13. Zi Lu

Translation: Zi Lu asked about governing. Confucius said, ‘Go before the people and lead them; set them to diligent work.’ Zi Lu asked for more. Confucius said, ‘Never grow weary.’

Reading note: ‘Go before them’ stresses governing by personal example, while ‘set them to work’ concerns directing and encouraging public effort. Leadership requires both action and persistence.

Translation: Zhonggong, serving as steward of the Ji family, asked about governing. Confucius said, ‘Put the responsible officers to work first, pardon minor faults, and promote worthy and capable people.’ Zhonggong asked, ‘How can I recognize such people in order to promote them?’ Confucius said, ‘Promote those you know. As for those you do not know, will others pass them over?’

Reading note: The responsible officers are subordinates with defined duties. Confucius joins clear administration with leniency and merit, advising the ruler to begin with sound firsthand knowledge and trust that others will recommend overlooked talent.

Translation: Zi Lu said, ‘If the ruler of Wei were waiting for you to take charge of government, what would you do first?’ Confucius said, ‘I would certainly rectify names.’ Zi Lu said, ‘Can that really be so? How impractical you are! Why rectify them?’ Confucius said, ‘How crude you are, You! When a gentleman does not understand something, he should leave the matter open. If names are not correct, speech does not accord with reality. If speech does not accord, affairs cannot be accomplished. If affairs are not accomplished, rites and music do not flourish. If rites and music do not flourish, punishments are not properly applied. If punishments are not properly applied, the people do not know where to put hand or foot. Therefore, when a gentleman gives something its name, the name must be defensible in speech; what he says must be practicable. In speech, a gentleman permits no carelessness.’

Reading note: Rectifying names means bringing titles and roles into line with actual duties. The argument traces disorder from unclear terms to failed government, insisting that political language be precise, accountable, and capable of being put into practice.

Translation: Fan Chi asked to learn how to grow grain. Confucius said, ‘I am not as good at that as an experienced farmer.’ He then asked to learn gardening. Confucius said, ‘I am not as good at that as an experienced gardener.’ After Fan Chi left, Confucius said, ‘How narrow Fan Xu is! If those above value ritual propriety, none of the people will dare be disrespectful. If those above value what is right, none will dare withhold allegiance. If those above value trustworthiness, none will dare conceal their true feelings. If this is done, people from every quarter will come carrying their children on their backs and in their arms. What need is there to learn farming?’

Reading note: Here ‘narrow’ criticizes a limited political horizon, not agriculture itself. Confucius distinguishes specialist technique from the ruler's task of attracting and ordering the people through propriety, justice, and trust.

Translation: Confucius said, ‘A person may recite the three hundred Poems, yet prove unable to manage when entrusted with government, and unable to respond on his own when sent as an envoy abroad. However much he has learned, what use is it?’

Reading note: Responding on his own refers to an envoy's ability to answer appropriately without further instructions. The point is not to dismiss study, but to demand that learning become competence in public affairs and diplomacy.

Translation: Confucius said, ‘If a ruler is upright in his own conduct, things will be carried out even without commands. If he is not upright, people will not obey even when commands are issued.’

Reading note: Personal example gives authority to public orders. Rules and commands still matter, but they lose force when the person issuing them fails to embody their standard.

Translation: Confucius said, ‘The governments of Lu and Wei are like brothers.’

Reading note: The founding lords of Lu and Wei were brothers, and the two states shared related institutions and traditions. The remark chiefly points to their close resemblance; its precise degree of praise or criticism is left unstated.

Translation: Confucius said of Prince Jing of Wei, ‘He managed his household well. When he first acquired some property, he said, “It is nearly adequate.” When he had a little more, he said, “It is nearly complete.” When he became wealthy, he said, “It is nearly splendid.”’

Reading note: Managing the household includes ordering one's domestic estate. At every stage of increasing wealth, Prince Jing remained measured and content; the praise falls on restraint rather than endless acquisition.

Translation: The Master went to Wei, with Ran You driving his carriage. The Master said, ‘How numerous the people are!’ Ran You asked, ‘Once they are numerous, what more should be done?’ He replied, ‘Make them prosperous.’ Ran You asked, ‘Once they are prosperous, what more should be done?’ He replied, ‘Educate them.’

Reading note: The passage sets out an order of governance: build a settled population, secure its livelihood, and then provide moral and civic education. Material well-being is necessary, but it is not the final aim.

Translation: The Master said, ‘If someone were to employ me in government, results could be seen within a full year; in three years, substantial achievements would be in place.’

Reading note: ‘A full year’ marks the first visible effects, while three years allows institutions and instruction to take hold. The claim describes a practical course of reform, not an instant transformation.

Translation: The Master said, ‘If good people governed a state for a hundred years, they could overcome the spirit of cruelty and do away with killing. How true this saying is!’

Reading note: ‘Overcoming cruelty’ means transforming violent customs, while ‘doing away with killing’ means no longer relying on executions as an instrument of rule. Lasting moral change requires generations of good government.

Translation: The Master said, ‘Even if a true kingly ruler were to arise, it would still take a generation before humane government prevailed.’

Reading note: A ‘kingly ruler’ is one who governs by the Way rather than by force, and ‘a generation’ indicates a long span of formation. Humane order depends on sustained education and practice.

Translation: The Master said, ‘If one has set oneself right, what difficulty is there in taking part in government? If one cannot set oneself right, how can one set others right?’

Reading note: Setting oneself right includes both personal integrity and conduct suited to one’s office. Self-discipline is presented as the foundation of public leadership.

Translation: Ran You returned late from court. The Master asked, ‘Why are you so late?’ He replied, ‘There were affairs of government.’ The Master said, ‘They must have been household business. If they had truly been affairs of state, even though I am not employed, I would still have heard about them.’

Reading note: Ran You served the Ji family. Confucius distinguishes public government from the private business of a powerful house; as a former high officer of Lu, he could still expect to be informed of genuine state affairs.

Translation: Duke Ding asked, ‘Is it true that a single saying can bring a state to prosperity?’ Confucius replied, ‘Words cannot work with quite such certainty, though there is a saying that comes close. People say, “It is hard to be a ruler, and it is not easy to be a minister.” If a ruler understands how hard it is to rule, does that not come close to one saying bringing a state to prosperity?’ The duke asked, ‘Is it true that a single saying can ruin a state?’ Confucius replied, ‘Words cannot work with quite such certainty, though there is a saying that comes close. People say, “I find no pleasure in being a ruler except that no one opposes what I say.” If what he says is good and no one opposes it, is that not good? But if what he says is bad and no one opposes it, does that not come close to one saying ruining a state?’

Reading note: The point is not that words have magical power. A ruler who recognizes the difficulty of governing remains cautious and open to counsel; one who delights in unopposed authority shuts out correction and endangers the state.

Translation: The Lord of She asked about government. The Master said, ‘Make those nearby glad, and those far away will come.’

Reading note: Sound government first gives security and satisfaction to the people at hand; its reputation then attracts people from farther away. The saying joins internal well-being with outward influence.

Translation: When Zixia was serving as steward of Jufu, he asked about government. The Master said, “Do not crave quick results, and do not fix your eyes on minor gains. If you crave speed, you will not reach your goal; if you focus on minor gains, great undertakings will not succeed.”

Reading note: “Craving speed” and “noticing minor gains” both describe shortsighted government. The passage urges patience, sound process, and attention to larger purposes.

Translation: Lord She said to Confucius, “In our community there is an upright man named Gong. When his father stole a sheep, the son testified against him.” Confucius said, “The upright people in our community are different from that: a father shields his son, and a son shields his father. Uprightness lies within this as well.”

Reading note: The passage considers moral judgment within the bond between parent and child. “Uprightness” is not reduced to disclosing facts; it also includes the natural obligations of kinship, revealing a tension between family ethics and public norms.

Translation: Fan Chi asked about humaneness. The Master said, “At home, be courteous; in carrying out duties, be reverent and attentive; in dealing with others, be faithful. Even if you go among distant peoples, you must not abandon these principles.”

Reading note: Humaneness is expressed here through everyday conduct: courtesy, care in one’s work, and faithfulness toward others. These qualities are to be maintained regardless of place or circumstance.

Translation: Zigong asked, “What must a person be like to be called a scholar-official?” The Master said, “He conducts himself with a sense of shame, and when sent on a mission abroad, he does not disgrace his ruler’s charge. Such a person may be called a scholar-official.” Zigong said, “May I ask about the next rank?” The Master said, “Within his clan he is praised as filial, and in his community he is praised as respectful toward his elders.” Zigong said, “May I ask about the rank after that?” The Master said, “His word must always be kept and his actions must always be carried through—stubbornly rigid, a narrow sort of man! Still, he may count as the next rank.” Zigong asked, “What about those who govern today?” The Master said, “Ah! People of such petty capacity are hardly worth counting.”

Reading note: The Master ranks the scholar-official by responsibility in public service, recognized filial conduct, and resolute trustworthiness. Keeping one’s word has value, but without moral judgment and breadth of character it remains a limited virtue.

Translation: The Master said, “If I cannot find people who follow the balanced way to associate with, I must turn to the bold and the scrupulous. The bold press forward, while the scrupulous refuse to do certain things.”

Reading note: Those who follow the balanced way represent the ideal. The bold may overreach and the scrupulous may be overly restrained, yet each has a clear moral direction and therefore the potential for cultivation.

Translation: The Master said, “People of the south have a saying: ‘A person without constancy cannot even serve as a diviner or physician.’ Well said!” The Changes says, “If one does not steadily maintain one’s virtue, one may incur disgrace.” The Master said, “Such a person might as well not divine at all.”

Reading note: Diviners and physicians are mentioned as people whose work demands steadiness. The final remark suggests that divination is useless to someone who will not consistently heed guidance and reform; virtue depends on constancy.

Translation: The Master said, “The exemplary person lives in harmony with others without merely conforming; the petty person conforms with others without achieving genuine harmony.”

Reading note: Harmony coordinates differences while preserving principle, whereas conformity here means uncritical agreement. The contrast presents both openness to others and independent judgment as marks of exemplary character.

Translation: Zigong asked, “What if everyone in the community likes a person?” The Master said, “That is not enough.” “What if everyone in the community dislikes him?” The Master said, “That is not enough either. It is better if the good people in the community like him and the bad people dislike him.”

Reading note: Unanimous approval or disapproval is not automatically a sound verdict, since a community contains people of differing character. Judgment should consider who is offering the praise or blame and what principles the person being judged upholds.

Translation: Confucius said, “A gentleman is easy to work for but hard to please. If you try to please him by improper means, he will not be pleased; when employing people, he assigns them according to their abilities. A petty man is hard to work for but easy to please. Even if you please him by improper means, he will be pleased; when employing people, however, he demands that they be capable in every respect.”

Reading note: Here ‘please’ means seeking favor, while ‘assigns them according to their abilities’ stresses fitting responsibility to capacity. The contrast concerns integrity in accepting favor and fairness in employing others.

Translation: Confucius said, “A gentleman is composed without being arrogant; a petty man is arrogant without being composed.”

Reading note: ‘Composed’ conveys inner steadiness and ease, not self-indulgence. The contrast suggests that genuine assurance grows from cultivated character, whereas arrogance betrays its absence.

Translation: Confucius said, “Firmness, resolution, plainness, and restraint in speech are close to humaneness.”

Reading note: ‘Plainness and restraint in speech’ does not mean dullness or incompetence; it points to an unadorned character that avoids glib talk. These traits incline one toward humaneness, though being ‘close’ is not the same as fully attaining it.

Translation: Zilu asked, “What must one be like to be called a scholar-official?” Confucius said, “Earnestly admonishing and encouraging one another among friends, and living in warm harmony among brothers—one who is like this may be called a scholar-official.”

Reading note: The paired expressions emphasize sincere counsel and mutual encouragement, while the final term denotes affectionate harmony. The passage assigns candor its place in friendship and gentleness its place within the family.

Translation: Confucius said, “After a good ruler has instructed the people for seven years, they may then be ready to take part in war.”

Reading note: Instructing the people includes sustained moral and civic formation, discipline, and preparedness, not merely weapons training. The stated period underscores that readiness takes time; the point is the ruler’s duty to educate before resorting to arms.

Translation: Confucius said, “To send an uninstructed people into battle is to abandon them.”

Reading note: Continuing the preceding thought, the saying condemns exposing people to war without education or preparation. To ‘abandon’ them is to disregard their lives and reveals a failure of responsibility in government.