阼階。
11. When he was sending a man to a different country, he would bow twice and see him off. Lord Ji Kang sent him some medicine. He bowed and received it. Then he said, "Qiu is not equal to this. I dare not taste it."
問人於他邦，再拜而送之。康子饋藥，拜而受之。曰：「丘未達，不敢嘗。」
12. His stable was burnt down. He came home from the court. He said, "Was anybody hurt?' He did not ask about the horse.
廄焚。子退朝，曰：「傷人乎？」不問馬。
13. If a ruler sent him a dish, he would always correct his posture and have a taste of it first. If a ruler sent him raw meat, he would always cook it and eat it while it is hot. If a ruler sent him a live animal, he would always raise it. In attendance during a meal of a ruler, the ruler would set aside some food for the spirits first and then he would also eat. During serious illness, when the ruler was coming to see him, he would lay his head to the east and place the courtly costume on him and tie it with the belt. If a ruler summoned him, without waiting for the carriage to be harnessed, he would set off.
君賜食，必正席先嘗之；君賜腥，必熟而薦之；君賜生，必畜之。侍食於君，君祭，先飯。疾，君視之，東首，加朝服，拖紳。君命召，不俟駕行矣。
14. When he was inside the Grand Temple, he would ask about everything.
入太廟，每事問。
15. A friend died. But the deceased had been homeless. He said, "Bring the corpse in my house for a funeral." If it was a friend who sent him a gift, even though it might be a carriage or a
horse, as long as it was not the give-away meat used in a sacrificial ceremony, he would not bow.
朋友死，無所歸。曰：「於我殯。」朋友之饋，雖車馬，非祭肉，不拜。
16. He did not sleep like a corpse. But he did not live in extravagance. If he saw that a man was in a mourning period, even though he knew him very well, he would invariably wear a solemn face. If he saw a man wearing the funeral cap or a blind man, even if the man was in a rag, he would always correct his posture. To those who were press-ganged to hard labour, he showed respect. He paid respect to those who were heavy laden. When he was served with an elaborate meal, he would always show a sign of astonishment and stand up. When there was a big lightening or a violent gale, he would invariably change his face.
寢不尸，居不容。見齊衰者，雖狎，必變。見冕者與瞽者，雖褻，必以貌。凶服者式之。式負版者。有盛饌，必變色而作。迅雷風烈，必變。
17. In climbing onto a carriage, he would always keep himself upright and hold the rope. Once in the carriage, he would not look around inside, he would not tell the driver to go fast, he would not point his finger at things.
升車，必正立執綏。車中，不內顧，不疾言，不親指。
18. Alarmed by people, the birds flew up. After circling around, they came down and gathered together. The Master said, Female pheasants in the mountain! It's the right time! It's the right time!" Zi Lu served the bird to the Master. The Master sniffed the dish three times, then he rose.
色斯舉矣，翔而後集。曰：「山梁雌雉，時哉！時哉！」子路共之，三嗅而作。
