The great doctor of the country, Thorn Zicheng, said: As long as a gentleman has a good character, what is the use of those superficial ceremonies? Zigong hurriedly explained: It's a pity, my lord, that you talk about a gentleman like this; As soon as the word is spoken, the horse is difficult to chase; The essence is the connotation of the literary style, and the literary style is the manifestation of the essence, both of which are equally important; A tiger that has lost its fur and a leopard that has lost its skin are the same as a dog that has lost its fur and a sheep that has lost its skin.

Lu Aigong asked Youruo: When the country is in trouble with famine, what should the rulers do? If you answer: Why don't you implement the law thoroughly and only take one-tenth of the field tax? Ai Gong looked a little helpless, and then said: Now that I am drawing two-tenths, I am not enough, how can I implement the Fa thoroughly? After hearing this, you will answer: If the people have enough money, how can you not have enough? If the people don't have enough, how can you have enough?

Zizhang asked Confucius: Master, what can be done to improve the level of moral cultivation and the ability to distinguish between right and wrong? Confucius told him that to be a man, one should be faithful and make one's thoughts conform to the standard of righteousness, so that the level of moral cultivation can be improved. If you love someone, you want him to live, and when you are disgusted, you want him to die immediately, both to live and to die, this is confusion; As it is said in the "Book of Songs", "Even if you don't hate the poor and love the rich, you also like the new and hate the old."

Qi Jinggong asked Confucius for advice on how to govern the country, and Confucius replied: Those who are monarchs must have the appearance of monarchs, those who are courtiers must have the appearance of courtiers, those who are fathers must have the appearance of fathers, and those who are sons must have the appearance of sons; After hearing this, Qi Jinggong exclaimed: Well spoken! If the king is not like the king, the minister is not like the minister, the father is not like the father, and the son is not like the son, although there is food, I will not be able to eat it! Confucius said: Only by listening to a one-sided confession can a case be adjudicated, and it can be accurate and admirable, probably only Zilu! What Zilu said hasn't counted yet. I do the same thing as others when trying litigation cases, but I think the most important thing is to make the litigation case not happen at all.

Zizhang asked Confucius for advice on how to govern political affairs, and Confucius told him: never slack off when you are in an official position, and be faithful when carrying out the king's decrees, so that you can manage political affairs well. Confucius said: A gentleman should extensively study the ancient cultural classics and restrain himself with etiquette, so that he can not deviate from the scriptures. A gentleman accomplishes the good deeds of others, and does not contribute to the evil of others; The villain is the opposite. Ji Kangzi asked Confucius about governing the country, and Confucius told him: The so-called government means righteousness, and you yourself take the lead in taking the right path, so who else dares not to take the right path? Ji Kangzi was worried about theft and came to Confucius to learn from him, and Confucius told him: If you are not greedy for money, even if you reward theft, no one will do it.

When Ji Kangzi asked Confucius how to govern political affairs, he said: If you kill the unrighteous to perfect the virtuous, is it appropriate to do so? Confucius replied: Where do you use the means of killing in the management of political affairs? As long as you always think about doing good, the people will naturally follow suit. The virtue of the incumbent is like the wind, and the virtue of the subordinate is like grass, and when the wind blows on the grass, the grass will surely swing with it. (Ji Kangzi was the powerful minister of the Lu State at that time, and basically controlled the overall situation of the Lu State.) ）

Zizhang asked Confucius: What should a scholar do in order to be called proficient? Confucius asked him, "What do you mean by mastery?" Zizhang replied: He has a reputation in the court of the monarch and a reputation in the fiefdom of the doctor; After hearing this, Confucius replied: What you just said is just some false reputation, and it cannot be called accessible; The so-called attainment requires a person to be upright, follow etiquette and righteousness, be good at figuring out other people's words, be good at observing other people's faces, and always think about being humble to others; Such a person can be accessible in the king's court and the doctor's fief; As for those who have a false reputation, they only pretend to be benevolent on the outside, but they just violate benevolence in action, and they still have to think of themselves as benevolent people, and they don't feel ashamed; But such a person, whether in the king's court or in the doctor's fiefdom, will definitely have a reputation.

Fan Chi accompanied Confucius for a walk on the dance platform, and he asked Confucius for advice: May I ask Master, what can I do to improve my moral cultivation? What can we do to correct our evil thoughts and discern confusion? Confucius replied: You can ask these questions! To be a human being, you should first work hard to do a good job, and then you will gain something, so that you will naturally improve your moral character and review your evil thoughts. Isn't it confusion that people forget their own safety and even implicate their relatives because of a moment of anger?

Fan Chi asked Confucius what benevolence is, and Confucius told him: To love others is benevolence; Fan Chi asked Confucius again what wisdom is, and Confucius replied: To understand people is wisdom; Fan Chi was a little puzzled and wanted to ask Confucius to explain again; Confucius told him: Choose the upright and depose the wicked, so that the evil can be reformed. After Fan Chi made a move, he withdrew from Confucius, met Zi Xia, and shared his confusion with him: I saw Master just now and asked him what wisdom is, and he said, "Choose the upright and depose the wicked, so that the wicked can be reformed." "What does that mean? After hearing this, Zixia said: How profound this is said! Shun has the world, selects talents among the people, selects Gaotao, and the unkind people are alienated; Tang has the world, selects talents among the crowd, selects Yi Yin, and the unkind people are also alienated.

Zigong asked Confucius for advice on how to treat his friends, and Confucius told him: to treat friends, you should be loyal to advise and guide appropriately; If he doesn't listen, then forget it, don't bring shame on yourself. Zeng Tzu said: A gentleman uses articles and knowledge to make friends, and relies on friends to help him cultivate benevolence.

(13) "Sub-road Chapter"

There are a total of 30 chapters in "Zilu Chapter", among which the famous sentences are: "If the name is not correct, it is not reasonable to speak, and if it is not reasonable to speak, things will not be done"; "Seeking speed will not achieve the goal"; "The father hides it for the sake of the son, and the son hides it for the sake of the father"; "Usually behave at home, work seriously, and treat people with loyalty and sincerity"; "When it comes to it, we must do it, and we must stick to it when we do things"; "The gentleman pays attention to harmony and does not want to be different, and the villain only seeks complete consistency and does not pay attention to coordination"; "A gentleman is quiet and frank but not arrogant and rude, and a villain is arrogant and rude but not quiet and calm." This article contains a wide range of content, including political ideas on how to govern the country, Confucius's educational thoughts, personal moral cultivation and character perfection, and the idea of "gentlemen are harmonious but different".