-
The Analects – Chapter 194 (8.8). The three stages of cultivation: Confucius on poetry, ritual, and music
8.8The Master said,”Let a man be first incited by the Songs, then given a firm footing by the study of ritual, and finally perfected by music.”
-
The Analects – Chapter 193 (8.7). The burden of benevolence: the scholar-official’s mission
8.7Master Zeng said, “The true Knight of the Way must perforce be both broad-shouldered and stout of heart; his burden is heavy and he has far to go. For Goodness is the burden he has taken upon himself; and must we not grant that it is a heavy one to bear? Only with death…
-
The Analects – Chapter 192 (8.6). The unshaken guardian: Zengzi’s portrait of Confucian moral fortitude
8.6Master Zeng said, “The man to whom one could with equal confidence entrust an orphan not yet fully grown or the sovereignty of a whole State, whom the advent of no emergency however great could upset – would such a one be a true gentleman? He I think would be a true gentleman indeed.”
-
The Analects – Chapter 191 (8.5). Zengzi’s tribute to Yan Hui’s virtue
8.5 Master Zeng said, “Clever, yet not ashamed to consult those less clever than himself; widely gifted, yet not ashamed to consult those with few gifts; having, yet seeming not to have; full, yet seeming empty; offended against, yet never contesting – long ago I had a friend whose ways were such as this.”
-
The Analects – Chapter 190 (8.4). Zengzi’s deathbed teachings on noble conduct
8.4 When Master Zeng was ill, Meng Jing came to see him.
-
The Analects – Chapter 189 (8.3). The final lesson: Zengzi’s dying admonition
8.3When Master Zeng was ill he summoned his disciples and said, “Free my feet, free my hands. The Songs (the Classic of Poetry) says：