八佾第三
『⒊１』孔子谓季氏，“八佾舞於庭，是可忍也，孰不可忍也？”
『⒊２』三家者以雍彻。子曰：“‘相维辟公，天子穆穆’，奚取於三家之堂？”
『⒊３』子曰：“人而不仁，如礼何？人而不仁，如乐何？”
『⒊４』林放问礼之本。子曰：“大哉问！礼，与其奢也，宁俭；丧，与其易也，
宁戚。”
『⒊５』子曰：“夷狄之有君，不如诸夏之亡也。”
『⒊６』季氏旅於泰山。子谓冉有曰：“女弗能救与？”对曰：“不能。”子曰：
“呜呼！曾谓泰山不如林放乎？”
『⒊７』子曰：“君子无所争。必也射乎！揖让而升，下而饮。其争也君子。”
『⒊８』子夏问曰：“巧笑倩兮，美目盼兮，素以为绚兮”。何谓也？子曰：“绘
事后素。”
曰：“礼后乎？”子曰：“起予者商也！始可与言诗已矣。”
『⒊９』子曰：“夏礼，吾能言之，杞不足征也；殷礼，吾能言之，宋不足征也。
文献不足故也。足，则吾能征之矣。”
『⒊１０』子曰：“（衣帝）自既灌而往者，吾不欲观之矣。”
『⒊１１』或问（衣帝）之说。子曰：“不知也；知其说者之於天下也，其如示诸
斯乎！”指其掌。
『⒊１２』祭如在，祭神如神在。子曰：“吾不与祭，如不祭。”
『⒊１３』王孙贾问曰：“与其媚於奥，宁媚於龟，何谓也？”子曰：“不然；获
罪於天，无所祷也。”
『⒊１４』子曰：“周监於二代，郁郁乎文哉！吾从周。”
『⒊１５』子入太庙，每事问。或曰：“孰谓鄹人之子知礼乎？入太庙，每事问。
”子闻之，曰：“是礼也。”
『⒊１６』子曰：“射不主皮，为力不同科，古之道也。”
『⒊１７』子贡欲去告朔之饩羊。子曰：“赐也！尔爱其羊，我爱其礼。”
『⒊１８』子曰：“事君尽礼，人以为谄也。”
『⒊１９』定公问：“君使臣，臣事君，如之何？”孔子对曰：“君使臣以礼，臣事
君以忠。”
『⒊２０』子曰：“关雎，乐而不淫，哀而不伤。”
『⒊２１』哀公问社於宰我。宰我对曰：“夏后氏以松，殷人以柏，周人以栗，曰
，使民战栗。”子闻之，曰：“成事不说，遂事不谏，既往不咎。”
『⒊２２』子曰：“管仲之器小哉。”
或曰：“管仲俭乎？”曰：“管氏有三归，官事不摄，焉得俭？”
“然则管仲知礼乎？”曰：“邦君树塞门，管氏亦树塞门。邦君为两君
之好，有反坫，管氏亦有反坫。管氏而知礼，孰不知礼？”
『⒊２３』子语鲁大师乐，曰：“乐其可知也：始作，翕如也；从之，纯如也，缴
如也，绎如也，以成。”
『⒊２４』仪封人请见，曰：“君子之至於斯也，吾未尝不得见也。”从者见之。
出曰：“二三子何患於丧乎？天下之无道也久矣，天将以夫子为木铎。”
『⒊２５』子谓韶，“尽美矣，又尽善也。”谓武，“尽美矣，未尽善也。”
『⒊２６』子曰：“居上不宽，为礼不敬，临丧不哀，吾何以观之哉？”
3:1 Confucius, speaking about the head of the Ch'i family said, "He has eight rows of dancers in his court. If he does this, what will he not do?"
[Comment] In this passage and the following one, Confucius is complaining about a lower-level aristocrat using ceremonies that were officially prescribed for much higher-level nobility. "Eight rows of dancers," was the amount allowable to only the most elite of the nobility. The head of the Ch'i family is often criticized in the Analects for similar improprieties.
3:2 The Three Families used the Yung Songs at the clearing of the sacrificial vessels. Confucius said,
Attended on by Lords and Princes:
How magnificent is the Son of Heaven!
How could these words be used in the halls of the Three Families?
3:3 Confucius said: "If a man has no jen what can his propriety be like? If a man has no jen what can his music be like?"
[Comment] Since jen is the essence of all positive human attributes, without it, how can they truly operate?
3:4 Lin Fang asked about the fundamentals of ritual. Confucius said, "What an excellent question! In ritual, it is better to be frugal than extravagant; in funerals deep sorrow is better than ease."
3:5 Confucius said: "The tribes of the East and North (Koreans and Mongolians), though having kings, are not equal to our people, even when lacking kings,"
[Comment] Either Confucius is an outright ethnic chauvinist, or he is pointing to a real difference in the relative level of cultural development at that time between the central Chinese kingdoms and the outerlying peoples.
3:7 Confucius said: "The Superior Man has nothing to compete for. But if he must compete, he does it in an archery match, wherein he ascends to his position, bowing in deference. Descending, he drinks the ritual cup. This is the competition of the Superior Man."
3:8 Tzu Hsia quoted the following:
Her tactful smile charms;
Her eyes, fine and clear,
Beautiful without accessories.
And asked its meaning. Confucius said, "A painting is done on plain white paper." Tzu Hsia said, "Then are rituals a secondary thing?" Confucius said, "Ah, Shang, you uplift me. Now we can really begin to discuss the Book of Odes."
[Comment] Among all the ancient classical works available to scholars of the time, Confucius seems to place special value on the Book of Odes, for its strength in moral teachings as well as the intellectual stimulation it provided.
3:10 Confucius said: "At the Great Sacrifice, after the pouring of the libation, I have no further desire to watch."
3:11 Someone asked for an explanation of the Great Sacrifice. Confucius said, "I don't know. If there were someone who knew this, he could see the whole world as if it were this": He pointed to the palm of his hand.
3:12 "Sacrificing as if present" means sacrificing to the spirits as if they were present. Confucius said, "If I do not personally offer the sacrifice, it is the same as not having sacrificed at all."
3:13 Wang Sun Chia asked: "What do you think about the saying 'It is better to sacrifice to the god of the stove than to the god of the family shrine.'?" Confucius said, "Not so. If you offend Heaven, there is no one you can pray to."
3:14 Confucius said: "The people of the Chou were able to observe the prior two dynasties and thus their culture flourished. I now follow the Chou."
3:15 When Confucius entered the Grand Temple, he asked about everything. Someone said, "Who said Confucius is a master of ritual? He enters the Grand Temple and asks about everything!"
Confucius, hearing this, said, "This is the ritual."
3:16 Confucius said: "In archery it is not important to pierce through the leather covering of the target, since not all men have the same strength. This is the Way of the ancients."
3:17 Tzu Kung wanted to do away with the sacrifice of the sheep on the first of the month. Confucius said, "Tz'u, you love the sheep; I love the ceremony."
3:18 Confucius said: "If you use every single courtesy while serving your prince, the people will call you a brown-noser."
3:19 Duke Ting asked how a ruler should employ his ministers and how a minister should serve his ruler. Confucius replied, saying: "The prince employs his ministers with propriety; the ministers serve their prince with good faith."
3:20 Confucius said: "The Kuan Tzu The Kuan Tzu ("The Cry of the Ospreys") is the first poem in the Book of Odes. It begins by describing a lover's grief at being separated from his lady and ends by describing their joyful union. (Waley, 99) allows for pleasure without being lewd and allows for grief without being too painful."
3:21 The Duke of Ai asked Tsai Wo about sacred temple grounds. Tsai Wo said, "The Hsia emperor planted them with pines; the Hsiang people planted them with cypress and the Chou people planted them with chestnut, thinking to cause people to be in awe of these trees."
Confucius, hearing this, said, "Don't bother explaining that which has already been done; don't bother criticizing that which is already gone; don't bother blaming that which is already past."
3:22 Confucius said: "Kuan Chung was quite limited in capacity."
Someone asked: "Wasn't Kuan Chung frugal?"
Confucius said, "Kuan had three sets of wives and his officers never did overtime. How can he be considered to have been frugal?"
"But then did Kuan Chung understand propriety?" Confucius said, "The princes of the states have a special ritual screen at their door, and so did Kuan Chung (even though he was not of the proper rank to do this). When the princes of state had a friendly meeting, they would ritually turn their cups over on the table. -Kuan also turned his cups over on the table. If Kuan Chung understood propriety, then who doesn't?"
3:23 Confucius, when talking with the Grand Music Master of Lu, said, "In my understanding of music, the piece should be begun in unison. Afterwards, if it is pure, clear and without break, it will be perfect."
3:24 The border guard at Yi requested an audience with the Master, saying: "Whenever a Superior Man comes here, I never miss the opportunity to see him." The disciples sent him in. When he came out, he said, "Friends, don't have any doubts about your master failing. The world has certainly lacked the Tao for a long time now, but Heaven will use your master to awaken everyone."
3:26 Confucius said: "Men of high office who are narrow-minded; propriety without respect and funerals without grief: how can I bear to look at such things?!"