บทที่ บทที่ 11 · _Comparative Worth of His Disciples_

"The first to make progress in the Proprieties and in Music," said the

Master, "are plain countrymen; after them, the men of higher standing.

If I had to employ any of them, I should stand by the former."

"Of those," said he, "who were about me when I was in the Ch[']in and

Ts[']ai States, not one now is left to approach my door."

"As for Hwui,"[26] said the Master, "he is not one to help me on:

there is nothing I say but he is not well satisfied with."

"What a dutiful son was Min Tsz-k[']ien!" he exclaimed. "No one finds

occasion to differ from what his parents and brothers have said of

him."

Nan Yung used to repeat three times over the lines in the Odes about

the white sceptre. Confucius caused his own elder brother's daughter

to be given in marriage to him.

When Ki K[']ang inquired which of the disciples were fond of learning,

Confucius answered him, "There was one Yen Hwui who was fond of it;

but unfortunately his allotted time was short, and he died; and now

his like is not to be found."

When Yen Yuen died, his father, Yen Lu, begged for the Master's

carriage in order to get a shell for his coffin. "Ability or no

ability," said the Master, "every father still speaks of 'my son.'

When my own son Li died, and the coffin for him had no shell to it, I

know I did not go on foot to get him one; but that was because I was,

though retired, in the wake of the ministers, and could not therefore

well do so."

On the death of Yen Yuen the Master exclaimed, "Ah me! Heaven is

ruining me, Heaven is ruining me!"

On the same occasion, his wailing for that disciple becoming excessive,

those who were about him said, "Sir, this is too much!"--"Too much?"

said he; "if I am not to do so for him, then--for whom else?"

The disciples then wished for the deceased a grand funeral. The Master

could not on his part consent to this. They nevertheless gave him one.

Upon this he remarked, "He used to look upon me as if I were his

father. I could never, however, look on him as a son. 'Twas not my

mistake, but yours, my children."

Tsz-lu propounded a question about ministering to the spirits of the

departed. The Master replied, "Where there is scarcely the ability to

minister to living men, how shall there be ability to minister to the

spirits?" On his venturing to put a question concerning death, he

answered, "Where there is scarcely any knowledge about life, how shall

there be any about death?"

The disciple Min was by his side, looking affable and bland; Tsz-lu

also, looking careless and intrepid; and Yen Yu and Tsz-kung, firm and

precise. The Master was cheery. "One like Tsz-lu there," said he,

"does not come to a natural end."

Some persons in Lu were taking measures in regard to the Long Treasury

House. Min Tsz-k[']ien observed, "How if it were repaired on the old

lines?" The Master upon this remarked, "This fellow is not a talker,

but when he does speak he is bound to hit the mark!"

"There is Yu's harpsichord," exclaimed the Master--"what is it doing

at my door?" On seeing, however, some disrespect shown to him by the

other disciples, he added, "Yu has got as far as the top of the hall;

only he has not yet entered the house."

Tsz-kung asked which was the worthier of the two--Tsz-chang or

Tsz-hia. "The former," answered the Master, "goes beyond the mark; the

latter falls short of it."

"So then Tsz-chang is the better of the two, is he?" said he.

"To go too far," he replied, "is about the same as to fall short."

The Chief of the Ki family was a wealthier man than the Duke of Chow

had been, and yet Yen Yu gathered and hoarded for him, increasing his

wealth more and more.

"He is no follower of mine," said the Master. "It would serve him

right, my children, to sound the drum, and set upon him."

Characteristics of four disciples:--Tsz-kau was simple-minded; Tsang

Si, a dullard; Tsz-chang, full of airs; Tsz-lu, rough.

"As to Hwui," said the Master, "he comes near to perfection, while

frequently in great want. Tsz-kung does not submit to the appointments

of Heaven; and yet his goods are increased;--he is often successful in

his calculations."

Tsz-chang wanted to know some marks of the naturally Good Man.

"He does not walk in others' footprints," said the Master; "yet he

does not get beyond the hall into the house."

Once the Master said, "Because we allow that a man's words have

something genuine in them, are they necessarily those of a superior

man? or words carrying only an outward semblance and show of gravity?"

Tsz-lu put a question about the practice of precepts one has heard.

The Master's reply was, "In a case where there is a father or elder

brother still left with you, how should you practise all you hear?"

When, however, the same question was put to him by Yen Yu, his reply

was, "Yes; do so."

Kung-si Hwa animadverted upon this to the Master. "Tsz-lu asked you,

sir," said he, "about the practice of what one has learnt, and you

said, 'There may be a father or elder brother still alive'; but when

Yen Yu asked the same question, you answered, 'Yes, do so.' I am at a

loss to understand you, and venture to ask what you meant."

The Master replied, "Yen Yu backs out of his duties; therefore I push

him on. Tsz-lu has forwardness enough for them both; therefore I hold

him back."

On the occasion of that time of fear in K[']wang, Yen Yuen having

fallen behind, the Master said to him (afterwards), "I took it for

granted you were a dead man." "How should I dare to die," said he,

"while you, sir, still lived?"

On Ki Tsz-jen putting to him a question anent Tsz-lu and Yen Yu, as to

whether they might be called "great ministers," the Master answered,

"I had expected your question, sir, to be about something

extraordinary, and lo! it is only about these two. Those whom we call

'great ministers' are such as serve their prince conscientiously, and

who, when they cannot do so, retire. At present, as regards the two

you ask about, they may be called 'qualified ministers.'"

"Well, are they then," he asked, "such as will follow their leader?"

"They would not follow him who should slay his father and his prince!"

was the reply.

Through the intervention of Tsz-lu, Tsz-kau was being appointed

governor of Pi.

"You are spoiling a good man's son," said the Master.

Tsz-lu rejoined, "But he will have the people and their superiors to

gain experience from, and there will be the altars; what need to read

books? He can become a student afterwards."

"Here is the reason for my hatred of glib-tongued people," said the

Master.

On one occasion Tsz-lu, Tsang Sin, Yen Yu, and Kung-si Hwa were

sitting near him. He said to them, "Though I may be a day older than

you, do not (for the moment) regard me as such. While you are living

this unoccupied life you are saying, 'We do not become known.' Now

suppose some one got to know you, what then?"

Tsz-lu--first to speak--at once answered, "Give me a State of large size

and armament, hemmed in and hampered by other larger States, the

population augmented by armies and regiments, causing a dearth in it of

food of all kinds; give me charge of that State, and in three years'

time I should make a brave country of it, and let it know its place."

The Master smiled at him. "Yen," said he, "how would it be with you?"

"Give me," said Yen, "a territory of sixty or seventy li square, or of

fifty or sixty square; put me in charge of that, and in three years I

should make the people sufficiently prosperous. As regards their

knowledge of ceremonial or music, I should wait for superior men to

teach them that."

"And with you, Kung-si, how would it be?"

This disciple's reply was, "I have nothing to say about my

capabilities for such matters; my wish is to learn. I should like to

be a junior assistant, in dark rob and cap, at the services of the

ancestral temple, and at the Grand Receptions of the Princes by the

Sovereign."

"And with you, Tsang Sin?"

This disciple was strumming on his harpsichord, but now the twanging

ceased, he turned from the instrument, rose to his feet, and answered

thus: "Something different from the choice of these three." "What

harm?" said the Master; "I want each one of you to tell me what his

heart is set upon." "Well, then," said he, "give me--in the latter

part of spring--dressed in full spring-tide attire--in company with

five or six young fellows of twenty,[27] or six or seven lads under

that age, to do the ablutions in the I stream, enjoy a breeze in the

rain-dance,[28] and finish up with songs on the road home."

The Master drew in his breath, sighed, and exclaimed, "Ah, I take with

you!"

The three other disciples having gone out, leaving Tsang Sin behind,

the latter said, "What think you of the answers of those

three?"--"Well, each told me what was uppermost in his mind," said the

Master;--"simply that."

"Why did you smile at Tsz-lu, sir?"

"I smiled at him because to have the charge of a State requires due

regard to the Rules of Propriety, and his words betrayed a lack of

modesty."

"But Yen, then--he had a State in view, had he not?"

"I should like to be shown a territory such as he described which does

not amount to a State."

"But had not Kung-si also a State in view?"

"What are ancestral temples and Grand Receptions, but for the feudal

lords to take part in? If Kung-si were to become an unimportant

assistant at these functions, who could become an important one?"

[Footnote 26: The men of virtuous life were Yen Yuen (Hwui), Min

Tsz-k[']ien, Yen Pih-niu, and Chung-kung (Yen Yung); the speakers and

debaters were Tsai Wo and Tsz-kung; the (capable) government servants

were Yen Yu and Tsz-lu; the literary students, Tsz-yu and Tsz-hia.]

[Footnote 27: Lit., capped ones. At twenty they underwent the ceremony

of capping, and were considered men.]

[Footnote 28: I.e., before the altars, where offerings were placed

with prayer for rain. A religious dance.]

BOOK 12.