Book XIII

Confucius teaches that effective governance begins with the ruler's personal exemplary conduct and diligent attention to the people's affairs.

The Master emphasizes the importance of maintaining these practices without weariness.

Confucius advises a minister to properly employ officials, forgive minor faults, and appoint virtuous talented men to office.

When asked how to identify capable men, Confucius teaches that one should appoint those one knows well, trusting that others will not overlook worthy candidates.

Confucius identifies the rectification of names as the essential first step in government.

The Master directly states that rectifying names is the necessary foundation for government.

Tsze-lu expresses doubt about the importance of name rectification, questioning why such correction is necessary.

The Master chastises Tsze-lu for his lack of cultivation and teaches that a superior man should show cautious reserve regarding what he does not understand.

Confucius explains that incorrect names lead to misaligned language, which prevents affairs from succeeding.

The Master traces how failures in achieving affairs cascade to the collapse of ritual propriety and music, leading to unjust punishment and social disorder.

The Master concludes that a superior man must ensure his words are appropriate and carried out correctly, maintaining no incorrectness in speech.

When Fan Ch'ih asks to learn husbandry and gardening, Confucius declines, claiming that old practitioners are better teachers.

After Fan Ch'ih leaves, Confucius characterizes him as a small man for seeking practical skills rather than virtue.

Confucius teaches that when a ruler embodies propriety, righteousness, and good faith, the people naturally become reverent, obedient, and sincere, and thus flock to him—making practical skills unnecessary.

Confucius criticizes those who memorize extensive texts but lack practical ability in governance or independent action when commissioned.

The Master teaches that a ruler's correct personal conduct makes government effective without explicit orders, while incorrect conduct renders orders ineffective.

Confucius makes a brief observation that the governments of Lu and Wei are like brothers, though the full meaning is left to interpretation.

Confucius illustrates through the example of Ching how material increase causes one to become progressively more prideful about one's accumulation.

Upon arriving in Wei, Confucius remarks on the abundance of people.

When asked what should be done for numerous people, Confucius teaches that they must first be made prosperous, and then instructed.

Confucius expresses confidence that if employed, he could achieve significant results in twelve months and perfect government in three years.

Confucius affirms that good men ruling successively for a hundred years could transform violent offenders and eliminate the need for capital punishment.

The Master teaches that even a truly virtuous royal ruler would need a full generation for virtue to become prevalent throughout the realm.

Confucius teaches that a minister must first rectify his own conduct; only then can he effectively assist in governing others.

When Zan returns late from court, Confucius suggests that only family business explains the delay, implying that true government matters would require his counsel.

The Duke Ting asks if one sentence could make a country prosperous; Confucius replies that such effects cannot come from a single statement.

Confucius introduces a saying that being a prince is difficult and being a minister is not easy, which could lead to prosperity if understood by a ruler.

If a ruler grasps the difficulty of being a prince through this one saying, it could produce the prosperity of his country.

The Duke then asks if one sentence could ruin a country; Confucius replies that direct ruin cannot come from one sentence alone.

Confucius presents a saying about rulers who believe their words should never be opposed, illustrating how unopposed bad words can ruin a country.

Confucius teaches that good government obtains when those nearby are made happy and those at a distance are drawn to the ruler.

Confucius advises a governor against desiring quick results and small profits, as these lead to incomplete work and abandoned great endeavors.

The Duke of Sheh describes how upright people in his region testify against their own fathers' wrongdoing.

Confucius rejects the Duke's definition of uprightness and instead teaches that true uprightness lies in family members concealing each other's misconduct.

Confucius describes perfect virtue as comprising grave demeanor in retirement, attentiveness in business affairs, and sincere dealings with others.

Confucius teaches that an officer must maintain a sense of shame and avoid disgracing his prince's commission when sent on missions.

For the next lower rank, Confucius identifies those whom their relatives call filial and their neighbors call fraternal.

The third rank consists of those determined to be sincere in speech and carry out their actions, though they remain obstinate lesser men.

When asked about the quality of those currently in government, Confucius dismissively compares them to mere containers, unworthy of consideration.

Confucius acknowledges he cannot find men pursuing the middle way and so will instruct the ardent and the cautious, who will gain truth and avoid wrong respectively.

Confucius approves a southern saying that a person without constancy cannot be a wizard or doctor.

Inconstancy in virtue brings disgrace, arising from failure to heed prognostication.

The Master teaches that a superior man is affable but not adulatory, while a mean man is adulatory but not affable.

Confucius teaches that being loved or hated by all is not a reliable measure of worth; instead, the good should love and the bad should hate a person.

The Master contrasts the superior man, who is hard to please unless one acts rightfully but easy to serve, with the mean man, who is easy to please but difficult to serve.

Confucius teaches that the superior man possesses dignified ease without pride, while the mean man has pride without dignified ease.

Confucius identifies the firm, enduring, simple, and modest as qualities approaching virtue.

A scholar must be earnest and urgent among friends but bland among brothers, embodying a balance of seriousness and gentleness.

Confucius teaches that a good man must teach the people for seven years before they can be properly employed in war.

The Master warns that leading an uninstructed people to war amounts to destroying them.