Zeng Tzu said: I will reflect on myself many times every day: Have you done your best for others? Are you honest and trustworthy in your dealings with friends? Did the teacher review my studies on time? Confucius said: To govern a country with 1,000 military vehicles, it is necessary to handle state affairs rigorously and conscientiously, and to abide by promises, be honest and undeceived, and save financial expenditures. When a disciple is in front of his parents, he should be filial to his parents. When you go out, you should listen to your teacher, be cautious in your words and deeds, be honest and credible, and try to talk as little as possible; Learn to love all people broadly and to draw near to those who are kind; After practicing in this way, if you still have the energy to spare, you can learn the knowledge of literature again.

Zixia said: A person can value virtue and not women, be able to do his best when serving his parents, be able to sacrifice his life when serving the monarch, and be honest and trustworthy when associating with friends; Such a person, even if he himself says verbally that he has not studied, then I must say that he has studied. Confucius said: Gentleman, if you are not dignified, you will have no dignity, learning can make people not closed, you must be faithful, do not make friends with people who are different from yourself, and do not be afraid to correct mistakes if you have mistakes. Zeng Zi said: If people in the upper position can be cautious about the death of their parents and remember their ancestors, the common people will naturally become more loyal and honest.

Zi Yu asked Zigong: Every time the Master goes to a country, he will quickly learn about the political affairs of that country, and this is what he inquired about when he visited him, or did the kings of various countries consult him about the political affairs of their own country and tell him personally? Zigong replied: The reason why the master knows the political affairs of every country is not because he asked with his heart, nor because the king told him for no reason. The Master's heart is full of benevolence, which is reflected everywhere in his words and deeds. His countenance and tone were gentle and heavy, without the slightest element of rudeness; Kind and straightforward, never pretentious; Respectful and solemn, never dare to snub others; Diligence and thrift, there is no time for indulgence; Courtesy and humility, never proud. With such appearance and virtue, the kings of all countries admired and trusted him from the bottom of their hearts, and were willing to discuss the political affairs of their own countries with him. That's why the Master knows about the political affairs of various countries, and the situation in a country is naturally different from the information obtained from ordinary visits.

When a man's father is alive, because he has no right to act independently, it is necessary to observe his aspirations; After the death of his father, it is necessary to examine his actions, and if the man persists in his father's reasonable part for a long time without changing it, then the man can be said to have fulfilled his filial piety. Youzi said: The application of etiquette should be based on harmony, and the ancient monarch's method of governing the country is valuable in this; However, if we only follow a harmonious approach, no matter how big or small, sometimes it will not work; This is because, harmony for the sake of harmony, and harmony without courtesy, it is also not possible.

Youzi said: The credit that is talked about must conform to the standard of righteousness, and the credit that meets the standard of righteousness can be practiced by bowing down; Treat others respectfully and in accordance with the requirements of courtesy, so as to stay away from shame; Those who rely on are reliable people, so they are worthy of respect. Confucius said: A gentleman does not seek to be full in food and drink, does not seek comfort in living, is diligent and agile in his work, is cautious when speaking, and goes to a Taoist person to correct himself, so that he can be said to be studious. Confucius sighed: I am not afraid that others will not understand me, I am only afraid that I will not understand others.

Zigong asked Confucius: If a person is poor and can not be flattering, and rich but can be able to be not arrogant, may I ask Master, how do you feel about such a person? Confucius replied: Even if this is possible, it is still better to be willing to be honest despite poverty, and to be rich and courteous. After hearing this, Zigong thought seriously for a while, and then asked: So to treat such a person, the "Book of Songs" says, "We should treat it like bones, horns, ivory, and jade, and learn from it and ponder it", is this the truth? Confucius smiled and said: Zigong, you are so smart! You can grasp the meaning of what I have not yet said from what I have already said, and by drawing inferences, I can have a good discussion with you about the Book of Songs.

(2) "For Politics"

The "Politics Chapter" consists of 24 chapters. The main content of this article involves Confucius's idea of "virtue for government", how to seek official positions and the basic principles of serving as an official, the relationship between learning and thinking, the process of Confucius's own learning and cultivation, learning methods from the past to learn new ones, and further elaboration of morality such as filial piety and piety.

Confucius said: The wise monarch of the Zhou Dynasty used moral education to govern political affairs, and the final result would be like the North Star, in a certain direction, and the stars would surround it. The 300 articles of the "Book of Songs" can be summed up in four words, that is, "pure thought". Using legal prohibitions to guide the people and using criminal punishments to restrain the people, the people will only seek to be free from punishment for crimes, but they will lose their sense of shame; Using moral education to guide the people, and using etiquette to unify the words and deeds of the people, the people will not only have shame, but will naturally abide by the rules.

When I was fifteen years old, I was determined to study, when I was thirty years old, I was able to stand on my own, when I was forty years old, I was able not to be confused by external things, when I was fifty years old, I understood the destiny of heaven, when I was sixty years old, I was able to deal with all kinds of speech correctly and not feel unpleasant, and at the age of seventy, I was able to do things as I wanted without going out of the way. Meng Yizi asked Confucius what filial piety was, and Confucius replied: Filial piety is not to violate etiquette; Later, when Fan Chi drove for Confucius, Confucius and Fan Chi said: Mengsun asked me what filial piety is, and I replied that filial piety means not to violate etiquette; After hearing this, Fan Chi asked puzzledly: What does it mean not to violate etiquette? Confucius replied: When your parents are alive, you should serve them according to the requirements of etiquette; When parents die, they should be buried and sacrificed according to the requirements of the ceremony.

Meng Wubo asked Confucius for advice on filial piety, and Confucius told him: When dealing with our parents, we should be especially worried about their illnesses, and this can be regarded as filial piety. Ziyou asked Confucius what filial piety is, and Confucius replied: The so-called filial piety nowadays is only enough to be able to support your parents; However, even dogs and horses can now be raised; If you don't honor your parents, then what's the difference between supporting your parents and raising dogs and horses? Zixia asked Confucius what filial piety is, and Confucius replied: When children want to fulfill filial piety, the most difficult thing is to be kind to their parents; It's just that the parents have something, the children do it for their parents, and when they have wine and food, the children let their parents eat, which is not filial piety in the real sense.