Zi Xia

子夏曰，贤贤易色，事父母，能竭其力，事君，能致其身，与朋友交，言而有信，虽曰未学，吾必谓之学矣。

Tsze-hsia said, "If a man withdraws his mind from the love of beauty, and applies it as sincerely to the love of the virtuous; if, in serving his parents, he can exert his utmost strength; if, in serving his prince, he can devote his life; if, in his intercourse with his friends, his words are sincere:—although men say that he has not learned, I will certainly say that he has."

子夏问孝，子曰，色难，有事，弟子服其劳，有酒食，先生馔，曾是以为孝乎。

Tsze-hsia asked what filial piety was. The Master said, "The difficulty is with the countenance. If, when their elders have any troublesome affairs, the young take the toil of them, and if, when the young have wine and food, they set them before their elders, is this to be considered filial piety?"

子夏问曰，巧笑倩兮，美目盼兮，素以为绚兮。何谓也。子曰，绘事后素。曰，礼后乎。子曰，起予者商也，始可与言诗已矣。

1. Tsze-hsia asked, saying, "What is the meaning of the passage—'The pretty dimples of her artful smile! The well-defined black and white of her eye! The plain ground for the colours?'" 2. The Master said, "The business of laying on the colours follows (the preparation of) the plain ground." 3. "Ceremonies then are a subsequent thing?" The Master said, "It is Shang who can bring out my meaning. Now I can begin to talk about the odes with him."

子谓子夏曰，女为君子儒，无为小人儒。

The Master said to Tsze-hsia, "Do you be a scholar after the style of the superior man, and not after that of the mean man."

子曰，从我于陈蔡者，皆不及门也。德行，颜渊，闵子骞，冉伯牛，仲弓。言语，宰我，子贡。政事，冉有，季路。文学，子游，子夏。

1. The Master said, "Of those who were with me in Ch'an and Ts'ai, there are none to be found to enter my door." 2. Distinguished for their virtuous principles and practice, there were Yen Yuan, Min Tsze-ch'ien, Zan Po-niu, and Chung-kung; for their ability in speech, Tsai Wo and Tsze-kung; for their administrative talents, Zan Yu and Chi Lu; for their literary acquirements, Tsze-yu and Tsze-hsia.

子贡问师与商也孰贤。子曰，师也过，商也不及。曰，然则师愈与。子曰，过犹不及。

1. Tsze-kung asked which of the two, Shih or Shang, was the superior. The Master said, "Shih goes beyond the due mean, and Shang does not come up to it." 2. "Then," said Tsze-kung, "the superiority is with Shih, I suppose." 3. The Master said, "To go beyond is as wrong as to fall short."

司马牛忧曰，人皆有兄弟，我独亡。子夏曰，商闻之矣。死生有命，富贵在天。君子敬而无失，与人恭而有礼，四海之内，皆兄弟也，君子何患乎无兄弟也。

1. Sze-ma Niu, full of anxiety, said, "Other men all have their brothers, I only have not." 2. Tsze-hsia said to him, "There is the following saying which I have heard:— 3. "'Death and life have their determined appointment; riches and honours depend upon Heaven.' 4. "Let the superior man never fail reverentially to order his own conduct, and let him be respectful to others and observant of propriety:—then all within the four seas will be his brothers. What has the superior man to do with being distressed because he has no brothers?"

樊迟问仁。子曰，爱人。问知。子曰，知人。樊迟未达。子曰，擧直错诸枉，能使枉者直。樊迟退，见子夏曰，乡也，吾见于夫子而问知。子曰，擧直错诸枉，能使枉者直，何谓也。子夏曰，富哉言乎。舜有天下，选于众，擧皋陶，不仁者远矣，汤有天下，选于众，擧伊尹，不仁者远矣。

1. Fan Ch'ih asked about benevolence. The Master said, "It is to love all men." He asked about knowledge. The Master said, "It is to know all men." 2. Fan Ch'ih did not immediately understand these answers. 3. The Master said, "Employ the upright and put aside all the crooked;—in this way the crooked can be made to be upright." 4. Fan Ch'ih retired, and, seeing Tsze-hsia, he said to him, "A Little while ago, I had an interview with our Master, and asked him about knowledge. He said, "Employ the upright, and put aside all the crooked;—in this way, the crooked will be made to be upright." What did he mean?" 5. Tsze-hsia said, "Truly rich is his saying! 6. "Shun, being in possession of the kingdom, selected from among all the people, and employed Kao-yao, on which all who were devoid of virtue disappeared. T'ang, being in possession of the kingdom, selected from among all the people, and employed I Yin, and all who were devoid of virtue disappeared."

子夏为莒父宰，问政。子曰，无欲速，无见小利。欲速则不达，见小利则大事不成。

Tsze-hsia, being governor of Chu-fu, asked about government. The Master said, "Do not be desirous to have things done quickly; do not look at small advantages. Desire to have things done quickly prevents their being done thoroughly. Looking at small advantages prevents great affairs from being accomplished."

子夏之门人问交于子张。子张曰，子夏云何。对曰，子夏曰，可者与之，其不可者拒之。子张曰，异乎吾所闻，君子尊贤而容众，嘉善而矜不能，我之大贤与，于人何所不容，我之不贤与，人将拒我，如之何其拒人也。

The disciples of Tsze-hsia asked Tsze-chang about the principles that should characterize mutual intercourse. Tsze-chang asked, "What does Tsze-hsia say on the subject?" They replied, "Tsze-hsia says:—'Associate with those who can advantage you. Put away from you those who cannot do so.'" Tsze-chang observed, "This is different from what I have learned. The superior man honours the talented and virtuous, and bears with all. He praises the good, and pities the incompetent. Am I possessed of great talents and virtue?—who is there among men whom I will not bear with? Am I devoid of talents and virtue?—men will put me away from them. What have we to do with the putting away of others?"

子夏曰，虽小道，必有可观者焉，致远恐泥，是以君子不为也。

Tsze-hsia said, "Even in inferior studies and employments there is something worth being looked at; but if it be

子夏曰，日知其所亡，月无忘其所能，可谓好学也已矣。

Tsze-hsia said, "He, who from day to day recognises what he has not yet, and from month to month does not forget what he has attained to, may be said indeed to love to learn."

子夏曰，博学而笃志，切问而近思，仁在其中矣。

Tsze-hsia said, "There are learning extensively, and having a firm and sincere aim; inquiring with earnestness, and reflecting with self-application:—virtue is in such a course."

子夏曰，百工居肆，以成其事，君子学以致其道。

Tsze-hsia said, "Mechanics have their shops to dwell in, in order to accomplish their works. The superior man learns, in order to reach to the utmost of his principles."

子夏曰，小人之过也，必文。

Tsze-hsia said, "The mean man is sure to gloss his faults."

子夏曰，君子有三变，望之俨然，即之也温，听其言也厉。

Tsze-hsia said, "The superior man undergoes three changes. Looked at from a distance, he appears stern; when approached, he is mild; when he is heard to speak, his language is firm and decided."

子夏曰，君子信而后劳其民，未信，则以为厉己也，信而后谏，未信，则以为谤己也。

Tsze-hsia said, "The superior man, having obtained their confidence, may then impose labours on his people. If he have not gained their confidence, they will think that he is oppressing them. Having obtained the confidence of his prince, one may then remonstrate with him. If he have not gained his confidence, the prince will think that he is vilifying him."

子夏曰，大德不逾闲，小德出入可也。

Tsze-hsia said, "When a person does not transgress the boundary line in the great virtues, he may pass and repass it in the small virtues."

子游曰，子夏之门人小子，当洒扫，应对，进退，则可矣，抑末也，本之则无，如之何。子夏闻之曰，噫，言游过矣，君子之道，孰先传焉，孰后倦焉，譬诸草木，区以别矣，君子之道，焉可诬也，有始有卒者，其惟圣人乎。

1. Tsze-yu said, "The disciples and followers of Tsze-hsia, in sprinkling and sweeping the ground, in answering and replying, in advancing and receding, are sufficiently accomplished. But these are only the branches of learning, and they are left ignorant of what is essential.—How can they be acknowledged as sufficiently taught?" 2. Tsze-hsia heard of the remark and said, "Alas! Yen Yu is wrong. According to the way of the superior man in teaching, what departments are there which he considers of prime importance, and delivers? what are there which he considers of secondary importance, and allows himself to be idle about? But as in the case of plants, which are assorted according to their classes, so he deals with his disciples. How can the way of a superior man be such as to make fools of any of them? Is it not the sage alone, who can unite in one the beginning and the consummation of learning?"

子夏曰，仕而优则学，学而优则仕。

Tsze-hsia said, "The officer, having discharged all his duties, should devote his leisure to learning. The student, having completed his learning, should apply himself to be an officer."