Ji Zicheng said, “A noble person needs only inner substance—why bother with outward refinement?”Zigong replied, “What a pity, sir, that you speak this way of the noble person! Once words are spoken, even a team of four horses cannot overtake them. Refinement is as essential as substance, and substance is as essential as refinement.…
Sima Niu lamented, “Everyone has brothers, but I alone have none.”Zixia consoled him, saying, “I once heard it said: ‘Life and death are determined by fate; wealth and honor depend on Heaven.’ If a noble person is reverent and never careless in conduct, and treats others with respect and propriety, then all within the…
Zilu, Zeng Xi (named Dian), Ran You, and Gongxi Hua were sitting with Confucius. The Master said, “I am a few years older than you – don’t let that hold you back. You often say, ‘No one understands me!’ If someone did understand and employ you, what would you do?”
Zilu appointed Zigao as magistrate of Fei. The Master said, “You are harming that young man!”Zilu replied, “There are people to govern and altars of soil and grain to tend – why must one read books before being considered learned?”The Master retorted, “This is precisely why I detest glib talkers who twist words to…
Zi Zhang asked about the way of the “good person” (one naturally virtuous but without formal learning). The Master replied, “If one does not follow in the footsteps of the ancients, one cannot enter the inner chamber of true virtue.”
The Master said, “Hui is nearly there in moral perfection – yet he is often destitute. Ci does not accept his fate; instead, he engages in trade and commerce, and his market predictions are frequently correct.”
Zilu asked how to serve ghosts and spirits. The Master said, “If you have not yet learned how to serve people, how can you serve ghosts and spirits?” Zilu ventured to ask further, “May I ask about death?” The Master replied, “If you do not yet understand life, how can you understand death?”