CHIEN, Szuma. (1979). Records of the Historian. Traslated by Yang Hsien-yi and Gladys Yang, Pekin, Foreign Languages Press. Pàg. 1-27.

CONFUCIUS

Confucius was born in Tsou, a village in the district of Changping in the state of Lu. His ancestors came from Sung and one of them, Kuag Fang-shu, had a son named Po-hsia, whose son was Shu-liang-heh. In his old age Shu-liang-heh took a daughter of the Yen family, and after he had prayed at the shrine of Nichiu she gave birth to Confucius. That was in the twenty-second year of Duke Hsiang of Lu. Because he was born with a hollow in the top of his head, he was given the personal name of Chiu, with the courtesy name Chung-ni and the surname Kung.
Soon after his birth Shu-liang-heh died and was buried at Mount Fang in the east of Lu. Later Confucius suspected that his father's grave was there, but his mother hid the truth from him. As a child, Confucius liked to play with sacrificial vessels, setting them out as if for a ceremony. After his mother's death, as a precaution, he had her coffin entombed in Wufu Lane. Then the mother of Wan Fu of Tsou told him the whereabouts of his father's grave, and he had his mother buried with her husband at Mount Fang.
Confucius was still wearing the belt of mourning when he went to a feast for gentlemen given by the Chi clan. Yang Hu turned him away, saying, "The Chi clan is entertaining gentlemen: you are not included." At that Confucius withdrew.
When Confucius was seventeen, Meng Hsi-tzu the minister of Lu fell ill and as he was dying he told his successor Yi-tzu, '"Kung Chiu is descended from sages. One of his ancestors was killed in Sung. One of his ancestors, Fu-fu-ho, should have been the ruler of Sung but made over the state to his younger brother Duke Li. And Cheng Kao-fu, his great-grandson who served Duke Tai, Duke Wu and Duke Hsuan, behaved more modestly after each appointment. Thus his tripod inscription reads: 'At the first appointment I inclined my head, at the second I bowed, at the third I bent low. I hug the wall and no one dares insult me. Pap and gruel stay my hunger.' See how unassuming he was! I have heard that even if he does not hold office the descendant of sages is always a wise man. Kung Chiu is young, but he sets such store on the rites that I am sure he is a man of understanding. When I am gone, make him your teacher."
So after Meng Hsi-tzu's death, Yi-tzu and Nankung Ching-shu, another native of Lu, studied the rites with Confucius. That same year Chi Wu-tzu died and Ping-tzu succeeded him.
Confucius was poor and humble. Growing up and working as keeper of the granaries for the Chi clan he measured the grain fairly; when he was keeper of the livestock the animals flourished; and so he was made minister of works. Subsequently he left Lu, was dismissed from Chi, driven out of Sung and Wei and ran into trouble between Chen and Tsai. Finally he returned to Lu.
Well over six feet, Confucius was called the Tall Man and everybody marvelled at his height. He returned to the state of Lu as it had treated him well. Nankung Ching-shu asked the duke of Lu to let him accompany Confucius to Chou, and the duke gave them a carriage, a pair of horses and a page boy. They went to Chou to study rites and there met Lao Tzu.
When Confucius was leaving, Lao Tzu's parting words to him were, "I have heard that the rich and great offer farewell gifts of money while the good offer advice. I am neither rich nor great but, unworthy as I am, have been called good; so let me offer you a few words of advice." Then he said, "A shrewd observer, prone to criticize others, risks his own life. A learned man who exposes the faults of others endangers himself. A filial son must never thrust himself forward, and neither may a good subject."
On his return from Chou to Lu, Confucius began to gather more disciples.
Now the situation at this time was that Duke Ping of Tsin was a dissolute man whose six ministers held the reins of government and were attacking other states in the east, King Ling of Chu was harrying the central states with his powerful armies, and mighty Chi bordered on Lu. Lu was small and weak. If she attached herself to Chu, this would offend Tsin; while if she allied with Tsin, Chu would attack her; if she took no defensive measures, the men of Chi would invade her.
In the twentieth year of Duke Chao of Lu, Confucius reached the age of thirty. Duke Ching of Chi and Yen Ying visited Lu and the duke said to Confucius, "Duke Mu of Chin had only a small, outlying state, yet he became a great conqueror. How was that?"
Confucius replied, "Though Chin was small it aspired to great things. Though outlying, its conduct was correct. With five sheepskins the duke freed a slave from bondage and gave him the rank of a minister. After talking with him for three days he entrusted the affairs of state to him. Judging by this he was worthy to be a king - being a conqueror was not good enough for him."
The duke was pleased with this reply.
When Confucius was thirty-five, Chi Ping-tzu, because of a cockfight between a bird of his and one owned by Hou Chao-po, offended Duke Chao of Lu. The duke led troops against him. Chi Ping-tzu fought back with the support of the houses of Meng-sun and Shu-sun and defeated the duke, who fled to Chi where he settled at Kanhou. After this there was such confusion in Lu that Confucius went to Chi to serve as Kao Chao-tzu's steward in the hope of getting an introduction to Duke Ching. He discussed music with the chief musician of Chi, heard the Shao Music and studied it, and for three months did not know the taste of meat. The men of Chi thought highly of him.
Duke Ching of Chi questioned him about government. His answer was, ""Let the prince be a prince, the minister a minister, the father a father and the son a son."
The duke rejoined, ""Well said! For indeed when the prince is not a prince, the minister not a minister, the father not a father, the son not a son, even if there were grain I might be unable to eat it."
Another day he asked about government again and Confucius said, "'The main thing is economy in the use of wealth."
The duke was pleased and would have given the field of Nihsi to Confucius as his fief had not Yen Ying protested, "These Confucians are such unruly windbags, so arrogant and self-willed that there is no controlling them. They set great store by long mourning and bankrupt themselves for a sumptuous funeral; it would never do if this became the custom. A beggar who roams the land talking is not a man to entrust with affairs of state. Ever since the passing of the great sages and the decline of the Chou Dynasty, the rites and music have fallen into decay. Now Confucius lays such stress on appearance and costume, elaborate etiquette and codes of behaviour that it would take generations to learn his rules - one lifetime would not be enough! To adopt his way of reforming the state would not be putting the common people first."
So when next Duke Ching saw Confucius he did not question him about ceremony. And on another day he told him, "I cannot give you the rank of first minister." He treated him as someone between the first and third rank. The other ministers of Chi conspired to injure Confucius, who learned of their plot. And Duke Ching said, "I am old, I cannot make use of your services." So Confucius left Chi and returned to Lu.
When Confucius was forty-two, Duke Chao of Lu died at Kanhou and Duke Ting succeeded him. In the summer of the fifth year of Duke Ting, Chi Ping-tzu died and Chi Huan-tzu took his place as first minister. While sinking a well, Chi Huan-tzu found an earthenware pot with a creature like a sheep inside it and, although aware of what it was, he told Confucius that it was a dog. "From all I have heard," said Confucius, "it must be a sheep. For kuei and wang-liang are the spirits of woods and rocks, those of the deep are dragons and wang-hsiang, while those of the earth are entombed sheep."
When Wu attacked Yueh and captured Kuaichi, a skeleton was discovered that filled a whole chariot. The king of Wu sent an envoy to ask Confucius, ""What has the largest bones?"
Confucius replied, "'When Yu* summoned all the gods to Mount Kuaichi, Fang-feng arrived late and Yu killed him as a warning to others. His skeleton filled a whole chariot: that is the largest."
"What gods were those?" asked the envoy.
"Gods of the hills and streams to regulate the world, gods who were local chiefs; and gods of earth and grain who became barons under the sovereign."
"Of what was Fang-feng in charge?"
"He was lord of Wangwang of the Hsi clan, ruling over Mounts Feng and Yu. In the time of King Shun and during the Hsia and Shang Dynasties, the family was called Wang-wang; in the Chou Dynasty they were known as the giants of Ti; today we just call them giants."
"What height can men reach?"
"The Chiaoyao pygmies, three feet high, are the smallest. The tallest cannot be more than ten times their height: that is the upper limit."
Then the envoy of Wu commented, ""Well spoken, sage!"
Chi Huan-tzu's favourite minister, Chung-liang Huai, was an enemy of Yang Hu, who would have driven him away had not Kungshan Pu-niu dissuaded him. That autumn Chung-liang Huai behaved even more insolently and Yang Hu had him arrested. Because Chi Huan-tzu was angry, Yang Hu imprisoned him too, releasing him after they had reached an agreement. This made Yang Hu despise the Chi clan more than ever. While the Chi clan usurped the duke's authority, their own servants had actual control of the state. In fact, all the men of Lu from the ministers down overstepped their rightful bounds and did not act correctly. This is why Confucius took no official post but edited the Book of Songs, Book of Documents, Book of Rites and Book of Music in retirement, and more and more pupils came even from distant places to study under him.
In the eighth year of Duke Ting, Kungshan Pu-niu who bore a grudge against the Chi family rebelled with Yang Hu, hoping to overthrow the heirs of the three chief families and set up in their place the concubines' sons befriended by Yang Hu. Chi Huan-tzu was captured but contrived to escape. In the ninth year of Duke Ting, Yang Hu was defeated and fled to Chi. By now Confucius was fifty.
Then Kungshan Pu-niu, who controlled the district of Pi, rebelled against the Chi family and sent for Confucius. Confucius had long been following the true way without being able to put it into practice because no one would employ him. So now he said, "King Wen and King Wu of Chou started from the districts of Feng and Hao and became kings. Though Pi is small, this may be worth trying."
He was planning to go, but Tzu-lu demurred and stopped him.
"He would not send for me without a reason," said Confucius. "By using my services he could make another Chou in the east." However, in the end he did not go.
Later Duke Ting appointed Confucius the magistrate of Chungtu. After one year of his administration, all the neighbouring districts were following his example. He was promoted to be minister of works, then chief justice.
In the spring of the tenth year of Duke Ting, Lu and Chi made peace. That summer Li Tsu, a minister of Chi, warned Duke Ching of Chi, "Lu is employing Kung Chiu. That is dangerous for us." So they invited the duke of Lu to a friendly meeting at Chiaku. He was about to set off by carriage when Confucius, then acting prime minister, interposed, "I have heard that in peace men should prepare for war; in war they should prepare for peace. In the old days a baron never left his territory unless accompanied by military officials. I beg you to take the senior and junior war ministers."
Duke Ting agreed and took these two ministers to meet the duke of Chi at Chiaku. Seats had been placed on an earthen platform with three steps leading up to it and the two dukes met on equal terms, mounting the steps after bowing to each other. When wine had been offered, Chi's master of ceremonies stepped forward to ask, ""May we play the Music of the Four Quarters?"
Upon Duke Ching's assenting, men with pennants, feathers, spears, halberds, swords and shields advanced to the roll of drums. At once Confucius stepped forward, rushed up the steps and, raising his sleeves, protested, ""Our two rulers are meeting in friendship: what is the meaning of this barbarian music? Let these men be dismissed by the officer in charge!" The master of ceremonies made them step back, but they did not go. The attendants looked at Yen Ying and Duke Ching, and the shamefaced duke waved them away.
Presently Chi's minister of ceremonies came forward again to ask, "May we play palace music?"
When Duke Ching assented, jesters, singers and dwarfs trooped in to perform. At once Confucius stepped forward, rushed up the steps and again protested, ""Commoners who beguile their lords deserve to die. Let them be punished!" Then the officer in charge had the players killed.
Aware that he had been in the wrong, Duke Ching was greatly perturbed. He returned to his capital in dismay and reproached his ministers, saying, ""In Lu they use the gentleman's way to guide their prince, while all you teach me is the barbarian way. Now we have offended the duke of Lu. What shall we do?"
A minister advanced to reply, "A gentleman who is at fault shows his regret by deeds, while a low man shows it by words. If you are sorry, sir, show your regret by deeds."
So to make amends the duke returned to Lu the lands of Yun, Wenyang and Kueiyin which he had taken.
In the summer of the thirteenth year of Duke Ting, Confucius told him, ""A subject should not conceal arms, a noble should not have city walls three thousand feet long."
Chung Yu was appointed steward under Chi Huan-tzu, but before he could demolish the fortified towns of the three chief nobles, the Shu-sun family tore down the walls of Hou. When the Chi clan tried to demolish the wall of Pi, Kungshan Pu-niu and Shu-sun Cheb led the men of Pi against the Lu capital; whereupon the duke and his three noble ministers withdrew to the Chi clan mansion and took refuge in the tower of Chi Wu-tzu. The men of Pi attacked the tower but failed to take it. When they came near the tower, Confucius sent Shen Chu-hsu and Lo Chi to fight back and the men of Pi were put to flight by the forces of Lu at Kumieh. At that Kungshan Pu-niu and Shu-sun Cheh fled to Chi and the city of Pi was demolished.
They were about to tear down the wall of Cheng when Kunglien Chu-fu warned Meng-sun, "If Cheng is demolished, we shall have the men of Chi at our North Gate. Besides, Cheng is the bulwark of the Meng family, without which we must fall. I refuse to destroy it." In the twelfth month the duke besieged Cheng but failed to take it.
In the fourteenth year of Duke Ting, Confucius, now fifty-six, appeared gratified when he was appointed both chief justice and prime minister.
His pupils said, "We have heard that a gentleman would show no fear in the face of calamity, no joy in the face of good fortune."
"True," replied Confucius. "But what of the saying, "He delights in high position because he can show his humility'?" He executed Shao-cheng Mao, a minister of Lu who had made trouble. After three months of his administration vendors of lamb and pork stopped raising their prices, men and women walked on different sides of the street, no one picked up anything lost on the road, and strangers coming to the city did not have to look for the officers in charge for everyone made them welcome.
When the men of Chi knew this they took fright and said, "With Confucius at the head of the state, Lu is bound to grow powerful; then we who are close to it will be the first to be swallowed up. We had better offer them some land."
But Li Tsu said, ""Let us first see if we can't foil them. If that fails, it will not be too late to offer land."
So they chose eighty of the prettiest girls in Chi who could dance to the kanwang music, dressed them in gay costumes and sent them with sixty pairs of dappled horses as a gift to the duke of Lu. The dancers were displayed with the horses outside Kao Gate in the south city, and Chi Huan-tzu who went in disguise several times to see them was tempted to accept. He persuaded the duke to go there by a roundabout way, and they watched all day, neglecting state affairs.
Then Tzu-lu said, "Master, it is time to leave!"
Confucius replied, "The duke will soon be sacrificing to heaven and earth. If he presents portions of the offerings to the ministers, I can stay."
But Chi Huan-tzu accepted the dancers from Chi, for three days no court was held, and no meat was offered to the ministers at the sacrifice. So Confucius left, putting up for one night at Tun. Shib Yi, who had come to see him off, said, "This is not your fault, master."
Confucius retorted, "Shall I sing you a song?" And he chanted:

A woman's tongue
Can cost a man his post;
A woman's words
Can cost a man his head;
Then why not retire
To spend my last years as I please?

Upon Shih Yi's return Chi Huan-tzu asked, '"What did Confucius say?" When told, he said with a sigh, "I've offended the master because of a pack of girls." Confucius went to Uei and lived with Tzu-lu's brother-in-law Yen Cho-tsou. Duke Ling of Uei asked, "What stipend had Confucius in Lu?"
He was told, "Sixty thousand measures of grain.
So Uei also gave him sixty thousand measures. Later someone slandered Confucius to Duke Ling, who ordered Kung-sun Yu-chia to set a guard over him. Then Confucius, fearing trouble, left after a stay of ten months.
He was passing Kuang on his way to Chen when Yen Keh, who was accompanying him, pointed to the city wall with his whip and said, "I got in through that gap before."
Some men of Kuang heard this and mistook Confucius for Yang Hu of Lu, who had treated them badly. They bad detained him for five days because of his resemblance to Yang Hu, when Yen Hui arrived.
Confucius told him, "I thought you were dead."
Yen Hui answered, "How dare I die when you are still living, master?"
The men of Kuang now behaved in such a threatening way that the followers of Confucius were afraid. But he said, "Since King Wen is no more, who but I can be the standard-bearer of culture? If Heaven had wanted culture to disappear, I should not have possessed it after all this time. And if Heaven does not intend culture to disappear, what can the men of Kuang do to me?" He sent one of his followers to serve Ning Wu-tzu in Uei and was finally able to leave.
Proceeding to Pu, he returned after a month and more to Uei and stayed with Chu Po-yu. There Duke Ling's wife, Nan-tzu, sent Confucius this message, "When gentlemen from other lands honour our lord with their friendship, they always call on his lady. She would like to meet you." Confucius declined at first, then was forced to comply. The lady sat behind a linen curtain to receive him. Confucius, entering, faced north and bowed low. She returned his bow behind the curtain and her jade pendants tinkled.
"I did not want to go," said Confucius later, "but once there I had to conform to etiquette." Since Tzu-lu looked displeased he made an oath: "If what I did was wrong, may Heaven punish me! May Heaven punish me!" He had been over a month in Uei when Duke Ling drove Out in a carriage with his lady escorted by the eunuch Yung Chu, and with Confucius as assistant escort. In this fashion they drove openly through the streets.
Confucius commented, "I have yet to see the man who loves virtue as much as he loves feminine beauty." He left Uei in disgust for Tsao. That year Duke Ting of Lu died.
From Tsao Confucius went to Sung. He was expounding the rites to his pupils under a great tree when Huan Tui, the war minister of Sung who wanted to kill him, sent men to fell the tree. Confucius withdrew, and his disciples urged, "Let us hurry away!"
But Confucius said, "Heaven has implanted virtue in me. What can men like Huan Tui do to me?"
Going on to Cheng, Confucius was separated from his followers. He was standing alone at the East Gate when a citizen of Cheng remarked to Tzu-kung, "There is a man at the East Gate with a forehead like Yao, a neck like Kao Yao and shoulders like Tzu-chan, and just three inches shorter below the waist than Yu. Lost as a stray dog he looks!"
When this was repeated to Confucius, he chuckled. "The appearance is unimportant," he said. "But it's true that I'm like a stray dog. That is certainly true!"
Confucius proceeded to Chen and stayed with Ssu-cheng Chen-tzu for a year and more. Then King Fu-cha of Wu attacked Chen and took three towns. Chao Yang attacked Chaoko. The army of Chu invaded Tsai and the capital of Tsai was moved to Wu. The forces of Wu defeated King Kou-chien of Yueh at Kuaichi.
A falcon fell dead in the court of Chen, shot by a thorn arrow eighteen inches long with an arrowhead of stone. Duke Min of Chen was sent to consult Confucius, who said, "This falcon has come a long way. The arrow belongs to the Churchens. When King Wu conquered the Shangs he opened up communications with all the eastern and southern barbarians, ordering them to send in their local products as tribute and not to fail in this duty. The Churchens used to send thorn arrows with stone arrowheads like this, eighteen inches long. And to make known his glory and virtue, the king gave these arrows with the fief of Chen to his eldest daughter when she married Duke Hu of Yu. Precious jade was distributed among his kinsmen to strengthen their bonds, and other clans were given tribute from distant parts that they might not forget their allegiance. This is how these Churchen arrows were given to Chen." The duke looked in the old treasury and actually found similar arrows there.
During the three years Confucius spent in Chen, the state was invaded again and again, now by Tsin, now by Chu, in their contest for supremacy, and also by Wu.
"Let us return!" cried Confucius. "Let us return! We may be ambitious, reckless fellows, but in our quest we do not forget our origin." With that he left Chen.
Kung-shu rebelled in Pu while Confucius was passing through, and the men of Pu detained him. Among his disciples was a certain Kung-liang Ju who had accompanied him with five of his own chariots. A tall and enormously strong man, he said, "I was with the master when we ran into trouble in Kuang, and here we are in trouble again. Well, this must be fate and at least I can die fighting."
He put up such a fight that the men of Pu were afraid and told Confucius, "If you don't go to Uei, you may leave."
He gave them his word and they let him out through the East Gate. He still proceeded to Uei and Tzu-kung asked, "Is it right to break your word?"
Confucius replied, "I gave it under pressure: the gods will not count it."
Delighted to hear that Confucius was back, Duke Ling of Uei welcomed him outside the city and asked, "Can we attack Pu?"
Confucius answered, "Yes."
The duke said, "My ministers are against it because Pu is a buffer between us and Tsin and Chu. Does that not make it wrong to attack it?"
Confucius said, "The men there are ready to die for our state and the women are determined to defend Hsiho. We shall only punish a handful of rebels."
The duke approved but did not attack in the end. Since Duke Ling was old and had lost interest in state affairs, he did not give' office to Confucius.
Confucius sighed and said, "To be in office for just one year would satisfy me. In three years real results would show." After that he left.
Pi Hsi was then the steward of Chungmou. When Chien-tzu of the Chao clan attacked the Fan and Chunghang clans he struck at Chungmou too, and Pi Hsi rebelled. He sent for Confucius, who was willing to join him.
But Tzu-lu protested, "I have heard you say, master, 'A gentleman will not enter the house of an evil-doer.' How can you think of going to Pi Hsi who has rebelled in Chungmou?"
"True," replied Confucius. "But is there not also a saying, 'Too hard to be ground thin, too white to be dyed black'? Am I a gourd to hang here and never be eaten?"
One day Confucius was playing the chimes when a man with a wicker crate passed the door and said, "Poor fellow, playing the chimes! He is self-willed but does not know himself. It is useless to talk with him."
Confucius practised playing the lute for ten days without attempting anything new. Shih Hsiang, his tutor, said, "You can go ahead now."
"I have learned the tune but not the technique," said Confucius.
After some time Shih Hsiang said, "You have mastered the measure now, you can go on."
But Confucius replied, "I have not yet caught the spirit."
Some time later the other said, "Now you have caught the spirit, you can go on."
"I cannot yet visualize the man behind it," answered Confucius. Later he observed, "This is the work of a man who thought deeply and seriously, one who saw far ahead and had a calm, lofty outlook." He continued, "I see him now. He is dark and tall, with far-seeing eyes that seem to command all the kingdoms around. No one but King Wen could have composed this music."
Shih Hsiang rose from his seat and bowed as he rejoined, "Yes, this is the Lute-song of King Wen."
Since Confucius had not been employed in Uei, he decided to go west to see Chao Chien-tzu. But upon reaching the Yellow River he received news of the death of Tou Ming-tu and Shun Hua and, facing the water, said with a sigh, "A grand sweep of water! But I am not fated to cross it."
Tzu-kung stepped forward to ask, "What do you mean?"
Confucius replied, "Tou Ming-tu and Shun Hua were good ministers of Tsin. Before Chao Chien-tzu rose to power he insisted on having these men before he would join the government; but now that he is in power he has killed them. I have heard that when you destroy unborn animals or kill young game, the unicorn will not come to the countryside; when you dredge and empty the ponds while fishing, the dragon will not harmonize the yin and yang; when you upset a nest and destroy the eggs, the phoenix will not hover nearby. It follows that a gentleman must take offence if one of his kind is injured. If the very birds and beasts shun the unjust, how much more must I!"
He went back to stay in the village of Tsou, where he composed the Lute-song of Tsou to mourn the two men. Then, returning to Uei, he became the guest of Chu Po-yu.
Some time later, Duke Ling consulted him about warfare. "I know something about sacrificial vessels," said Confucius, "but have never studied military science." The next day during a conversation with him, the duke saw some wild geese in the sky and looked up at them, ignoring the sage. So Confucius went back to Chen.
That summer Duke Ling of Uei died and his grandson Che succeeded him as Duke Chu. In the sixth month Chao Yang sent the crown prince, Kuai Kuei, to the town of Chi. Yang Hu dressed the prince in deep mourning and made eight other mourners, ostensibly from Uei, welcome him with tears into the town. And there he stayed. That winter Tsai's capital was moved to Choulai. This was the third year of Duke Ai of Lu, when Confucius was sixty years old. Chi helped Uei to besiege the town of Chi because the crown prince was there.
That summer a fire broke out in the temples of Duke Huan and Duke Hsi of Lu, and Nankung Ching-shu put it out. Confucius, then in Chen, heard of this conflagration and said, "It was probably in the temples of Duke Huan and Duke Hsi." And he was proved correct.
That autumn Chi Huan-tzu fell ill. Driven in his carriage to the city wall of Lu, he said with a sigh, "This state could have become great if I had not offended Confucius." Then turning to his heir Chi Kang-tzu, he said, "Once I am dead you will become prime minister of Lu. When that happens, you must ask Confucius to come back."
A few days later he died and Chi Kang-tzu succeeded him. After the funeral the new prime minister wanted to recall Confucius, but Kung-chih Yu said, "Our former lord lost faith in him in the end, so that other states laughed at us. If we have him back and find we cannot put his ideas into practice, we shall only make ourselves ridiculous again."
"In that case, whom shall we get?"
"Recall Jan Chiu."
So Chi Kang-tzu sent for Jan Chiu.
When Jan Chiu was leaving, Confucius said, "The men of Lu cannot be recalling Jan Chiu for any small task, but must mean to entrust important work to him." Later that day he exclaimed, "Let us return! Let us return! My pupils aspire to great things. But although they have certain elegant accomplishments, I do not know how to educate them properly."
Tzu-kung knew that Confucius longed to return to Lu, so while seeing Jan Chiu off he said, "If you are in power, make sure the master is recalled."
The year following Jan Chiu's departure, Confucius moved from Chen to Tsai. Duke Chao of Tsai decided to go to Wu after receiving a summons from that state. As the duke had already moved the capital to Choulai without consulting his ministers, now that he wanted to go to Wu they feared he might move the capital again, and Kungsun Pien shot and killed him. Chu invaded Tsai. That autumn Duke Ching of Chi died.
The next year Confucius went from Tsai to Sheh. Asked about government by the duke of Sheb, he replied, "The art lies in attracting the people from far away and winning the hearts of those close by."
Another time the duke of Sheh asked Tzu-lu his opinion of his master, but Tzu-lu did not reply. When Confucius heard this he said, "Why didn't you tell him, 'He is a man who never wearies of studying the truth, never tires of teaching others, but who in his eagerness forgets his hunger and in his joy forgets his bitter lot, not worrying that old age is creeping on'?"
On the road from Sheh to Tsai they met Chang-tsu and Chieh-ni ploughing together. Taking them for recluses, Confucius told Tzu-lu to ask them the way to the ford.
"Who is the man holding the reins of your carriage?" asked Chang-tsu.
Tzu-lu answered, "That is Kung Chiu."
"You mean Kung Chiu of Lu?"
"That's right," said Tzu-lu.
"He should know where the ford is then," retorted Chang-tsu. Then Chieh-ni asked Tzu-lu, "And who are you?"
He answered, "My name is Chung Yu."
"Are you a disciple of Kung Chiu?"
"Yes, I am."
"The whole world goes its way and who is to change it?" asked Chieh-ni. "Better, surely, to follow those who shun the world than one who only shuns certain men?"
With that they went on covering the seed.
Tzu-lu returned and told Confucius, who commented ruefully, "Birds and beasts are no company for men. If the world were on the right path I should not try to change it."
Another day on the road Tzu-lu met an old man carrying a hoe and asked him, "Sir, have you seen my master?"
The old man retorted, "You who never use your four limbs, who don't know the difference between the five grains - who is your master?" Planting his staff in the ground, he started weeding.
Tzu-lu went and told Confucius, who said, "He must be a recluse." They went back to find him but he had disappeared.
When Confucius had spent three years in Tsai, Wu attacked Chen and Chu sent troops which were stationed at Chengfu to Chen's assistance. Learning that Confucius was living between Chen and Tsai, the men of Chu sent him an invitation. Before he could accept it, however, the ministers of Chen and Tsai discussed the matter and said, "Confucius is an able man who has laid his finger unerringly on the abuses in every state. He has spent a considerable time between Chen and Tsai and disapproves of all our measures and policies. Now powerful Chu has sent for him. If he serves Chu, so much the worse for us!" They sent men to surround Confucius in the countryside, so that he could not leave. His supplies ran out, his followers were too weak to move, but Confucius went on teaching and singing, accompanying himself on the lute.
Tzu-lu went to him and asked indignantly, "Does a gentleman have to put up with privation?"
"A gentleman can stand privation," answered Confucius. "A mean man exposed to privation is prone to do wrong."
As Tzu-kung looked displeased, Confucius asked him, "Do you think me a learned, well-read man?"
"Certainly," replied Tzu-kung. "Aren't you?"
"Not at all," said Confucius. "I have simply grasped one thread which links up the rest."
Knowing that his disciples were in low spirits, Confucius called Tzu-lu and said to him, "The old song runs: 'I am neither rhinoceros nor tiger, yet I go to the wilderness.' Is our way wrong? Is that why we have come to this?"
"Maybe we lack humanity and therefore men do not trust us," replied Tzu-lu. "Or perhaps we are not intelligent enough for them to follow our way.
"Do you really think so?" countered Confucius. "If the humane were always trusted, how do you account for what happened to Po Yi and Shu Chi?* If the intelligent always had their way, how do you explain the case of Prince Pi-kan?"
After Tzu-lu left, Tzu-kung came and Confucius put the same question to him. "The old song says, 'I am neither rhinoceros nor tiger, yet I go to the wilderness.' Is our way wrong? Is that why we have come to this?"
Tzu-kung answered, "Master, your way is too great for the world to accept. You should modify it a little."
"A good farmer can sow but may not always reap a harvest," said Confucius. "A good craftsman can use his skill but may not be able to please. A gentleman can cultivate his way, draw up principles, recapitulate and reason, but may not be able to make his way accepted. Now your aim is not to cultivate your way but to please others. Your ambition is not high enough."
Afrer Tzu-kung had left, Yen Hui came and Confucius again put the same question to him.
"Master, your way is too great for the world to accept," said Yen Hui. "All the same, you should persist in it. What does it matter if they cannot accept it? That just shows that you are a superior man. We are at fault if we do not cultivate the true way. Yet if we cultivate it fully and it is not adopted, it is the rulers who are at fault. What does it matter if they cannot accept your way? That just shows that you are a superior man."
Confucius smiled with pleasure and exclaimed, "Well said, son of Yen! If you had great wealth, I should like to administer it for you."
Then Confucius sent Tzu-kung to Chu. King Chao of Chu dispatched troops to meet him, and he was finally able to get away.
King Chao of Chu was on the point of giving Confucius seven hundred li of village communities as his fief, when his chief minister Tzu-hsi asked, "Has Your Majesty any ambassador comparable to Tzu-kung?"
"No," said the king.
"Any minister comparable to Yen Hui?"
Again the answer was, "No."
"Any general comparable to Tzu-lu? Any administrator comparable to Tsai Yu?"
Once again the answer was, "No."
"When the founder of the House of Chu received his fief from the Chou Dynasty, he had a low rank and only fifty li of land. Now Confucius is following the ways of the ancient kings to display the virtues of the duke of Chou and the duke of Shao. If you entrust him with authority, sir, Chu will not keep these few thousand li for many generations. When King Wen was in Feng and King Wu in Hao, they were only princes with a hundred ii of territory, but they rose to sovereignty of the whole empire. If Confucius with such able disciples to help him were to have land of his own, that would not be to our advantage." Accordingly King Chao gave up the idea. And that autumn he died in Chengfu.
The eccentric of Chu, Chieh Yu, walked past Confucius singing:

Ah, phoenix, phoenix,
How powerless you are!
Useless to blame what's done,
Take thought for what's to come.
Enough, enough!
Today there is danger
For those who guide the state.

Confucius alighted from his carriage to speak to this man, but the eccentric ran off. Then Confucius went back from Chu to Uei. He was sixty-three this year, the sixth year of Duke Ai of Lu.
The next year the king of Wu and the duke of Lu met at Tseng and the king demanded a hundred oxen. Chancellor Po Pi of Wu summoned Chi Kang-tzu, who sent Tzu-kung in his place. Then Wu dropped its demand.'
Confucius said, "The rulers of Lu and Uei are like two brothers."
At this time Duke Cheh-fu of Uei had not succeeded to power but was staying in another state. The other feudal lords regarded him as having abdicated. Since most of Confucius' disciples were serving Uei, the duke wanted him to join the government too.
Tzu-lu asked, "If the duke of Uei urged you to govern his state, what would you do first?"
"I would rectify titles," said Confucius.
"You are very unpractical," said Tzu-lu. "Why are you so set on rectifying titles?"
Confucius retorted, "What a savage you are! If titles are incorrect, orders will not be carried out; and if orders are not carried out, then nothing can be achieved. That means that rites and music will not flourish, laws and punishments will be wide of the mark, and people will not know what to do. A gentleman's actions must be such as he can name; he must promise only what he can perform. A gentleman must keep a careful watch on his speech."
The following year Jan Chiu, given the command of the army by Chi Kang-tzu, defeated Chi at Lang.
"Have you studied the arts of war?" Chi Kang-tzu asked him. "Or are you naturally gifted?"
Jan Chiu replied, "I learned this from Confucius."
"What kind of man is he?"
"He wants his actions to correspond to his principles. In applying his principles to govern the people he tries to carry out the wishes of the gods. This is what he wants, not to possess wealth to the value of a thousand villages."
"Could I ask him back?"
"If you do, you must not let petty-minded men obstruct him."
At that time Kung Wen-tzu of Uei planned to attack Tai-shu and asked Confucius for a plan of campaign, but Confucius declined on the ground that this was beyond him. Upon withdrawing he ordered his carriage, saying, "The bird chooses its tree; the tree cannot choose the bird." However, Kung Wen-tzu prevailed on him to stay. Then Chi Kang-tzu sent Kung-hua, Kung-pin and Kung-lin with gifts to invite Confucius back to Lu. He had been away from the state for fourteen years.
Asked about government by Duke Ai of Lu, he replied, "The art lies in choosing your ministers well."
Asked about government by Chi Kang-tzu, he answered, "If you use the straight in place of the crooked, the crooked will become straight."
dhi Kang-tzu was troubled by some cases of theft. Confucius said, "If you yourself were free from desire, they would not steal even if you paid them to do so." However, as it turned out Lu did not employ him and Confucius did not ask for an official post.
During the time of Confucius the House of Chou had declined, the ancient rites and music were forgotten, and many of the songs and records were missing. He verified the rites of the Three Dynasties and compiled the Book of Documents, arranging the records chronologically from the time of Yao and Shun to that of Duke Mu of Chin, marshalling the facts in good order. He said, "I can speak about the rites of Hsia, but the records of Chi are too scanty to verify. I can speak about the rites of Yin, but the records of Sung are too scanty to verify. Had they been complete, I should have been able to check them." With regard to the differences in the Shang and Hsia cultures, he declared, "Far removed as we are in time, we can still tell that one culture was elaborate, the other simple. Chou, which learned from both, reached a pinnacle of culture. I follow Chou."
Thus both the Book of Documents and the Book of Rites were compiled by Confucius.
He told the chief musician of Lu, "As far as we know, music started with strict unison. Then more licence was allowed, but it has remained pure, clear and consistent to the end. Since my return from Uei to Lu, I have set right the music and arranged the odes and hymns in proper order."
There were more than three thousand ancient songs, but Confucius rejected those which were repetitious and retained those which had moral value, beginning with songs about the ancestors of Shang and Chou, going on to descriptions of the good reigns of both dynasties and thence to the misdeeds of King Yu and King Li. He put the poems about daily life first, starting the folk-song section with the Song of the Dove, the Lesser Odes with The Deer Cries, the Greater Odes with King Wen and the Hymns with the Temple of Purity. Confucius chose three hundred and five songs in all, and these he set to music and sang, fitting them to the music of Emperor Shun and King Wu. After that the old rites and music became widely known, to the enrichment of the kingly culture, and the Six Classics were established.
In his old age Confucius loved to study the Book of Change, the order of the hexagrams, definitions, appendices, interpretations, explanations and commentaries. He studied this book so much that the leather thongs binding the wooden strips wore out three times. "Give me a few years more," he said, "and I shall become quite proficient!"
Confucius taught his pupils the old songs, records, rites and music. In all he had three thousand pupils, seventy-two of whom were versed in all Six Arts.* Many more, like Yen Chotsou, also received instruction from him.
In his teaching Confucius laid emphasis on four things: culture, conduct, loyalty and honesty. Four things he avoided: foregone conclusions, arbitrary views, obstinacy and egoism. He advocated caution during sacrifice, war and sickness. He rarely spoke of profit, fate or goodness. He would only help those who were in earnest. If he gave one corner of a square and the pupil could not infer the other three corners, he would not repeat his explanation.
In his native village his manner was unassuming, as though he did not trust himself to speak. But in the ancestral temple or at court his speech was ordered, and he chose his words with care. At court he addressed high ministers firmly, low officials affably. Entering the gate of a public office he bowed his head, and advancing in haste he spread his sleeves gracefully. Summoned by a prince to accompany guests, he bore himself gravely; and at a summons from his lord he set off without waiting for his carriage.
He would not eat fish that was not fresh, meat that was high or anything carelessly cut. He would not sit on a mat that was not straight. In the company of a man in mourning he would not eat his fill. On the day that he attended a funeral he would not sing. Deep mourning or blindness, even in a child, always made him grave.
"When three walk together, there must be one who can teach me," said Confucius. "Failure to cultivate virtue, to perfect my knowledge, to change when I hear what is right and to correct my faults - these are the things that worry me.
When he invited men to sing and found the song good, he would ask for a repetition and join in himself. The subjects on which he did not talk were: extraordinary things, feats of strength, political disorders, and the supernatural.
Tzu-kung once said, "We can hear the master's views concerning culture, but he does not tell us anything about Nature and Fate."
And Yen Hui once said with a sigh, "The more I look up, the higher is his teaching above me. The deeper I probe, the harder it becomes. One moment I think I have it, but the next it eludes me again. How skilfully, step by step, the master leads us on! He has broadened me with culture, restrained me with ritual. Even if I wanted to, I could not stop. I go all out, yet just as I think I am achieving something, he is far beyond me again. I want to follow, but cannot find the way.
A villager of Tahsiang remarked, "Confucius is truly great, known for his wide knowledge, but not for any special skill."
When Confucius heard this he asked, "What shall I take up? Charioteering or archery? I choose charioteering."
Chin Lao commented, "The master said he learned many arts because he never held office."
In the spring of the fourteenth year of Duke Ai of Lu there was a great hunt at Tayeh, and Shu-sun's charioteer Tzu Shang caught a creature which he thought was ill-omened. Confucius seeing it exclaimed, "This is a unicorn!" He took it back, saying, "No chart has come out of the Yellow River, no writings from the River Lo.* All is over with me." When Yen Hui died Confucius had cried, "Heaven has forsaken me!" And now that this unicorn was captured in the west, he exclaimed, "My way has come to an end!" Sighing, he lamented, "Nobody understands me."
Tzu-kung asked, "Why does nobody understand you?"
Confucius said, "I bear no grudge against Heaven nor do I blame men. I learn from below and try to reach above, but only Heaven can understand me. Po Yi and Shu Chi held fast by their principles and would not debase themselves, whereas Liuhsia Hui and Shao Lien surrendered their principles and debased themselves. Then there were Yu Chung and Yi Yi who held aloof as recluses and spoke their mind. They would not serve a government unless it was incorrupt and resigned from office whenever expedient. I am not like these men: I have no such scruples."
The master said, "Alas! Alas! What a gentleman dreads is to die before his name is known. My way is not popular. How shall I make myself known to later ages?"
Then he compiled the Spring and Autumn Annals based on the historical records of twelve reigns, from that of Duke Yin down to the fourteenth year of the reign of Duke Ai. In this book Lu is given the predominant position, Chou is considered worthy of respect, Shang is relegated to the past, and the spirit of the Three Dynasties is used as a guiding principle. The language is concise, the content profound. Though the rulers of Wu and Chu had styled themselves kings, the Spring and Autumn Annals criticizes them by calling them barons. Although the duke of Tsin actually summoned the king of Chou to a meeting at Chientu, the Spring and Autumn Annals records that "the Great King went to hunt at Hoyang". These examples can be used as criteria in any age to criticize or condemn men's actions, and later princes should uphold this tradition and broaden its application. When the principles of the Spring and Autumn Annals are carried out, all traitors and evil-doers in the world must tremble. When Confucius as a government official tried a case, he used the common speech and not distinctive language. But in editing the Spring and Autumn Annals he recorded certain events and omitted others so that not even men like Tzu-hsia could make any comment. The disciples of Confucius studied the Spring and Autumn Annals under him, and he said, "It is these annals by which later men will know me, and it is these annals which will make men condemn me."
The next year Tzu-lu died in Uei and Confucius fell ill. When Tzu-kung went to see him, the master, pacing by the door with a stick, demanded, "Why have you come so late?" Then he sighed and sang:

Mount Tai crumbles,
The great beam breaks,
The wise man withers away.

With tears he told Tzu-kung, "The world has long strayed from the true way and no one can follow me. The men of Hsia mourned the dead by the east steps, the men of Chou by the west steps, while the men of Yin mourned between pillars. Last night I dreamed that I was sitting before offerings between two pillars. It follows that I must be a man of Yin."


He died seven days later at the age of seventy-three, on the chi-chou day of the fourth month of the sixteenth year of Duke Ai of Lu.
Duke Ai, mourning Confucius, said, "Kind Heaven had no pity on me and would not spare this grand old man. I am left alone in the world, full of grief and sorrow. Oh, master, to whom shall I look for guidance now?"
Tzu-kung commented, "The duke shall die in an alien land. The master said that lack of ceremony is folly, the misuse of designations a fault. To abandon your principles is also folly, to forget your place a fault. Not to employ the master during his lifetime but to mourn him after death runs counter to true ceremony, while the description 'alone in the world' does not befit a duke."
Confucius was buried by the River Szu north of the city of Lu, and after his pupils had mourned for him for three years without wearing the customary mourning they bade each other farewell. But then they wept and mourned again, and some stayed longer at the grave. Tzu-kung alone built a hut beside the grave and stayed there for three more years. Because more than a hundred of Confucius' disciples and other men of Lu settled near the grave, the district was named Confucius Village. The custom of sacrificing at the sage's grave during festivals has persisted from generation to generation. Scholars discuss ceremony there, while village feasts and archery contests are held there. His graveyard covers over a hundred mou. The house in which he lived was made into a temple by the descendants of some of his disciples, and there his clothes, hat, lute, carriage and books were kept. The place still existed more than two hundred years later, in the Han Dynasty. When the First Emperor of Han passed Lu, he offered a grand sacrifice there. Barons and ministers appointed to posts there pay homage to the shrine of Confucius before taking up their duties.
Confucius' son Li, styled Po-yu, lived to be fifty and died before his father. Po-yu's son Chi styled Tzu-szu, who lived to be sixty-two, once found himself in difficulties in Sung and wrote the Doctrine of the Mean. Tzu-szu's son Po, styled Tzushang, lived to be forty-seven. His son Chiu, styled Tzu-chia, lived to be forty-five. His son Chi, styled Tzu-ching, lived to be forty-six. His son Chuan, styled Tzu-kao, lived to be fifty-one. His son Tzu-shen, who lived to be fifty-seven, was a minister in Wei. Tzu-shen's son Fu, who lived to be fifty-seven, served as literary adviser to Prince Chen Sheh and died in Chen. Fu's younger brother Tzu-hsiang, who lived to be fifty-seven, served as literary adviser under Emperor Hui and was later appointed governor of Changsha. He was over six feet in height. Tzu-hsiang's son Chung lived to be fifty-seven. Chung's son Wu had two sons, Yen-nien and An-kuo. The latter served as literary adviser to the present emperor and later became governor of Linghuai, but he died long ago. An-kuo's son Chiung had a son named Huan.
The Grand Historian comments: One of the songs says, "The great mountain, I look up to it! The great road, I travel it!" Although I cannot reach him, my heart goes out to him. When I read the works of Confucius, I try to see the man himself. In Lu I visited his temple and saw his carriage, clothes and sacrificial vessels. Scholars go regularly to study ceremony there, and I found it hard to tear myself away. The world has known innumerable princes and worthies who enjoyed fame and honour in their day but were forgotten after death, while Confucius, a commoner, has been looked up to by scholars for ten generations and more. From the emperor, princes and barons downwards, all in China who study the Six Arts take the master as their final authority. Well is he called the Supreme Sage!