Xia, Yin, and Zhou

子曰，君子周而不比，小人比而不周。

The Master said, "The superior man is catholic and no partisan. The mean man is partisan and not catholic."

子张问十世，可知也。子曰，殷因于夏礼，所损益，可知也，周因于殷礼，所损益，可知也，其或继周者，虽百世，可知也。

1. Tsze-chang asked whether the affairs of ten ages after could be known. 2. Confucius said, "The Yin dynasty followed the regulations of the Hsia: wherein it took from or added to them may be known. The Chau dynasty has followed the regulations of Yin: wherein it took from or added to them may be known. Some other may follow the Chau, but though it should be at the distance of a hundred ages, its affairs may be known."

子曰，夏礼吾能言之，杞不足征也，殷礼吾能言之，宋不足征也，文献不足故也，足，则吾能征之矣。

The Master said, "I could describe the ceremonies of the Hsia dynasty, but Chi cannot sufficiently attest my words. I could describe the ceremonies of the Yin dynasty, but Sung cannot sufficiently attest my words. (They cannot do so) because of the insufficiency of their records and wise men. If those were sufficient, I could adduce them in support of my words."

子曰，周监于二代，郁郁乎文哉，吾从周。

The Master said, "Chau had the advantage of viewing the two past dynasties. How complete and elegant are its regulations! I follow Chau."

哀公问社于宰我。宰我对曰，夏后氏以松，殷人以柏，周人以栗，曰，使民战栗。子闻之曰，成事不说，遂事不谏，既往不咎。

1. The Duke Ai asked Tsai Wo about the altars of the spirits of the land. Tsai Wo replied, "The Hsia sovereign planted the pine tree about them; the men of the Yin planted the cypress; and the men of the Chau planted the chestnut tree, meaning thereby to cause the people to be in awe." 2. When the Master heard it, he said, "Things that are done, it is needless to speak about; things that have had their course, it is needless to remonstrate about; things that are past, it is needless to blame."

子华使于齐，冉子为其母请粟。子曰，与之釜。请益。曰，与之庾。冉子与之粟五秉。子曰，赤之适齐也，乘肥马，衣轻裘，吾闻之也，君子周急，不继富。原思为之宰，与之粟九百，辞。子曰，毋，以与尔邻里乡党乎。

1. Tsze-hwa being employed on a mission to Ch'i, the disciple Zan requested grain for his mother. The Master said, "Give her a fu." Yen requested more. "Give her an yu," said the Master. Yen gave her five ping. 2. The Master said, "When Ch'ih was proceeding to Ch'i, he had fat horses to his carriage, and wore light furs. I have heard that a superior man helps the distressed, but does not add to the wealth of the rich." 3. Yuan Sze being made governor of his town by the Master, he gave him nine hundred measures of grain, but Sze declined them. 4. The Master said, "Do not decline them. May you not give them away in the neighborhoods, hamlets, towns, and villages?"

子曰，甚矣吾衰也，久矣，吾不复梦见周公。

The Master said, "Extreme is my decay. For a long time, I have not dreamed, as I was wont to do, that I saw the duke of Chau."

子曰，如有周公之才之美，使骄且吝，其余不足观也已。

The Master said, "Though a man have abilities as admirable as those of the Duke of Chau, yet if he be proud and niggardly, those other things are really not worth being looked at."

舜有臣五人，而天下治。武王曰，予有乱臣十人。孔子曰，才难，不其然乎，唐虞之际，于斯为盛，有妇人焉，九人而已。三分天下有其二，以服事殷，周之德，其可谓至德也已矣。

1. Shun had five ministers, and the empire was well-governed. 2. King Wu said, "I have ten able ministers." 3. 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 in this of Chau, yet there was a woman among them. The able ministers were no more than nine men. 4. "King Wan possessed two of the three parts of the empire, and with those he served the dynasty of Yin. The virtue of the house of Chau may be said to have reached the highest point indeed."

季氏富于周公，而求也为之聚敛而附益之。子曰，非吾徒也，小子，鸣鼓而攻之可也。

1. The head of the Chi family was richer than the duke of Chau had been, and yet Ch'iu collected his imposts for him, and increased his wealth. 2. The Master said, "He is no disciple of mine. My little children, beat the drum and assail him."

颜渊问为邦。子曰，行夏之时，乘殷之辂，服周之冕，乐则韶舞。放郑声，远佞人。郑声淫，佞人殆。

1. Yen Yuan asked how the government of a country should be administered. 2. The Master said, "Follow the seasons of Hsia.

公山弗扰以费畔，召，子欲往。子路不说，曰，末之也已，何必公山氏之之也。子曰，夫召我者，而岂徒哉。如有用我者，吾其为东周乎。

1. Kung-shan Fu-zao, when he was holding Pi, and in an attitude of rebellion, invited the Master to visit him, who was rather inclined to go. 2. Tsze-lu was displeased, and said, "Indeed, you cannot go! Why must you think of going to see Kung-shan?"

子谓伯鱼曰，女为周南召南矣乎，人而不为周南召南，其犹正墙面而立也与。

The Master said to Po-yu, "Do you give yourself to the Chau-nan and the Shao-nan. The man who has not studied the Chau-nan and the Shao-nan, is like one who stands with his face right against a wall. Is he not so?"

微子去之，箕子为之奴，比干谏而死。孔子曰，殷有三仁焉。

1. The Viscount of Wei withdrew from the court. The Viscount of Chi became a slave to Chau. Pi-kan remonstrated with him and died. 2. Confucius said, "The Yin dynasty possessed these three men of virtue."

周公谓鲁公曰，君子不施其亲，不使大臣怨乎不以，故旧无大故，则不弃也，无求备于一人。

The duke of Chau addressed his son, the duke of Lu, saying, "The virtuous prince does not neglect his relations. He does not cause the great ministers to repine at his not employing them. Without some great cause, he does not dismiss from their offices the members of old families. He does not seek in one man talents for every employment."

周有八士，伯达，伯适，仲突，仲忽，叔夜，叔夏，季随，季䯄。

To Chau belonged the eight officers, Po-ta, Po-kwo, Chung-tu, Chung-hwu, Shu-ya, Shu-hsia, Chi-sui, and Chi-kwa.

尧曰，咨。尔舜。天之历数在尔躬，允执其中。四海困穷，天禄永终。舜亦以命禹。曰，予小子履，敢用玄牡，敢昭告于皇皇后帝，有罪不敢赦。帝臣不蔽，简在帝心。朕躬有罪，无以万方，万方有罪，罪在朕躬。周有大赉，善人是富。虽有周亲，不如仁人，百姓有过，在予一人。谨权量，审法度，修废官，四方之政行焉。兴灭国，继绝世，举逸民，天下之民归心焉。所重，民，食，丧，祭。宽则得众，信则民任焉，敏则有功，公则说。

1. Yao said, "Oh! you, Shun, the Heaven-determined order of succession now rests in your person. Sincerely hold fast the due Mean. If there shall be distress and want within the four seas, the Heavenly revenue will come to a perpetual end." 2. Shun also used the same language in giving charge to Yu. 3. T'ang said, "I the child Li, presume to use a dark-coloured victim, and presume to announce to Thee, O most great and sovereign God, that the sinner I dare not pardon, and thy ministers, O God, I do not keep in obscurity. The examination of them is by thy mind, O God. If, in my person, I commit offences, they are not to be attributed to you, the people of the myriad regions. If you in the myriad regions commit offences, these offences must rest on my person." 4. Chau conferred great gifts, and the good were enriched. 5. "Although he has his near relatives, they are not equal to my virtuous men. The people are throwing blame upon me, the One man." 6. He carefully attended to the weights and measures, examined the body of the laws, restored the discarded officers, and the good government of the kingdom took its course. 7. He revived States that had been extinguished, restored families whose line of succession had been broken, and called to office those who had retired into obscurity, so that throughout the kingdom the hearts of the people turned towards him. 8. What he attached chief importance to, were the food of the people, the duties of mourning, and sacrifices. 9. By his generosity, he won all. By his sincerity, he made the people repose trust in him. By his earnest activity, his achievements were great. By his justice, all were delighted.