The Analects
Book 5 · Gongye Chang
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Gongye Chang · 5.1
The Master said of Gongye Chang, “He is fit to marry. Although he has been bound in prison, it was not because he was guilty.” He gave him his daughter in marriage.
Gongye Chang · 5.2
The Master said of Nan Rong, “When the state has the Way, he will not be neglected; when the state lacks the Way, he will escape punishment and execution.” He gave him his elder brother's daughter in marriage.
Gongye Chang · 5.3
The Master said of Zijian, “What an exemplary person he is! If there were no exemplary people in Lu, where could he have acquired these qualities?”
Gongye Chang · 5.4
Zigong asked, “What do you think of me, Si?” The Master said, “You are a vessel.” “What kind of vessel?” “A precious hu-lian ritual vessel.”
Gongye Chang · 5.5
Someone said, “Yong is humane but not glib.” The Master said, “What need is there for glibness? Meeting others with a ready tongue repeatedly earns their dislike. I do not know whether he is humane, but what need is there for glibness?”
Gongye Chang · 5.6
The Master urged Qidiao Kai to take office. He replied, “I am not yet confident that I am ready for this.” The Master was pleased.
Gongye Chang · 5.7
The Master said, “If the Way cannot be practiced, I will take a raft and float out to sea. Surely You would be the one to follow me?” Zilu heard this and was delighted. The Master said, “You's love of courage exceeds mine, but he lacks the judgment to weigh what should be taken up.”
Gongye Chang · 5.8
Meng Wubo asked, “Is Zilu humane?” The Master said, “I do not know.” Asked again, he said, “You could be entrusted with managing the military levies of a state of a thousand chariots. I do not know whether he is humane.” “What about Qiu?” The Master said, “Qiu could serve as steward of a town of a thousand households or a great house of a hundred chariots. I do not know whether he is humane.” “What about Chi?” The Master said, “Chi could stand at court with his sash fastened and be entrusted with speaking to visiting guests. I do not know whether he is humane.”
Gongye Chang · 5.9
The Master said to Zigong, “Who is the better, you or Hui?” He replied, “How would I, Si, dare to compare myself with Hui? Hearing one thing, Hui understands ten; hearing one, I understand only two.” The Master said, “You do not equal him. I agree with you: you do not equal him.”
Gongye Chang · 5.10
Zai Yu slept during the day. The Master said, “Rotten wood cannot be carved, and a wall of dung and earth cannot be plastered. What use is there in reproaching Yu?” The Master also said, “At first, when dealing with people, I listened to their words and trusted their conduct. Now I listen to their words and observe their conduct. It was because of Yu that I changed this.”
Gongye Chang · 5.11
The Master said, “I have not yet seen someone truly firm.” Someone replied, “Shen Cheng.” The Master said, “Cheng is full of desire. How could he be firm?”
Gongye Chang · 5.12
Zigong said, “What I do not want others to impose on me, I also wish not to impose on others.” The Master said, “Si, that is not yet within your reach.”
Gongye Chang · 5.13
Zigong said, “We can hear the Master's teachings on cultural learning, but we cannot readily hear him speak about human nature and heaven's Way.”
Gongye Chang · 5.14
When Zilu had heard a teaching but had not yet been able to put it into practice, he feared only that he might hear another.
Gongye Chang · 5.15
Zigong asked, “Why was Kong Wenzi given the posthumous title Wen, ‘Cultivated’?” The Master said, “He was quick and loved learning, and was not ashamed to ask questions of those below him. That is why he was called Wen.”
Gongye Chang · 5.16
The Master said of Zichan, “He possessed four aspects of the exemplary person's Way: he was courteous in his own conduct, reverent in serving superiors, generous in nurturing the people, and right in making use of their labor.”
Gongye Chang · 5.17
The Master said, “Yan Pingzhong was skilled in associating with people. Even after a long acquaintance, he continued to treat them with respect.”
Gongye Chang · 5.18
The Master said, “Zang Wenzhong housed his great divining tortoise in a building with mountain-carved brackets and waterweed-decorated beams. How could that be called wisdom?”
Gongye Chang · 5.19
Zizhang asked, “The chief minister Ziwen was appointed chief minister three times without showing delight, and dismissed three times without showing resentment. He always explained the affairs of the former administration to the new chief minister. What do you think of him?” The Master said, “He was loyal.” “Was he humane?” “I do not know. How could this establish humaneness?”
“When Cuizi murdered the ruler of Qi, Chen Wenzi owned ten teams of horses. He abandoned them and left. Arriving in another state, he said, ‘They are like our great officer Cuizi!’ and left it. Going to yet another state, he again said, ‘They are like our great officer Cuizi!’ and left. What do you think of him?” The Master said, “He was pure.” “Was he humane?” “I do not know. How could this establish humaneness?”
Gongye Chang · 5.20
Ji Wenzi thought three times before acting. Hearing this, the Master said, “Twice would be enough.”
Gongye Chang · 5.21
The Master said, “When the state possessed the Way, Ning Wuzi was wise; when it lacked the Way, he acted foolishly. Others could match his wisdom, but they could not match his foolishness.”
Gongye Chang · 5.22
While in Chen, the Master said, “Let us return! Let us return! The young people of my community are ambitious and unrestrained. They have splendidly developed their cultural accomplishments, but do not know how to give them proper shape.”
Gongye Chang · 5.23
The Master said, “Bo Yi and Shu Qi did not dwell on old wrongs; thus resentment was rare.”
Gongye Chang · 5.24
The Master said, “Who says Weisheng Gao is upright? When someone asked him for vinegar, he begged some from a neighbor and gave it to the person.”
Gongye Chang · 5.25
The Master said, “Clever words, a pleasing appearance, and excessive deference—Zuo Qiuming was ashamed of them, and I, Qiu, am ashamed of them too. To conceal resentment while acting as someone's friend—Zuo Qiuming was ashamed of that, and I am ashamed of it too.”
Gongye Chang · 5.26
Yan Yuan and Jilu were attending the Master. He said, “Why not each tell me your aspirations?” Zilu said, “I would like to share my carriage, horses, clothing, and fur robes with my friends, and feel no regret even if they wore them out.” Yan Yuan said, “I would like not to boast of my goodness or make a display of my services.” Zilu said, “I would like to hear your aspirations.” The Master said, “To give the old a sense of security, friends a reason for trust, and the young a feeling of being cherished.”
Gongye Chang · 5.27
The Master said, “Is it all over? I have yet to see anyone who can recognize a fault and bring a case against themselves within their own heart.”
Gongye Chang · 5.28
The Master said, “Even in a hamlet of ten households, there must be someone as wholehearted and trustworthy as I, Qiu. But that person will not equal my love of learning.”
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