人rén 而ér 不bù 仁rén ，如rú 礼lǐ 何hé？人rén 而ér 不bù 仁rén ，如rú 乐lè 何hé？

Without humanity, what can etiquette or music do for people?

丘qiū 老lăo 师shī 说shuō ：As a cultured person, you must have humanity.

非fēi 其qí 鬼guǐ 而ér 祭jì 之zhī ，谄chăn 也yě ；见jiàn 义yì 不bù 为wéi ，无wú 勇yǒng 也yě 。

Worshiping other people’s ancestors is flattery; observing injustice without taking action is cowardice.

丘qiū 老lăo 师shī 说shuō ：It is your duty to pray to your own ancestor but doing other people’s duty is just flattery. When justice is needed it is time for you to take action. Confucius is trying say there is a time when it is right to get involved in other people’s affairs and there is a time when it is right not to take up other people’s duty.

子zǐ 夏xià 问wèn 孝xiào ，子zi 曰yuē ：色sè 难nán 。有yǒu 事shì 弟dì 子zi 服fú 其qí 劳láo；有yǒu 酒jiŭ 食sì 先xiān 生shēng 馔zhuàn ，曾zēng  是shì 以yǐ 为wéi 孝xiào 乎hū ？

Zi-xia asks about how to be a good son. Confucius answers: Maintaining a pleasant disposition is difficult. When there is work to be done, the younger generation do it and when there is good food and drink, the older generation enjoy it. Is it so-called ‘being a good son’?

丘qiū 老lăo 师shī 说shuō ：Serving parents is not only laboring for them or offering them good food and drink but also keeping a genuine smile. It is the latter which is the hardest to fulfill.

孟mèng 懿yí 子zǐ 问wèn 孝xiào ，子zi 曰yuē ：勿wù 违wéi 。生shēng ，事shì 之zhī 以yǐ 礼lǐ ；死sǐ ，葬zàng 之zhī 以yǐ 礼lǐ ，祭jì 之zhī 以yǐ 礼lǐ 。

Meng Yi-zi asks about how to be a good son. Confucius answers: Do not go against etiquette. When parents are alive, treat them according to the norms, when not, bury them and worship them in a proper way.

丘qiū 老lăo 师shī 说shuō ：孝xiào is usually translated as ‘filial piety’. It is love and respect to your parents. In short: be a good son/ daughter. 礼lǐ is usually translated as ‘politeness’. It is the proper way a person should hold himself or behave.

It seems strange to treat your parents with etiquette. However, it is the force that keeps Chinese families together. Bear in mind, many Chinese children grow up seeing their parents once a year because adults  have to go away to find work. The bond of intimacy between parent and child that we expect in the West often does not have the opportunity to develop in China now. Therefore, etiquette is needed to hold the family together.

人rén 而ér 无wú 信xìn ，不bù 知zhī 其qí 可kě 也yě 。

大dà 车chē 无wú 輗ní  ，小xiăo 车chē 无wú 軏yuè ，其qí 何hé 以yǐ 行xíng 之zhī 哉zāi ？

A person without trustworthiness goes nowhere.

It’s like the wagons without the shaft (to attach to the animals), how can they go?

丘qiū 老lăo 師shī 說shuō ：You need principles to get on in life! It is generally true in life, but you might have noticed the exceptional.

知zhī 之zhī 为wéi 知zhī 之zhī ，不bù 知zhī 为wéi 不bù 知zhī ，是shì 之zhī 也yě 。

knowing is knowing and not knowing is not knowing. This is the truth of knowing.

丘qiū 老lăo 师shī 说shuō ：Now we know who inspired Donald Rumsfeld!

“There are known knowns. These are things we know that we know. There are known unknowns. That is to say, there are things that we know we don’t know. But there are also unknown unknowns. There are things we don’t know we don’t know.”

学xué 而ér 不bù 思sī 则zé 罔wăng ，思sī 而ér 不bù 学xué 则zé 殆dài 。

Learning without thinking is confusing, while thinking without learning is time wasting.

丘qiū 老lăo 师shī 说shuō ：I totally agree with him. Somehow it does not apply very well with the education system. I wonder why?

君jūn 子zǐ 周zhōu 而ér 不bù 比bǐ ，

小xiăo 人rén 比bǐ 而ér 不bù 周zhōu 。

A true gentleman unites people instead of allying with people;

A non-gentleman allies with people instead of uniting people.

丘qiū 老lăo 师shī 说shuō ：According to this standard, most of us are non-gentleman who ally with the secondary enemies to attack the prime enemy. There is no enduring  friend or enemy.

君jūn 子zǐ 不bú 器qì

A true gentleman does not act as a single instrument.

丘qiū 老lăo 师shī 说shuō ：You definitely need to be more resourceful, multi-talented and adaptable.

视shì 其qí 所suǒ 以yǐ ，观guān 其qí 所suǒ 由yóu ，察chá 其qí 所suǒ 安ān，人rén 焉yān廋sōu哉zāi？

Study a man’s behavior, evaluate his motivation and observe where he is at ease. In this way, how can he hide?

丘qiū 老lăo 师shī 说shuō ：Again, Confucius points out something very obvious.  We tend to read the surface information and judge people by how they look and what they do. We would get much better insight into the person by questioning his motivation and observing him in ‘his natural environment’.