子曰：「为政以德，譬如北辰居其所而众星共之。」
The Master said: "Governing by means of virtue may be compared to the North Star…
子曰：「《诗》三百，一言以蔽之，曰：『思无邪』。」
The Master said: "The three hundred verses of the Book of Songs can be summed up…
子曰：「道之以政，齐之以刑，民免而无耻。道之以德，齐之以礼，有耻且格。」
The Master said: "Guide the people with administrative directives and keep them …
子曰：「吾十有五而志于学，三十而立，四十而不惑，五十而知天命，六十而耳顺，七十而从心所欲，不逾矩。」
The Master said: "At fifteen, I set my heart on learning. At thirty, I stood fir…
孟懿子问孝，子曰：「无违。」樊迟御，子告之曰：「孟孙问孝于我，我对曰，无违。」樊迟曰：「何谓也？」子曰：「生，事之以礼；…
Meng Yizi asked about filial piety. The Master said: "Do not transgress the rite…
孟武伯问孝。子曰：「父母唯其疾之忧。」
Meng Wubo asked about filial piety. The Master said: "Give your parents no cause…
子游问孝，子曰：「今之孝者，是谓能养。至于犬马，皆能有养。不敬，何以别乎？」
Ziyou asked about filial piety. The Master said: "Nowadays people consider provi…
子夏问孝，子曰：「色难。有事，弟子服其劳；有酒食，先生馔；曾是以为孝乎？」
Zixia asked about filial piety. The Master said: "The most difficult part is mai…
子曰：「吾与回言终日，不违，如愚。退而省其私，亦足以发，回也不愚。」
The Master said: "I can talk with Hui the whole day long, and he never raises an…
子曰：「视其所以，观其所由，察其所安。人焉廋哉？人焉廋哉？」
The Master said: "Observe what a person does, examine the motives behind his act…
子曰：「温故而知新，可以为师矣。」
The Master said: "One who reviews what he has learned and thereby gains fresh un…
子曰：「君子不器。」
The Master said: "A gentleman is not a vessel."
子贡问君子，子曰、「先行其言而后从之。」
Zigong asked about the qualities of a gentleman. The Master said: "First put you…
子曰：「君子周而不比，小人比而不周。」
The Master said: "The exemplary man is catholic-minded and no partisan; the pett…
子曰：「学而不思则罔，思而不学则殆。」
The Master said: "Learning without thought is labor lost; thought without learni…
子曰：「攻乎异端，斯害也已！」
The Master said: "To devote oneself entirely to extreme and one-sided views — th…
子曰：「由！诲汝知之乎？知之为知之，不知为不知，是知也。」
The Master said: "You, shall I teach you what knowledge is? When you know a thin…
子张学干禄。子曰：「多闻阙疑，慎言其余，则寡尤；多见阙殆，慎行其余，则寡悔。言寡尤，行寡悔，禄在其中矣。」
Zizhang was learning how to seek official emolument. The Master said: "Listen wi…
哀公问曰：「何为则民服？」孔子对曰：「举直错诸枉，则民服；举枉错诸直，则民不服。」
Duke Ai asked: "What should I do to make the people submissive?" Confucius repli…
季康子问：「使民敬、忠以劝，如之何？」子曰、「临之以庄，则敬；孝慈，则忠；举善而教不能，则劝。」
Ji Kangzi asked: "How can I lead the people to be respectful, loyal, and to enco…
或谓孔子曰：「子奚不为政？」子曰：「《书》云：『孝乎惟孝，友于兄弟，施于有政。』是亦为政，奚其为为政？」
Someone said to Confucius: "Why are you not engaged in governing?" The Master sa…
子曰：「人而无信，不知其可也。大车无輗，小车无軏，其何以行之哉？」
The Master said: "I do not know how a person who lacks integrity can get along i…
子张问：「十世可知也？」子曰：「殷因于夏礼，所损益，可知也；周因于殷礼，所损益，可知也；其或继周者，虽百世可知也。」
Zizhang asked: "Can we know what things will be like ten generations from now?" …
子曰：「非其鬼而祭之，谄也。见义不为，无勇也。」
The Master said: "To offer sacrifice to spirits that are not one's own is mere f…