spect you;[1] be magnanimous, and you will win all hearts; be sincere, and men will trust you; be earnest, and you will achieve great things; be benevolent, and you will be fit to impose your will on others.
Tzǔ Lu asked: Does not the princely man[2] value courage?—The Master said: He puts righteousness first. The man of high station[2] who has courage without righteousness is a menace to the State; the common man who has courage without righteousness is nothing more than a brigand.
Tzǔ Kung asked: Has the nobler sort of man any hatreds?—The Master replied: He has. He hates those who publish the faults of others; he hates men of low condition who vilify those above them; he hates those whose courage is unaccompanied by self-restraint; he hates those who are audacious but narrow-minded. And you, Tz'ǔ, he added, have you also your hatreds?—I hate, replied the disciple, those who think that wisdom consists in prying and meddling; courage, in showing no compliance; and honesty, in denouncing other men.
- ↑ The Chinese have a proverb: "A man must insult himself before others will."
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 A good example of the fluctuating content of the term chün tzǔ, which in the disciple's question implies morality without reference to rank, and in the Master's reply rank and authority without definite moral qualities.
