Tsze-kung asked, saying, "What do you say of a man who is loved by all the people of his neighborhood?"
子贡问曰:“乡人皆好之,何如?”
The Master replied, "We may not for that accord our approval of him."
子曰:“未可也。”
"And what do you say of him who is hated by all the people of his neighborhood?" The Master said,
“乡人皆恶之,何如?”子曰,
"We may not for that conclude that he is bad. It is better than either of these cases that the good in the neighborhood love him, and the bad hate him."
“未可也。不如乡人之善者好之,其不善者恶之。”
The Master said, "The superior man is easy to serve and difficult to please,
子曰:“君子易事而难说也,
If you try to please him in any way which is not accordant with right, he will not be pleased,
说之不以道不说也,
But in his employment of men, he uses them according to their capacity;
及其使人也器之;
The mean man is difficult to serve, and easy to please.
小人难事而易说也。
If you try to please him, though it be in a way which is not accordant with right, he may be pleased,
说之虽不以道说也,
But in his employment of men, he wishes them to be equal to everything."
及其使人也求备焉。”
The Master said, "The superior man has a dignified ease without pride, the mean man has pride without a dignified ease."
子曰:“君子泰而不骄,小人骄而不泰。”
The Master said, "The firm, the enduring, the simple, and the modest are near to virtue."
子曰:“刚、毅、木、讷近仁。”
Tsze-lu asked, saying, "What qualities must a man possess to entitle him to be called a scholar?"
子路问曰:“何如斯可谓之士矣?”
The Master said, "He must be thus, earnest, urgent, and bland among his friends, earnest and urgent among his brethren, bland."
子曰:“切切偲偲,怡怡如也,可谓士矣,朋友切切偲偲,兄弟怡怡。”
The Master said, "Let a good man teach the people seven years, and they may then likewise be employed in war."
子曰:“善人教民七年,亦可以即戎矣。”
The Master said, "To lead an uninstructed people to war, is to throw them away."
子曰:“以不教民战,是谓弃之。”