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易曰：“憧憧往来，朋从尔思。”子曰：“天下何思何虑？天下同归而殊涂，一致而百虑，天下何思何虑？” |
| Xi Ci II: |
It is said in the Yi, 'Full of anxious thoughts you go and come; (only) friends will follow you and think with you.' The Master said: - 'In all (the processes taking place) under heaven, what is there of thinking? what is there of anxious scheming? They all come to the same (successful) issue, though by different paths; there is one result, though there might be a hundred anxious schemes. What is there of thinking? what is there of anxious scheming?' |
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“日往则月来，月往则日来，日月相推而明生焉。寒往则暑来，暑往则寒来，寒暑相推而岁成焉。往者屈也，来者信也，屈信相感而利生焉。” |
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The sun goes and the moon comes; the moon goes and the sun comes; - the sun and moon thus take the place each of the other, and their shining is the result. The cold goes and the heat comes; the heat goes and the cold comes; - it is by this mutual succession of the cold and heat that the year is completed. That which goes becomes less and less, and that which comes waxes more and more; - it is by the influence on each other of this contraction and expansion that the advantages (of the different conditions) are produced. |
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“尺蠖之屈，以求信也。龙蛇之蛰，以存身也。精义入神，以致用也。利用安身，以崇德也。过此以往，未之或知也。穷神知化，德之盛也。” |
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When the looper coils itself up, it thereby straightens itself again; when worms and snakes go into the state of hybernation, they thereby keep themselves alive. (So), when we minutely investigate the nature and reasons (of things), till we have entered into the inscrutable and spirit-like in them, we attain to the largest practical application of them; when that application becomes the quickest and readiest, and all personal restfulness is secured, our virtue is thereby exalted. Going on beyond this, we reach a point which it is hardly possible to know. We have thoroughly comprehended the inscrutable and spirit-like, and know the processes of transformation; - this is the fulness of virtue. |
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易曰：“困于石，据于蒺蔾，入于其宫，不见其妻，凶。”子曰：“非所困而困焉，名必辱。非所据而据焉，身必危。既辱且危，死期将至，妻其可得见耶？” |
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It is said in the Yi, '(The third line shows its subject) distressed before a rock, and trying to lay hold of thorns; entering into his palace and not seeing his wife: - there will be evil.' The Master said: - 'If one be distressed by what need not distress him, his name is sure to be disgraced; if he lay hold on what he should not touch, his life is sure to be imperilled. In disgrace and danger, his death will (soon) come; - is it possible for him in such circumstances to see his wife?' |
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易曰：“公用射隼，于高墉之上，获之无不利。”子曰：“隼者禽也，弓矢者器也，射之者人也。君子藏器于身，待时而动，何不利之有？动而不括，是以出而有获，语成器而动者也。” |
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It is said in the Yi, 'The duke with (his bow) shoots at the falcon on the top of the high wall; he hits it: - his every movement will be advantageous.' The Master said: - 'The falcon is a bird (of prey); the bow and arrow is a weapon (of war); the shooter is a man. The superior man keeps his weapon concealed about his person, and waits for the proper time to move; - doing this, how should his movement be other than successful? There is nothing to fetter or embarrass his movement; and hence, when he comes forth, he succeeds in his object. The language speaks of movement when the instrument necessary to it is ready and perfect.' |
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子曰：“小人不耻不仁，不畏不义，不见利不劝，不威不惩，小惩而大诫，此小人之福也。易曰：‘履校灭趾无咎，此之谓也’。” |
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The Master said: - 'The small man is not ashamed of what is not benevolent, nor does he fear to do what is not righteous. Without the prospect of gain he does not stimulate himself to what is good, nor does he correct himself without being moved. Self-correction, however, in what is small will make him careful in what would be of greater consequence; - and this is the happiness of the small man. It is said in the Yi, "His feet are in the stocks, and he is disabled in his toes: - there will be no (further) occasion for blame."' |
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“善不积，不足以成名；恶不积，不足以灭身。小人以小善为无益，而弗为也，以小恶为无伤，而弗去也，故恶积而不可掩，罪大而不可解。易曰：‘何校灭耳凶’。” |
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If acts of goodness be not accumulated, they are not sufficient to give its finish to one's name; if acts of evil be not accumulated, they are not sufficient to destroy one's life. The small man thinks that small acts of goodness are of no benefit, and does not do them; and that small deeds of evil do no harm, and does not abstain from them. Hence his wickedness becomes great till it cannot be covered, and his guilt becomes great till it cannot be pardoned. This is what the Yi says, 'He wears the cangue and his ears are destroyed: - there will be evil.' |
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子曰：“危者，安其位者也；亡者，保其存者也；乱者，有其治者也。是故，君子安而不忘危，存而不忘亡，治而不忘乱；是以身安而国家可保也。易曰：‘其亡其亡，系于苞桑’。” |
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The Master said: - 'He who keeps danger in mind is he who will rest safe in his seat; he who keeps ruin in mind is he who will preserve his interests secure; he who sets the danger of disorder before him is he who will maintain the state of order. Therefore the superior man, when resting in safety, does not forget that danger may come; when in a state of security, he does not forget the possibility of ruin; and when all is in a state of order, he does not forget that disorder may come. Thus his person is kept safe, and his states and all their clans can be preserved. This is according to what the Yi says, "(Let him say), 'Shall I perish? shall I perish?' (so shall this state be firm, as if) bound to a clump of bushy mulberry trees."' |
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子曰：“德薄而位尊，知小而谋大，力小而任重，鲜不及矣，易曰：‘鼎折足，覆公餗，其形渥，凶。’言不胜其任也。” |
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The Master said: - 'Virtue small and office high; wisdom small and plans great; strength small and burden heavy: - where such conditions exist, it is seldom that they do not end (in evil). As is said in the Yi, "The tripod's feet are overthrown, and the ruler's food is overturned. The body of him (who is thus indicated) is wet (with shame):there will be evil."' |
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子曰：“知几其神乎？君子上交不谄，下交不渎，其知几乎，几者动之微，吉之先见者也，君子见几而作，不俟终日。易曰：‘介于石，不终日，贞吉。’介如石焉，宁用终日，断可识矣，君子知微知彰，知柔知刚，万夫之望。” |
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The Master said: - 'Does not he who knows the springs of things possess spirit-like wisdom? The superior man, in his intercourse with the high, uses no flattery, and, in his intercourse with the low, no coarse freedom: - does not this show that he knows the springs of things? Those springs are the slight beginnings of movement, and the earliest indications of good fortune (or ill). The superior man sees them, and acts accordingly without waiting for (the delay of) a single day. As is said in the Yi, "He is firm as a rock, (and acts) without the delay of a single day. With firm goodness there will be good fortune." Firm as a rock, how should he have to wait a single day to ensure his knowing (those springs and his course)? The superior man knows the minute and the manifested; he knows what is weak, and what is strong: - he is a model to ten thousand.' |
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子曰：“颜氏之子，其殆庶几乎？有不善未尝不知，知之未尝复行也。易曰：‘不远复，无祇悔，元吉。’” |
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The Master said: - 'I may venture to say that the son of the Yan family had nearly attained (the standard of perfection). If anything that he did was not good, he was sure to become conscious of that; and when he knew it, he did not do the thing again. As is said in the Yi, "(The first line shows its subject) returning from an error that has not led him far away. There is no occasion for repentance. There will be great good."' |
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天地絪縕，万物化醇，男女构精，万物化生，易曰：‘三人行，则损一人；一人行，则得其友。’言致一也。 |
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There is an intermingling of the genial influences of heaven and earth, and transformation in its various forms abundantly proceeds. There is an intercommunication of seed between male and female, and transformation in its living types proceeds. What is said in the Yi, 'Three individuals are walking together and one is made to disappear; there is (but) one man walking, and he gets his mate,' tells us of the effort (in nature) at oneness (of operation). |
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子曰：“君子安其身而后动，易其心而后语，定其交而后求，君子修此三者，故全也，危以动，则民不与也，惧以语，则民不应也，无交而求，则民不与也，莫之与，则伤之者至矣。易曰：‘莫益之，或击之，立心勿恒，凶。’。” |
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The Master said: - 'The superior man (in a high place) composes himself before he (tries to) move others; makes his mind restful and easy before he speaks; settles (the principles of) his intercourse with others before he seeks anything from them. The superior man cultivates these three things, and so is complete. If he try to move others while he is himself in unrest, the people will not (act) with him; if he speak while he is himself in a state of apprehension, the people will not respond to him; if without (certain principles of) intercommunication, he issue his requests, the people will not grant them. When there are none to accord with him, those who (work to) injure him will make their appearance. As is said in the Yi, "(We see one) to whose advantage none will contribute, while some will seek to assail him. He observes no regular rule in the ordering of his heart: - there will be evil."' |
