Book 17
17.1
Yang Huo wished to have Confucius appear in audience, but Confucius would not appear. Yang Huo sent Confucius a suckling pig. Confucius timed a visit for a day when Yang Huo was not at home and went to pay his thanks, but encountered Yang Huo on the road. Yang Huo addressed Confucius: "Come. I want a word with you.
"To conceal your treasure and let your state go astray, can this be called ren? No, it cannot. To be eager to engage in affairs but to repeatedly miss one's proper time, can this be called wisdom? No, it cannot.
"The days and months are rushing by; no extra years will be allotted to me."
Confucius said, "All right. It is my intent to serve."
17.2
The Master said, "By nature close to one another, through practice far distant."
17.3
The Master said, "Only the wisest and the stupidest do not change."
17.4
The Master went to Wucheng and heard the sound of zithers and singing. With a little laugh he said, "Does one chop up a chicken with a beef cleaver?"
Ziyou replied, "In the past I have heard the Master say, 'When a junzi studies the dao he cherishes people; when small men study the dao they are easy to direct.'"
The Master said, "My friends, Yan's words are correct. What I said before was merely in jest."
17.5
Gongshan Furao held the city of Bi in revolt. He summoned the Master, who wished to go to him. Zilu was displeased. He said, "Do not go. Why must it be Gongshan you go to?"
The Master said, "How can it be that he summons me for no good purpose? If there is one who will use me, I could make for him a Zhou in the east!"
17.6
Zizhang asked about ren. The Master said, "He who can enact five things in the world is ren." When asked for details, he went on, "Reverence, tolerance, trustworthiness, quickness, and generosity. He is reverent, hence he receives no insults; he is tolerant, hence he gains the multitudes; he is trustworthy, hence others entrust him with responsibilities; he is quick, hence he has accomplishments; he is generous, hence he is capable of being placed in charge of others."
17.7
Bi Xi summoned the Master, who wished to go. Zilu said, "In the past, I have heard the Master say, 'The domain of one who has marked himself with wrongdoing the junzi does not enter.' Bi Xi has used the town of Zhongmou as a base for revolt. How can it be that you would go there?"
The Master said, "I have indeed spoken as you say. But is it not said, 'So hard, it is not worn down by grinding; so white, it is not blackened by pitch?' Can it be that I am no more than a bitter gourd, to be hung up by a string and never eaten?"
17.8
The Master said, "Yóu, have you heard the six imperatives and the six related flaws of narrow vision?" Zilu replied, "No, I have not." "Sit, and I'll teach them to you. If, you love ren, but you do not love learning, the flaw is ignorance. If you love knowledge but you do not love learning, the flaw is unruliness. If you love faithfulness but you do not love learning, the flaw is harming others. If you love straightforwardness but you do not love learning, the flaw is offensiveness. If you love valor but you do not love learning, the flaw is causing chaos. If you love incorruptibility but you do not love learning, the flaw is recklessness.
17.9
The Master said, "Young friends, why do you not study the Poetry. By means of the odes one may inspire, one may reveal one's thoughts, one may gather with others, one may voice complaints. Near at hand, they can guide you to serve your fathers; more distantly, they can guide you to serve a ruler and you can learn the names of many birds and beasts, trees and grasses."
17.10
The Master said to Boyu, "Have you learned the odes of the Zhou-nan and Shaonan? A man who does not learn the odes of the Zhou-nan and Shao-nan is like a man standing with his face to a wall."