The Master said:
“The Way is not distant from people.
If one pursues the Way in a way that estranges it from human life, it cannot be called the true Way.”
“The Book of Odes says:
‘To cut an axe handle, to cut an axe handle –
the model is not far away.’
Holding an old handle to carve a new one,
even a sideways glance shows it’s still not quite right –
yet the standard is right at hand.
Thus, the gentleman guides others according to their humanity,
and stops when they have corrected themselves.
Loyalty and reciprocity (consideration) are not far from the Way:
what you do not wish for yourself, do not impose on others.
There are four duties of the gentleman, yet I, Qiu, have not fully fulfilled even one:
What I expect of my son in serving me as a father – I have not fully done so toward my own father;
What I expect of my minister in serving me as a ruler – I have not fully done so toward my own ruler;
What I expect of my younger brother in serving me – I have not fully done so toward my elder brother;
What I expect of my friend – I have not first offered it myself.
Practice ordinary virtues faithfully; speak ordinary words with care.
When lacking, dare not fail to strive;
when in excess, dare not exhaust all possibilities.
Let your words consider your actions, and your actions consider your words.
How can the gentleman not be sincere, earnest, and consistent!”
子曰：「道不遠人。人之為道而遠人，不可以為道。
《詩》云：『伐柯伐柯，其則不遠。』執柯以伐柯，睨而視之，猶以為遠。
故君子以人治人，改而止。
忠恕違道不遠，施諸己而不愿，亦勿施於人。
君子之道四，丘未能一焉：
所求乎子以事父，未能也；
所求乎臣以事君，未能也；
所求乎弟以事兄，未能也；
所求乎朋友先施之，未能也。
庸德之行，庸言之謹，有所不足，不敢不勉，有餘不敢盡；
言顧行，行顧言，君子胡不慥慥爾！」
Note
This chapter is among the most practically wise in the Doctrine of the Mean, vividly embodying the Confucian ethical spirit of “the Way is in daily life” and “extending oneself to others.”
First, “The Way (Dao or Tao) is not distant from people” serves as the chapter’s guiding principle. The Confucian Way is not an abstract metaphysics but a practical reason rooted in concrete human relationships – father and son, ruler and minister, elder and younger brothers, friends. To mystify or detach the Way from lived experience is to betray its essence.
Second, the Odes (Book of Poetry) metaphor of “cutting an axe handle” is masterful: cultivating the Way is like carving a new handle using the old one as a model – the standard is already in hand. “Even a sideways glance shows it’s still not quite right” illustrates how people often overlook the nearest moral resources due to self-doubt or unrealistic aspirations.
“Loyalty and reciprocity are not far from the Way” directly echoes the Analects: “Do not impose on others what you yourself do not desire.” Here, the “ethic of reciprocity” (shu or consideration) is elevated as a practical path toward the Mean. Zhong means giving one’s utmost; shu (reciprocity or consideration) means extending oneself to others. Together, they form Confucianism’s golden rule.
“What I do not want others to do to me, I have no desire to do to others.” (Analects 5.12)
Most moving is Confucius’ self-reflection: “I have not fully fulfilled even one” of the four gentlemanly duties. Despite being the “Model Teacher for Ten Thousand Generations,” he humbly admits his shortcomings in everyday ethics – not out of false modesty, but as genuine self-examination, a core Confucian practice. The true gentleman is always striving, never claiming perfection.
Finally, “practice ordinary virtues faithfully; speak ordinary words with care” emphasizes that the Mean lies not in extraordinary deeds but in conscientiousness in the mundane. “Let your words consider your actions, and your actions consider your words” underscores that integrity between speech and conduct is the foundation of the gentleman’s character. The gentleman’s words and deeds mutually reflect one another inwardly and outwardly.
Thus, this chapter not only affirms the ordinariness of the Way but also reveals the authentic Confucian path of self-cultivation: beginning with daily human relations, guided by loyalty and reciprocity, driven by self-reflection, and aimed at consistency between word and deed – achieving sagehood precisely through the ordinary.
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