Analects 20.2: 堯曰 (Yao Yue)
Confucius and his disciples · Classical Chinese original · new English translation and commentary by Text Atlas
Overview
The final book brings together declarations about rule, a dialogue on government, and three conditions of understanding. Yao’s charge and the later declarations place succession, responsibility, and the people’s welfare together, while changes of speaker remain only partly marked. Zizhang’s questions turn to five ways of exercising authority well and four abuses of it. The close makes understanding what is decreed, ritual, and words necessary to becoming exemplary, taking one’s stand, and understanding others.
Analects 20.2
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。
Zizhang asked Confucius, “How must one act to take part in government?” The Master said, “Honor the five good qualities and reject the four evils; then you can take part in government.” Zizhang said, “What are the five good qualities?” The Master said, “An exemplary person brings benefit without expense, puts people to work without resentment, desires without greed, is at ease without arrogance, and inspires awe without ferocity.” Zizhang said, “What does bringing benefit without expense mean?” The Master said, “Build on what benefits the people and let them benefit from it—is that not bringing benefit without expense? Choose work that is fitting to require of them and set them to it—who then will resent it? Desire humaneness and attain humaneness—where then is greed? An exemplary person dares treat no one with disrespect, whether many or few, great or small—is that not being at ease without arrogance? An exemplary person sets their clothing and cap straight and looks about with dignity; people look at that solemn bearing and stand in awe—is that not inspiring awe without ferocity?” Zizhang said, “What are the four evils?” The Master said, “To put people to death without teaching them is called cruelty; to demand completed work without giving warning is called violence; to be lax in issuing orders yet insist on the deadline is called doing harm. To grudge handing something over when it is to be given to people anyway is called being a mere official.”
Commentary
politics Five qualities put to work Zizhang asks Confucius how to take part in government. Each of the five qualities joins a positive exercise of authority to a limit on its misuse. The explanation of benefit begins with what already benefits the people; the explanation of labor asks which demands are fitting. “Without resentment” concerns the people put to work, as the later question “who then will resent it?” makes clear.
Basis: textual-inference
Confidence: high
ethics Desire directed toward humaneness The third quality keeps desire and changes its object. 欲仁而得仁 makes humaneness both the thing desired and the thing attained. The question about greed follows from that choice of object. Rendering 仁 consistently as humaneness keeps the answer connected to the humane people preferred over close kin in the preceding section.
Basis: textual-inference
Confidence: high
ritual Ease, respect, and awe 泰, being at ease, is explained through respectful treatment regardless of number or size. The English takes the many or few, great or small, as the people encountered; the compressed 小大 can also encompass matters of different importance. The final quality moves to clothing, cap, gaze, and solemn bearing: visible self-command elicits awe. The limit “without ferocity” remains part of what makes that authority admirable.
Basis: textual-inference
Confidence: medium
politics What comes before a demand The first three evils expose failures in the exercise of authority: killing before instruction, demanding completion before warning, and allowing orders to lapse into laxity before enforcing a deadline. Each condemns the authority’s conduct toward those subject to it. The fourth turns to giving and the reluctance with which something is handed over. The contrast with the earlier benefit and fitting labor makes the timing and manner of government part of its moral substance.
Basis: textual-inference
Confidence: high
source variant Why the last evil is called an official This Chinese text ends with 有司, an official charged with a particular duty. In a list of abuses, that office title becomes a rebuke to someone who grudges each disbursement. Legge also takes it as behaving like a mere official, and specifies pay or rewards where the Chinese speaks more generally of giving. The Chinese Wikisource text instead prints 貪, greed, with an editorial note recording 有司. “Being a mere official” retains the office term and its sting; it does not substitute the other text’s greed.
Basis: translation-comparison
Confidence: medium