nd spirits. His clothes were
bad, but in his cap and gown he was fair indeed. His palace buildings
were poor, yet he gave his whole strength to dykes and ditches. No
kind of flaw can I see in Yue.

[Footnote 80: See Introduction.]

[Footnote 81: Shun.]

[Footnote 82: Yao.]

[Footnote 83: King Wen, Duke of Chou.]

BOOK IX

1. The Master seldom spake of gain, or love, or the Bidding.

2. A man of the village of Ta-hsiang said, The great Confucius, with
his vast learning, has made no name in anything.

When the Master heard this, he said to his disciples, What shall I
take up? Shall I take up driving, or shall I take up shooting? I shall
take up driving.

3. The Master said, A linen cap is good form; now silk is worn. It is
cheap, so I follow the many. To bow below is good form; now it is done
above. This is arrogance, so, breaking with the many, I still bow
below.

4. From four things the Master was quite free: by-ends and 'must' and
'shall' and 'I.'

5. When he was afraid in K'uang,[84] the Master said, Since the death
of King Wen, is not the seat of culture here? If Heaven had meant to
destroy our culture, a later mortal would have had no part in it.
Until Heaven condemns our culture, what can the men of K'uang do to
me?

6. A high minister said to Tzu-kung, The Master must be a holy man, he
can do so many things!

[Footnote 84: During the Master's wanderings. K'uang is said to have
been a small state near Lu which had been oppressed by Yang Huo.
Confucius resembled him, and the men of K'uang set upon him, mistaking
him for their enemy. The commentators say that the Master was not
afraid, only 'roused to a sense of danger.' I cannot find that the
text says so.]

Tzu-kung said, Heaven has, indeed, given him so much that he is almost
holy, and he can do many things, too.

When the Master heard this, he said, Does the minister know me?
Because I was poor when young, I can do many paltry things. But does
doing many things make a gentleman? No, not doing many does.

Lao said, The Master would say, As I had no post I learned the crafts.

7. The Master said, Have I in truth wisdom? I have no wisdom. But when
a common fellow emptily asks me anything, I tap it on this side and
that, and sift it to the bottom.

8. The Master said, The phoenix comes not, the River gives forth no
sign: all is over with me!

9. When the Master saw folk clad in mourning, or in cap and gown, or a
blind man, he alway