为政第二
『⒉１』子曰：“为政以德，譬如北辰居其所而众星共之。”
『⒉２』子曰：“诗三百，一言以蔽之，曰：‘思无邪’。”
『⒉３』子曰：“道之以政，齐之以刑，民免而无耻；道之以德，齐之以礼，有耻
且格。”
『⒉４』子曰：“吾十有五而志于学，三十而立，四十而不惑，五十而知天命，六
十而耳顺，七十而从心所欲，不逾矩。”
『⒉５』孟懿子问孝。子曰：“无违。”
樊迟御，子告之曰：“孟孙问孝於我，我对曰，无违”樊迟曰：“何谓也
？”子曰：“生，事之以礼；死，葬之以礼，祭之以礼。”
『⒉６』孟武伯问孝。子曰：“父母唯其疾之忧。”
『⒉７』子游问孝。子曰：“今之孝者，是谓能养。至於犬马，皆能有养；不敬，
何以别乎？”
『⒉８』子夏问孝。子曰：“色难。有事，弟子服其劳；有酒食，先生馔，曾是以
为孝乎？”
『⒉９』子曰：“吾与回言终日，不违，如愚。退儿省其私，亦足以发，回也不愚。”
『⒉１０』子曰：“视其所以，观其所由，察其所安。人焉叟哉？人焉叟哉？”
『⒉１１』子曰：“温故而知新，可以为师矣。”
『⒉１２』子曰：“君子不器。”
『⒉１３』子贡问君子。子曰：“先行其言而后从之。”
『⒉１４』子曰：“君子周而不比，小人比而不周。”
『⒉１５』子曰：“学而不思则罔，思而不学则殆。”
『⒉１６』子曰：“攻乎异端，斯害也己。”
『⒉１７』子曰：“由！诲女知之乎！知之为知之，不知为不知，是知也。”
『⒉１８』子张学干禄。子曰：“多闻阙疑，慎言其余，则寡尤。多见阙殆，慎行
其余，则寡悔。言寡尤，行寡悔，禄在其中矣。”
『⒉１９』哀公问曰：“何为则民服？”孔子对曰：“举直错诸枉，则民服；举枉
错诸直，则民不服。”
『⒉２０』季康子问：“使民敬、忠以劝，如之何？”子曰：“临之以庄，则敬；
孝慈，则忠；举善而教不能，则劝。”
『⒉２１』或谓孔子曰：“子奚不为政？”子曰：“书云：‘孝乎惟孝，友于兄弟
，施於有政。’是亦为政，奚其为为政？”
『⒉２２』子曰：“人而无信，不知其可也。大车无（车儿ni），小车无（车兀yue），
其何以行之哉？”
『⒉２３』子张问：“十世可知也？”子曰：“殷因於夏礼，所损益，可知也；周
因於殷礼，所损益，可知也。其或继周者，虽百世，可知也。”
『⒉２４』子曰：“非其鬼而祭之，谄也。见义不为，无勇也。”
2:1 Confucius said: "If you govern with the power of your virtue, you will be like the North Star. It just stays in its place while all the other stars position themselves around it."
[Comment] This is the Analects' first statement on government. Scholars of Chinese thought have commonly placed great emphasis on a supposed radical distinction between Confucian "authoritative" government and Taoist "laissez-faire" government. But numerous Confucian passages such as this which suggest of the ruler's governance by a mere attunement with an inner principle of goodness, without unnecessary external action, quite like the Taoist wu-wei are far more numerous than has been noted. This is one good reason for us to be careful when making the commonplace Confucian/Taoist generalizations without qualification.
2:2 Confucius said: "The 300 verses of the Book of Odes can be summed up in a single phrase: 'Don't think in an evil way.'"
2:3 Confucius said: "If you govern the people legalistically and control them by punishment, they will avoid crime, but have no personal sense of shame. If you govern them by means of virtue and control them with propriety, they will gain their own sense of shame, and thus correct themselves."
2:4 Confucius said: "At fifteen my heart was set on learning; at thirty I stood firm; at forty I had no more doubts; at fifty I knew the mandate of heaven; at sixty my ear was obedient; at seventy I could follow my heart's desire without transgressing the norm."
2:5 Meng I Tzu asked about the meaning of filial piety. Confucius said, "It means 'not diverging (from your parents).'"" Later, when Fan Chih was driving him, Confucius told Fan Chih, "Meng Sun asked me about the meaning of filial piety, and I told him 'not diverging.'" Fan Chih said, "What did you mean by that?" Confucius said, "When your parents are alive, serve them with propriety; when they die, bury them with propriety, and then worship them with propriety."
2:6 Meng Wu Po asked about the meaning of filial piety. Confucius said, "The main concern of your parents is about your health."
[Comment] When we are separated from our parents for long periods of time, we can set their minds at ease by letting them know that we are in good health.
2:7 Tzu Lu asked about the meaning of filial piety. Confucius said, "Nowadays filial piety means being able to feed your parents. But everyone does this for even horses and dogs. Without respect, what's the difference?"
2:8 Tzu Hsia asked about filial piety. Confucius said, "What is important is the expression you show in your face. You should not understand 'filial' to mean merely the young doing physical tasks for their parents, or giving them food and wine when it is available."
2:9 Confucius said: "I can talk with Hui for a whole day without him differing with me in any way--as if he is stupid. But when he retires and I observe his personal affairs, it is quite clear that he is not stupid."
[Comment] Hui (Yen Yüan) is Confucius' favorite disciple, who is praised in many passages of the Analects. He died at a young age, probably around thirty, a fact which Confucius lamented.
2:10 Confucius said: "See a person's means (of getting things). Observe his motives. Examine that in which he rests. How can a person conceal his character? How can a person conceal his character?"
[Comment] People think that they are successfully hiding the devious plots that are going on in their minds. But as the Doctrine of the Mean teaches, "The sincerity on the inside shows on the outside." When someone is deceitful, everyone knows it. When someone is good and honest, everyone knows it.
2:11 Confucius said: "Reviewing what you have learned and learning anew, you are fit to be a teacher."
2:12 Confucius said: "The Superior Man is not a utensil."
[Comment] The Superior Man is not a technician, to be used by others to do a single job. On another level, his mind is not narrowly oriented by a specific task. The chün-tzu thinks broadly and does not limit himself quickly into a certain world-view, and cannot easily be used as a cog in someone else's machine.
2:13 Tzu Kung asked about the character of the Superior Man. Confucius said, "First he practices what he preaches and then he follows it."
2:14 Confucius said: "The Superior Man is all-embracing and not partial. The inferior man is partial and not all-embracing."
2:15 Confucius said: "To study and not think is a waste. To think and not study is dangerous."
2:16 Confucius said: "To throw oneself into strange teachings is quite dangerous."
2:17 Confucius said: "Yu, shall I teach you about knowledge? What you know, you know, what you don't know, you don't know. This is knowledge."
[Comment] The stage of "knowing what you know and knowing what you don't know" is not easy to attain. It has been noted in the teachings of other religious traditions to be a very high level of attainment.
2:18 Tzu Chang was studying to get an upgrade in status. Confucius said, "Listen widely to remove your doubts and be careful when speaking about the rest and your mistakes will be few. See much and get rid of what is dangerous and be careful in acting on the rest and your causes for regret will be few. Speaking without fault, acting without causing regret: 'upgrading' consists in this."
2:19 The Duke of Ai asked: "How can I make the people follow me?" Confucius replied: "Advance the upright and set aside the crooked, and the people will follow you. Advance the crooked and set aside the upright, and the people will not follow you."
2:20 Chi K'ang Tzu asked: "How can I make the people reverent and loyal, so they will work positively for me?" Confucius said, "Approach them with dignity, and they will be reverent. Be filial and compassionate and they will be loyal. Promote the able and teach the incompetent, and they will work positively for you."
2:21 Someone asked Confucius: "Why are you not involved in government?" Confucius said, "What does the Book of History say about filial piety? 'Righteous by being a good son and friendly to ones brothers and sisters you can have an effect on government.' Since this is also 'doing government,' why do I need to do 'doing government?'"
2:22 Confucius said: "If a person lacks trustworthiness, I don't know what s/he can be good for. When a pin is missing from the yoke-bar of a large wagon, or from the collar-bar of a small wagon, how can it go?"
2:23 Tzu Chang asked whether the state of affairs ten generations hence could be known. Confucius said, "The Shang based its propriety on that of the Yin, and what it added and subtracted is knowable. The Chou has based its propriety on that of the Shang and what it added and subtracted is knowable. In this way, what continues from the Chou, even if 100 generations hence, is knowable."
2:24 Confucius said: "To worship to other than one's own ancestral spirits is brown-nosing. If you see what is right and fail to act on it, you lack courage."