Who Would You Want On Your Side In A Crisis?

子谓颜渊曰:

zǐ  wèi  yán  yuānyuē 

用之则行，舍之则藏，

yòng  zhī  zé xíng shě  zhī  zé  cáng

惟我与尔有是夫！

wéi  wǒ   yǔ  ěr yǒu shì fú

子路曰：子行三军，则谁与？

zǐ  lù  yuē   zǐ  xíng  sān  jūn  zé  shuíyǔ

子曰：暴虎冯河，死而无悔者，

zǐ  yuē  bào  hǔ píng hé  sǐ  ér  wú   huǐ  zhě

吾不与也。

wú  bù   yǔ   yě  

必也临事而惧，

bì  yě   lín  shì   ér  jù    

好谋而成者也。

hào móu ér  chéng  zhě yě

子谓 - The Master told

颜渊 - Yanyuan (Confucius's disciple) 

曰 - said

用之 - using

则行 - to practice/use when

舍之 - once (the task is) completed

则藏 - then conceal

惟我与尔 - only you and I

有是夫 - are like this

子路曰 - Zilu (Confucius's disciple) asked

子行 - Master use/lead

三军 - Army with three divisions (of 12,500 according to Zhou Dynasty regulations)
则谁与 - and who with?
子曰 - The Master said
暴虎 - kill tiger
冯河 - gallop across river
死而无悔者 - a person who dies with no hestitation
吾不 - I not
与也 - with indeed
必也 - essential indeed
临事 - approach matters
而惧 - and cautiously
好谋 - inclined towards planning
而成 - and accomplishment
者 - person
也 - indeed

The Master told Yanyuan: "To use one's skill when necessary and to conceal that skill when it is not needed - only you and I can do this!

 

Zilu asked: "If the Master were to lead a large army, what type of person would you want on your side? The Master said: "I would not want someone who can kill a tiger, gallop across a river and die without hesitation. A person who plans carefully and sees them to the end. That person is essential indeed!" - Analects 7:11        

Frenemy

子曰：巧言、令色、足恭，

zǐ yuē qiǎo yán lìng sè zú gong

左丘明耻之，

zuǒ qiū míng chǐ zhī

丘亦耻之。

qiū yì chǐ zhī

匿怨而友其人，

nì yuàn ér yǒu qí rén

左丘明耻之，

zuǒ qiū míng chǐ zhī

丘亦耻之。

qiū yì chǐ zhī

 

 

 子曰 - The Master said

巧言 - glib/smooth words

令色 - a contrived and pleasant/seductive demeanour

足 - feet

恭 - worship

左丘明 - Zuo Qiuming (a historian renowned for knowledge and virtue)

耻之 - found shameful/humiliating

丘 - Confucius's name (Kong Qiu)

亦耻之- also finds shameful/humiliating

匿 - hide

怨 - grudge/resentment

而友其人 - and befriend someone

左丘明耻之 - Zuo Qiuming found shameful/humiliating

丘亦耻之 - Qiu also finds shameful/humiliating 

 

 

The Master said: "Smooth talk, contrived pleasantries and grovelling - Zuo Qiuming found these shameful.  I, too find them shameful. To befriend someone while secretly resenting him - Zuo Qiuming found this shameful. I, too find this shameful." - Analects 5:25

Smooth Talkers and Fakes

 

子曰。巧言令色、

zǐ yuē qiǎo yán lìng sè

鮮矣仁。

xiān yǐ rén

 

子曰 - The Master said

巧言 - glib/smooth words

令色 - a contrived (pleasant/seductive) demeanour

鮮- rare

矣 - already (declarative tone)

仁 - benevolent

 

The Master said: "Smooth talkers who are skilled in contriving a pleasant manner to attract people are seldom truly benevolent." - Analects 1:3

The Road to Hell Is Paved With Good Intentions

南海之帝为倏，

nán hǎi zhī dì  wéi  shū

北海之帝为忽

běi hǎi zhī dì wéi  hū
中央之帝为混沌。
zhōng yāng zhī dì wéi hún dùn

倏与忽时相与遇于混沌之地，

shū yǔ hū shí xiāng yǔ yù yú hún dùn zhī dì

混沌待之甚善。

hún dùn dài zhī shèn shàn

倏与忽谋报混沌之德，

shū yǔ hū móu bào hún dùn zhī dé，

曰：人皆有七窍，以视、听、食、息，

yuē：rén jiē yòu qī qiào yǐ shì tīng shí xī，

此独无有，尝试凿之。

cǐ dú wú yòu， cháng shì záo zhī

日凿一窍，七日而混沌死。 

rì záo yī qiào， qī rì 'ér hún dùn sǐ

 

 

南海之帝 - The Emperor of the Southern Sea

为倏 - was Shu (Sudden)

北海之帝 - The Emperor of the Northern Sea

为忽 - was Hu (Swift)

中央之帝 - The Emperor of the Centre

为混沌 - was Hun Dun (Primordial Chaos)

倏与忽时相与遇 - Shu and Hu occasionally met each other

于混沌之地 - at the territory of Hun Dun

混沌待之 - Hun Dun treated

甚善 - very well

倏与忽 - Shu and Hu

谋报 - planned to repay

混沌之德 - the virtue of Hun Dun

曰 - said

人皆有 - all men have

七窍 - seven apertures

以 - for

视 - sight

听 - hearing

食 - eating

息 - breathing

此独无有 - only this one (Hun Dun) does not

尝试 - try to

凿之 - drill

日凿一窍 - every day drill one aperture

七日而 - seven days and

混沌死 - Hun Dun died

 

 

The Emperor of the Southern Sea was "Sudden". The Emperor of the  Northern Sea was "Swift". The Emperor of the Centre was "Chaos". Sudden and Swift often met on the territory of Chaos, who was an excellent host. Wanting to repay the kindness of Chaos, Sudden and Swift said: "All men have seven apertures to see, hear, eat and breathe. However, Chaos doesn't have any. Shall we try to drill some for him? For a week, they operated on Chaos, drilling one aperture a day. On the seventh day, Chaos died.
- The Book of Zhuang Zi, "The Normal Course for Rulers and Kings" 

Day and Night

子夏曰：日知其所亡，

rì zhī qí suǒ wáng

月无忘其所能，

yuè wú wàng qí suǒ néng

可谓好学也已矣。

kě wèi hào xué yě yǐ yǐ

子夏曰 - Zixia said

日 - sun (day)

知其 - know that

所亡 - which has been lost/perished

月 - moon (night)

无忘 - not forget

其所能 - what is able

可谓 - can truly be said

好学 - inclined towards study

也 - indeed

已 - already

矣 - already (declarative tone)

Zixia said: "To be aware of what you do not know every day and to hold fast to your knowledge even at night- that can truly be said to be studious!" - Analects 19:5 

The Way of the Mediocre

孟子曰：行之而不着焉，

mèng zǐ yuēxíng zhī ér bù zhuó yān

习矣而不察焉，

xí yǐ ér bù chá yān

终身由之而不知其道者，

zhōng shēn you zhī ér bù zhī qi dào zhě

众也。
zhòng yě

孟子曰 - Mencius said

行之 - to act

而-and

不着 - without thinking

焉 - how to

习 - revise/practice

矣 - already (declarative tone)

而不察 - without investigation
焉 - how to
终身 - whole life
由之 - follow

而 - and

不知- not know

其道 - the path

者 - person

众也 - the common

Mencius said: "To act without thinking, to practice without investigation and to be involved in something for a lifetime without ever knowing why - that is the way of the mediocre." - Mencius, Jin Xin 1:5

Persist in Virtue

子曰：南人有言曰：

zǐ  yuē  nán  rén  yǒu yán  yuē  

人而无恒，不可以作巫医。

rén  ér  wú héng  bù  kě  yǐ   zuò  wū yī

善夫！不恒其德，或承之羞。

shàn fú bù  héng qí   dé  huòchéng zhī  xiū  

子曰：不占而已矣。

zǐ  yuē  bù zhān ér   yǐ yǐ

 

子曰：- The Master said

南人有言曰 - The Southerners have a saying

人而无恒 - a person who is not persistent

不可以作巫医 - cannot be a shaman or a healer

善夫 - well said!

不恒其德 - not persistent in virtue

或 - may

承之 - endure, take on

羞 - humiliation

子曰 - The Master said

不占 - not practice divination

而已 - that's all

矣 already (declarative tone)

 

 

The Master said: "The Southerners have a saying: 'A person who is not persistent cannot be a shaman or a doctor.' Well said! As the I Ching says: 'Those who are not persistent in their practice of virtue may end up being humiliated!" That is only a warning against such people from practicing divination." - Analects 13:22 

Three Questions

曾子曰：吾日三省吾身：

zēng zǐ  yuē    wú   rì sān  xǐng  wú  shēn  

为人谋而不忠乎？

wèi  rén móu  ér   bú  zhōng  hū

与朋友交而不信乎？

yǔ  péng yǒu  jiāo  ér   bú  xìn   hū  

传不习乎？

chuán bù   xí   hū

 

 

曾子曰 - Zeng Zi said

吾 - I

日 - daily

三省 - reflect on three (matters)

身 - (regarding) myself

为人谋 - dealing with others

而不忠乎 - and not loyal?

与朋友交 - interacting with friends

而不信乎 - and no faithfulness?

传 - transmission

不习乎 - not practiced?

 

 

Zeng Zi said: There are three matters which I reflect upon every day. Have I been dishonest in my dealings with others? Have I been unfaithful while interacting with friends? Have I failed to revise that which has been taught to me? - Analects 1:4