Music

孟武伯问孝，子曰，父母唯其疾之忧。

Mang Wu asked what filial piety was. The Master said, "Parents are anxious lest their children should be sick."

子谓韶，尽美矣，又尽善也，谓武，尽美矣，未尽善也。

The Master said of the Shao that it was perfectly beautiful and also perfectly good. He said of the Wu that it was perfectly beautiful but not perfectly good.

孟武伯问子路仁乎。子曰，不知也。又问。子曰，由也，千乘之国，可使治其赋也，不知其仁也。求也何如。子曰，求也，千室之邑，百乘之家，可使为之宰也，不知其仁也。赤也何如。子曰，赤也，束带立于朝，可使与宾客言也，不知其仁也。

1. Mang Wu asked about Tsze-lu, whether he was perfectly virtuous. The Master said, "I do not know." 2. He asked again, when the Master replied, "In a kingdom of a thousand chariots, Yu might be employed to manage the military levies, but I do not know whether he be perfectly virtuous." 3. "And what do you say of Ch'iu?" The Master replied, "In a city of a thousand families, or a clan of a hundred chariots, Ch'iu might be employed as governor, but I do not know whether he is perfectly virtuous." 4. "What do you say of Ch'ih?" The Master replied, "With his sash girt and standing in a court, Ch'ih might be employed to converse with the visitors and guests, but I do not know whether he is perfectly virtuous."

子曰，宁武子，邦有道，则知，邦无道，则愚，其知可及也，其愚不可及也。

The Master said, "When good order prevailed in his country, Ning Wu acted the part of a wise man. When his country was in disorder, he acted the part of a stupid man. Others may equal his wisdom, but they cannot equal his stupidity."

子游为武城宰，子曰，女得人焉耳乎。曰，有澹台灭明者，行不由径，非公事，未尝至于偃之室也。

Tsze-yu being governor of Wu-ch'ang, the Master said to him, "Have you got good men there?" He answered, "There is Tan-t'ai Mieh-ming, who never in walking takes a short cut, and never comes to my office, excepting on public business."

子在齐闻韶，三月不知肉味，曰，不图为乐之至于斯也。

When the Master was in Ch'i, he heard the Shao, and for three months did not know the taste of flesh. "I did not think" he said, "that music could have been made so excellent as this."

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."

子曰，吾自衞反鲁，然后乐正，雅颂各得其所。

The Master said, "I returned from Wei to Lu, and then the music was reformed, and the pieces in the Royal songs and Praise songs all found their proper places."

子曰，先进于礼乐，野人也，后进于礼乐，君子也，如用之，则吾从先进。

1. The Master said, "The men of former times, in the matters of ceremonies and music were rustics, it is said, while the men of these latter times, in ceremonies and music, are accomplished gentlemen. 2. "If I have occasion to use those things, I follow the men of former times."

子路曰，衞君待子而为政，子将奚先。子曰，必也，正名乎。子路曰，有是哉，子之迂也，奚其正。子曰，野哉，由也，君子于其所不知，盖阙如也。名不正，则言不顺，言不顺，则事不成。事不成，则礼乐不兴，礼乐不兴，则刑罚不中，刑罚不中，则民无所措手足。故君子名之必可言也，言之必可行也，君子于其言，无所茍而已矣。

1. Tsze-lu said, "The ruler of Wei has been waiting for you, in order with you to administer the government. What will you consider the first thing to be done?" 2. The Master replied, "What is necessary is to rectify names." 3. "So, indeed!" said Tsze-lu. "You are wide of the mark! Why must there be such rectification?" 4. The Master said, "How uncultivated you are, Yu! A superior man, in regard to what he does not know, shows a cautious reserve. 5. "If names be not correct, language is not in accordance with the truth of things. If language be not in accordance with the truth of things, affairs cannot be carried on to success. 6. "When affairs cannot be carried on to success, proprieties and music will not flourish. When proprieties and music do not flourish, punishments will not be properly awarded. When punishments are not properly awarded, the people do not know how to move hand or foot. 7. "Therefore a superior man considers it necessary that the names he uses may be spoken appropriately, and also that what he speaks may be carried out appropriately. What the superior man requires, is just that in his words there may be nothing incorrect."

子路问成人。子曰，若臧武仲之知，公绰之不欲，卞庄子之勇，冉求之艺，文之以礼乐，亦可以为成人矣。曰，今之成人者，何必然。见利思义，见危授命，久要不忘平生之言，亦可以为成人矣。

1. Tsze-lu asked what constituted a complete man. The Master said, "Suppose a man with the knowledge of Tsang Wu-chung, the freedom from covetousness of Kung-ch'o, the bravery of Chwang of Pien, and the varied talents of Zan Ch'iu; add to these the accomplishments of the rules of propriety and music:—such a one might be reckoned a complete man." 2. He then added, "But what is the necessity for a complete man of the present day to have all these things? The man, who in the

子曰，臧武仲，以防求为后于鲁，虽曰不要君，吾不信也。

The Master said, "Tsang Wu-chung, keeping possession of Fang, asked of the duke of Lu to appoint a successor to him in his family. Although it may be said that he was not using force with his sovereign, I believe he was."

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.

孔子曰，天下有道，则礼乐征伐，自天子出，天下无道，则礼乐征伐，自诸侯出，自诸侯出，盖十世希不失矣，自大夫出，五世希不失矣，陪臣执国命，三世希不失矣。天下有道，则政不在大夫。天下有道，则庶人不议。

1. Confucius said, "When good government prevails in the empire, ceremonies, music, and punitive military expeditions proceed from the son of Heaven. When bad government prevails in the empire, ceremonies, music, and punitive military expeditions proceed from the princes. When these things proceed from the princes, as a rule, the cases will be few in which they do not lose their power in ten generations. When they proceed from the Great officers of the princes, as a rule, the cases will be few in which they do not lose their power in five generations. When the subsidiary ministers of the great officers hold in their grasp the orders of the state, as a rule, the cases will be few in which they do not lose their power in three generations. 2. "When right principles prevail in the kingdom, government will not be in the hands of the Great officers. 3. "When right principles prevail in the kingdom, there will be no discussions among the common people."

孔子曰，益者三乐，损者三乐，乐节礼乐，乐道人之善，乐多贤友，益矣，乐骄乐，乐佚游，乐宴乐，损矣。

Confucius said, "There are three things men find enjoyment in which are advantageous, and three things they find enjoyment in which are injurious. To find enjoyment in the discriminating study of ceremonies and music; to find enjoyment in

子之武城，闻弦歌之声。夫子莞尔而笑曰，割鸡焉用牛刀。子游对曰，昔者偃也，闻诸夫子曰，君子学道则爱人，小人学道则易使也。子曰，二三子，偃之言是也，前言戏之耳。

1. The Master, having come to Wu-ch'ang, heard there the sound of stringed instruments and singing. 2. Well pleased and smiling, he said, "Why use an ox knife to kill a fowl?" 3. Tsze-yu replied, "Formerly, Master, I heard you say,—'When the man of high station is well instructed, he loves men; when the man of low station is well instructed, he is easily ruled.'" 4. The Master said, "My disciples, Yen's words are right. What I said was only in sport."

大师挚适齐，亚饭干适楚，三饭缭适蔡，四饭缺适秦。鼓方叔入于河，播鼗武入于汉，少师阳，击磬襄入于海。

1. The grand music master, Chih, went to Ch'i. 2. Kan, the master of the band at the second meal, went to Ch'u. Liao, the band master at the third meal, went to Ts'ai. Chueh, the band master at the fourth meal, went to Ch'in. 3. Fang-shu, the drum master, withdrew to the north of the river.

卫公孙朝问于子贡曰，仲尼焉学。子贡曰，文，武之道，未坠于地，在人。贤者识其大者，不贤者识其小者，莫不有文，武之道焉。夫子焉不学。而亦何常师之有。

1. Kung-sun Ch'ao of Wei asked Tsze-kung, saying, "From whom did Chung-ni get his learning?" 2. Tsze-kung replied, "The doctrines of Wan and Wu have not yet fallen to the ground. They are to be found among men. Men of talents and virtue remember the greater principles of them, and others, not possessing such talents and virtue, remember the smaller. Thus, all possess the doctrines of Wan and Wu. Where could our Master go that he should not have an opportunity of learning them? And yet what necessity was there for his having a regular master?"

叔孙武叔语大夫于朝曰，子贡贤于仲尼。子服景伯以告子贡。子贡曰，譬之宫墙，赐之墙也，及肩，窥见室家之好。夫子之墙，数仞，不得其门而入，不见宗庙之美，百官之富。得其门者或寡矣，夫子之云，不亦宜乎。

1. Shu-sun Wu-shu observed to the great officers in the court, saying, "Tsze-kung is superior to Chung-ni." 2. Tsze-fu Ching-po reported the observation to Tsze-kung, who said, "Let me use the comparison of a house and its encompassing wall. My wall only reaches to the shoulders. One may peep over it, and see whatever is valuable in the apartments. 3. "The wall of my Master is several fathoms high. If one do not find the door and enter by it, he cannot see the ancestral temple with its beauties, nor all the officers in their rich array. 4. "But I may assume that they are few who find the door. Was not the observation of the chief only what might have been expected?"

叔孙武叔毁仲尼。子贡曰，无以为也，仲尼不可毁也，他人之贤者，丘陵也，犹可逾也，仲尼，日月也，无得而逾焉，人虽欲自绝，其何伤于日月乎，多见其不知量也。

Shu-sun Wu-shu having spoken revilingly of Chung-ni, Tsze-kung said, "It is of no use doing so. Chung-ni cannot be reviled. The talents and virtue of other men are hillocks and mounds which may be stepped over. Chung-ni is the sun or moon, which it is not possible to step over. Although a man may wish to cut himself off from the sage, what harm can he do to the sun or moon? He only shows that he does not know his own capacity.