The Wisdom of the Chinese

CONFUCIUS. 551 B. C.

ANALECTS

ON GOVERNING

CHI K'ANG TZŬ questioned Confucius on a

point of government, saying: "Ought not I to cut off the lawless in order to establish law and order? What do think?" you Confucius replied: "Sir, what need is there of the death penalty in your system of government? If you showed a sincere desire to be good, your people would likewise be good. The virtue of the prince is like unto wind; that of the people, like unto grass. For it is the nature of grass to bend when the wind blows upon it."

YEN

TRUE GOODNESS

EN YÜAN inquired as to the meaning of true goodness. The Master said: "The subdual of self, and reversion to the natural laws governing conduct this is true goodness. If a man can for

the space of one day subdue his selfishness and revert to natural laws, the whole world will call him good. True goodness springs from a man's own heart. How can it depend on other men?" Yen Yüan said: "Kindly tell me the practical rule to be deduced from this." The Master replied: "Do not use your eyes, your ears, your power of speech or your faculty of movement without obeying the inner law of self-control." - Yen Yüan said: "Though I am not quick in thought or act, I will make it my business to carry out this precept."

THE PRINCELY MAN

SSŬ-MA NIU asked for a definition of the princely man. The Master said: "The princely man is one who knows neither grief nor fear." Absence of grief and fear! Is it the mark of a princely man? - The Master said: "If on searching his heart he finds no guilt, why should he' grieve? of what should he be afraid?"

ON PRETENSE

IT has not been my lot to see a divine man; could

Ꭲ

I see a princely man, that would satisfy me. It has not been my lot to see a thoroughly virtuous

man; could I see a man possessing honesty of soul, that would satisfy me. Is it possible there should be honesty of soul in one who pretends to have what he has not; who, when empty, pretends to be overflowing; who, when in want, pretends to be in affluence?

EXALTED VIRTUE

Tzů
Tzu CHANG asked how to attain exalted vir-

tue. The Master said: "Make conscientiousness and truth your guiding principles, and thus pass on to the cultivation of duty to your neighbor. This is exalted virtue."

TZŬ

ON BEING DISTINGUISHED

CHANG asked: "What must a man do in order to be considered distinguished?" - The Master said: "What do you mean by the term distinguished?" Tzu Chang replied: "I mean one whose fame fills both his own private circle and the State at large." The Master said: "That is notoriety, not distinction. The man of true distinction is simple, honest, and a lover of justice and duty. He weighs men's words, and observes the expression of their faces.

"He is anxious to put himself below others. Such a one is truly distinguished in his private and his public life. As to the man who is merely much talked about, he puts on an appearance of charity and benevolence, but his actions belie it. He is self-satisfied and has no misgivings.

"Neither in private nor in public life does he achieve more than notoriety."

THE

NOBLE CHARACTER

HE Master said: "The higher type of man makes a sense of duty the groundwork of his character, blends with it in action a sense of harmonious proportion, manifests it in a sense of unselfishness, and perfects it by the addition of sincerity and truth. Then indeed is he a noble character."

The higher type of man seeks all that he wants in himself; the inferior man seeks all that he wants from others.

The higher type of man is firm but not quarrelsome; sociable, but not clannish.

The wise man does not esteem a person more highly because of what he says, neither does he undervalue what is said because of the person who says it.

Is not he a sage who neither anticipates deceit nor suspects bad faith in others, yet is prompt to detect them when they appear?

POWER OF EXAMPLE

THE Master wished to settle among the nine Eastern tribes. Someone said: "How can you? They are savages." The Master replied: "If a higher type of men dwelt in their midst, how could their savage condition last?"

THE NINE POINTS

THE noble sort of man pays special attention

to nine points. He is anxious to see clearly, to hear distinctly, to be kindly in his looks, respectful in his demeanor, conscientious in his speech, earnest in his affairs; when in doubt, he is careful to inquire; when in anger, he thinks of the consequences; when offered an opportunity for gain, he thinks only of his duty.