泰伯第八
『８.１』子曰：「泰伯，其可谓至德也已矣。三以天下让，民无得而称焉。」
『８.２』子曰：「恭而无礼则劳；慎而无礼则葸；勇而无礼则乱；直而无礼则绞。
君子笃於亲，则民兴於仁。故旧不遗，则民不偷。」
『８.３』曾子有疾，召门弟子曰：「启予足！启予手！诗云：『战战兢兢，如临深
渊，如履薄冰。』而今而後，吾知免夫！小子！」
『８.４』曾子有疾，孟敬子问之。曾子言曰：「鸟之将死，其鸣也哀；
人之将死，其言也善。君子所贵乎道者三：动容貌，斯远暴慢矣；
正颜色，斯近信矣；出辞气，斯远鄙倍矣。笾豆之事，则有司存。」
『８.５』曾子曰：「以能问於不能，以多问於寡，有若无，实若虚，犯而不校，
昔者吾友，尝从事於斯矣。」
『８.６』曾子曰：「可以托六尺之孤，可以寄百里之命，临大节而不可夺也，
君子人与? 君子人也。」
『８.８』曾子曰：「士，不可以不弘毅，任重而道远。仁以为己任，不亦重乎，
死而後已，不亦远乎。」
『８.８』子曰：「兴於诗。立於礼。成於乐。」
『８.９』子曰：「民可使由之，不可使知之。」
『８.１０』子曰：「好勇疾贫，乱也。人而不仁，疾之已甚，乱也。」
『８.１１』子曰：「如有周公之才之美，使骄且吝，其馀不足观也已。」
『８.１２』子曰：「三年学，不至於谷，不易得也。」
『８.１３』子曰：「笃信好学，守死善道。危邦不入，乱邦不居，天下有道则见，
无道则隐。邦有道，贫且贱焉，耻也，邦无道，富且贵焉，耻也。」
『８.１４』子曰：「不在其位，不谋其政。」
『８.１５』子曰：「师挚之始，关睢之乱，洋洋乎盈耳哉。」
『８.１６』子曰：「狂而不直，侗而不愿，（空空）而不信，吾不知之矣。」
『８.１７』子曰：「学如不及，犹恐失之。」
『８.１８』子曰：「巍巍乎，舜禹之有天下也，而不与焉！」
『８.１９』子曰：「大哉尧之为君也，巍巍乎，唯天为大，唯尧则之，荡荡乎，
民无能名焉。巍巍乎，其有成功也，焕乎，其有文章。」
『８.２０』舜有臣五人而天下治。武王曰：「予有乱臣十人。」孔子曰：「才难，
不其然乎，唐虞之际，於斯为盛，有妇人焉，九人而已。三分天下有其二
，以服事殷，周之德，其可谓至德也已矣。」
『８.２１』子曰：「禹，吾无间然矣，菲饮食而致孝乎鬼神，恶衣服而致美乎黻冕
,卑宫室而尽力乎沟洫，禹，吾无间然矣。」
8:1 Confucius said: "T'ai Po can be said to have had a perfected level of virtue. He declined the rule of the kingdom three times, without the people knowing about it."
8:2 Confucius said: "Courtesy without propriety is wasted energy. Caution without propriety is timidity. Boldness without propriety is recklessness. Straightforwardness without propriety is rudeness. When the ruler is kind to those who are close to him, the people will be moved toward jen. If he does not forget his old friends, the people too, will not be fickle."
8:3 Tseng Tzu was ill. He summoned his disciples and said, "Uncover my feet and hands. The Book of Odes says:
He was cautious,
Apprehensive.
As if at the edge of a deep chasm;
As if treading on thin ice.
From now, I know that I have gotten past this (sickness)."
8:4 While Tseng Tzu was ill, Meng Cheng Tzu went to see him. Tseng Tzu said, "When a bird is about to die, its song is melancholy. When a man is about to die, his words are excellent. The Way prized by the Superior Man has three aspects:
In his behavior and deportment he avoids brashness and arrogance.
When paying attention to his facial expressions he is guided by honesty.
When speaking, he avoids vulgarity and slander. As far as attending to the sacrificial tables--there are specialists hired for these jobs."
8:5 Tseng Tzu said: "Having ability, yet learning from the clumsy. Having much knowledge, but learning from the unlearned; possessing, yet seeming to lack, being full yet seeming empty, able to accept wrong without retaliation: in the past I had a friend who could do this (Yen Hui?)."
8:6 Tseng Tzu said: "A man who can be entrusted with the care of the crown prince, who can take responsibility for a district of 100 li and who can handle a major crisis without losing touch with himself: Is he a Superior Man? He certainly is a Superior Man."
8:7 Tseng Tzu said: "To be called a shih you must be open-minded as well as resolute, since your burden is heavy and your course is long. If you take jen as your burden, is it not heavy? If you continue to death, is it not long?"
8:8 Confucius said: "Be aroused by poetry; structure yourself with propriety, refine yourself with music."
8:9 Confucius said: "You might force people act according a certain principle, but you won't be able to force them to understand it."
8:10 Confucius said: "A man who enjoys boldness and hates poverty will be rebellious. If a man lacks jen and his dissatisfaction reaches an extreme, he will rebel."
8:11 Confucius said: "Perhaps you could be as handsome and as talented as the Duke of Chou. But if you are arrogant or stingy, those good qualities will not be noticed."
8:12 Confucius said: "It is quite rare to see someone who applies himself to the study of something for three years without having a noticeable result."
8:13 Confucius said: "Be of unwavering good faith and love learning. Be steadfast unto death in pursuit of the good Tao. Do not enter a state which is in peril, nor reside in one which people have rebelled. When the Tao prevails in the world, then show yourself. When it does not, then hide. When the Tao prevails in your own state, to be poor and obscure is a disgrace. But when the Tao does not prevail in your own state, to be rich and honored is a disgrace."
8:14 Confucius said: "If you don't have the official position, you can't plan the affairs of government."
8:15 Confucius said: "After Music Master Chih took over, the finale of the Kuan Tsu was magnificent. How it filled my ears!"
8:16 Confucius said: "I really don't know what to do with those who are ardent but not upright, frank but not careful, and naive but not honest."
8:17 Confucius said: "Study as if you have not reached your goal--as if you were afraid of losing what you have."
8:18 Confucius said: "How sublime was the manner in which Shun and Yu handled the empire, without lifting a finger!"
[Comment] Here we can see evidence of Confucius' clear understanding of governance by wu-wei or "non-manipulation," which is discussed at length in the Tao Te Ching and the Chuang Tzu.
8:19 Confucius said: "The rulership of Yao was so magnificent! He was so sublime that even though there is nothing as great as Heaven, he could accord with it. His greatness was so boundless it is beyond description. His efficacy was amazing, his writings were enlightening."
8:20 Shun, with five ministers, was able to successfully govern the empire. King Wu said, "Altogether I have ten ministers.
Confucius said, "Their ability is the issue. Don't you think so? When the T'ang and Wu dynasties combined, they had as many ministers as you, with a woman and nine men. King Wen (of the Chou) controlled two-thirds of the empire, and with this, served the Yin. Indeed, the virtue of Chou can be called the epitome of virtue!"
8:21 Confucius said: "Yu was flawless in character. Surviving on the simplest food and drink, yet perfect in his piety to the ancestral spirits. Normally wearing coarse clothing, he looked magnificent in his ceremonial cap and gown. Living in a humble abode, he exhausted himself in the excavation of drainage ways and canals. I cannot find a flaw in his character!"