The Analects of Confucius Book 20 New English Translation

Read this new English translation of the Analects of Confucius Book 20 to learn more about the teachings of China’s most famous philosopher.

Chapter 1
堯曰：「咨！爾舜！天之歷數在爾躬，允執其中！四海困窮，天祿永終。」舜亦以命禹。曰：「予小子履，敢用玄牡，敢昭告于皇皇后帝，有罪不敢赦，帝臣不蔽，簡在帝心！朕躬有罪，無以萬方；萬方有罪，罪在朕躬。」「周有大賚，善人是富。」「雖有周親，不如仁人；百姓有過，在予一人。謹權量，審法度，修廢官，四方之政行焉。興滅國，繼絕世，舉逸民，天下之民歸心焉。所重民，食喪祭。寬則得眾，信則民任焉。敏則有功，公則說。」
Yao said: Oh, Shun! The heavenly succession now rests on your shoulders; hold faithfully to the middle way; if the people within the Four Seas fall into suffering and penury, the honors bestowed on you by heaven’s gift will be taken away from you forever.

Shun passed the same message to Yu.

[Tang] said, “I, the humble Lu, dare to sacrifice a black bull and dare to make this declaration before my great lord. I dare not pardon those who are guilty. Your servants cannot hide anything from you. You have already judged them in your heart. If I am guilty, please do not punish the people of the myriad states because of me; but if the people of the myriad states are guilty, let the responsibility lie with me alone.”

“The House of Zhou is greatly blessed, rich with outstanding people.” “Although I have my own kinsmen, I prefer to rely on people of consummate conduct. If the common people do wrong, let their faults fall on my head alone. If I set the standards for weights and measures, carefully examine the laws and regulations, and restore the offices that have been abolished, the authority of the government will reach everywhere. If I restore the states that have been destroyed, revive the broken dynastic lines, and bring back to office great talents who were sent into exile, I will win the hearts of the people throughout the world. I will give priority to the people; food; mourning; and sacrifice. If I am tolerant, I will win the masses. If I am trustworthy, the people will entrust me with responsibility. If I am enthusiastic, I will achieve success. If I am fair and just, I will bring happiness to the people.”

Chapter 2
子張問於孔子曰：「何如斯可以從政矣？」子曰：「尊五美，屏四惡，斯可以從政矣。」子張曰：「何謂五美？」子曰：「君子惠而不費，勞而不怨，欲而不貪，泰而不驕；威而不猛。」子張曰：「何謂惠而不費？」子曰：「因民之所利而利之，斯不亦惠而不費乎？擇可勞而勞之，又誰怨！欲仁而得仁，又焉貪！君子無眾寡，無小大，無敢慢，斯不亦泰而不驕乎！君子正其衣冠，尊其瞻視，儼然人望而畏之，斯不亦威而不猛乎！」子張曰：「何謂四惡？」子曰：「不教而殺謂之虐，不戒視成謂之暴，慢令致期謂之賊，猶之與人也，出納之吝，謂之有司。」子張問於孔子曰：「何如斯可以從政矣？」子曰：「尊五美，屏四惡，斯可以從政矣。」子張曰：「何謂五美？」子曰：「君子惠而不費，勞而不怨，欲而不貪，泰而不驕；威而不猛。」子張曰：「何謂惠而不費？」子曰：「因民之所利而利之，斯不亦惠而不費乎？擇可勞而勞之，又誰怨！欲仁而得仁，又焉貪！君子無眾寡，無小大，無敢慢，斯不亦泰而不驕乎！君子正其衣冠，尊其瞻視，儼然人望而畏之，斯不亦威而不猛乎！」子張曰：「何謂四惡？」子曰：「不教而殺謂之虐，不戒視成謂之暴，慢令致期謂之賊，猶之與人也，出納之吝，謂之有司。」
Zizhang asked Confucius: “What qualities must you have in order to be fit to govern?” Confucius said: “If you cultivate the five virtues and cast out the four vices you are fit to govern.”

Zizhang asked: “What are the five virtues?” Confucius said: “An exemplary person is generous without having to spend anything; they inspire people to work hard without complaining; they are ambitious without being greedy; they are confident without being arrogant; they are imposing without being frightening.”

Zizhang said: “How can you be ‘generous without having to spend anything’?” Confucius said: “If you let the people take advantage of what is beneficial for them, are you not being generous without having to spend anything? If you assign the people to work on tasks that are reasonable, who will complain? If your ambition is to be consummate in your conduct and you accomplish it, how can you be greedy? If an exemplary person treats everyone equally no matter whether they are many or few or humble or great, they are confident without being arrogant. If an exemplary person wears their robe and cap correctly, their gaze is straight, and they carry themself with a dignified air that inspires the people’s awe, they are imposing but not frightening.”

Zizhang said: “What are the four vices?” Confucius said: “If you execute people without attempting to reform them, you are being cruel; if you carry out an inspection of a public works project without giving a prior warning, you are being tyrannical; if you expect the immediate completion of a project after being slow to approve it, you are acting like a thief; if you are tight-fisted in paying people what is rightfully theirs, you are being officious.”

Chapter 3
子曰：「不知命，無以為君子也。不知禮，無以立也。不知言，無以知人也。」
Confucius said: “If you do not understand fate, you have no way of becoming an exemplary person. If you do not understand ritual, you have no way of knowing where to stand. If you do not understand the meaning of words, you have no way of understanding other people.”

Confucius said: “If you do not understand fate you have no way of becoming an exemplary person. If you do not understand ritual, you have no way of knowing where to stand. If you do not understand the meaning of words, you have no way of understanding other people.”