12.1  Yan Hui asked about humanity (ren 仁).

Master Kong said: To master oneself and return to propriety is humanity. If a man (the ruler) can for one day master himself and return to propriety, all under heaven will return to humanity. To practice humanity depends on oneself. Does it depend on others?

Yan Hui said: May I ask for the detailed items?

Kongzi said: Do not look at what is contrary to propriety, do not listen to what is contrary to propriety, do not speak what is contrary to propriety, and do not make any movement which is contrary to propriety.

Yan Hui said: Although I am not intelligent, may I put your saying into practice.

顏淵問仁。子曰：「克己復禮為仁。一日克己復禮，天下歸仁焉。為仁由己，而由人乎哉？」顏淵曰：「請問其目。」子曰：「非禮勿視，非禮勿聽，非禮勿言，非禮勿動。」顏淵曰：「回雖不敏，請事斯語矣。」

12.2  Zhonggong¹ asked about humanity.

Master Kong said: When you go abroad, behave to everyone as if you were receiving a great guest. Employ the people as if you were assisting at a great sacrifice. Do not do to others what you do not want them to do to you. Then there will be no complaint against you in the state or in the family (the ruling clan).

Zhonggong said: Although I am not intelligent, may I put your saying into practice.

仲弓問仁。子曰：「出門如見大賓，使民如承大祭。己所不欲，勿施於人。在邦無怨，在家無怨。」仲弓曰：「雍雖不敏，請事斯語矣。」

12.5  Sima Niu², worrying, said: All people have brothers but I have none.³

Zixia said: I have heard [from Master Kong] this saying: “Life and death are the decree of Heaven (ming 命); wealth and honor depend on Heaven. If a superior man is reverential (jing 敬, or serious) without fail, and is respectful in dealing with others and follows the rules of propriety, then all within the four seas (the world) are brothers.” What does the superior man have to worry about having no brothers?

司馬牛憂曰：「人皆有兄弟，我獨亡。」子夏曰：「商聞之矣：死生有命，富貴在天。君子敬而無失，與人恭而有禮。四海之內，皆兄弟也。君子何患乎無兄弟也？」

12.7  Zigong asked about government (zheng 政).

Master Kong said: Sufficient food, sufficient armament, and sufficient confidence of the people.

Zigong said: Forced to give up one of these, which would you abandon first?

Kongzi said: I would abandon the armament.

Zigong said: Forced to give up one of the remaining two, which would you abandon first?

Kongzi said: I would abandon food. There have been deaths from time immemorial, but no state can exist without the confidence of the people.

子貢問政。子曰：「足食。足兵。民信之矣。」子貢曰：「必不得已而去，於斯三者何先？」曰：「去兵。」子貢曰：「必不得已而去，於斯二者何先？」曰：「去食。自古皆有死，民無信不立。」

12.11  Duke Jing of Qi⁴ asked Master Kong about government.

Kongzi replied: Let the ruler be a ruler, the minister be a minister, the father be a father, and the son be a son.

The duke said: Excellent! Indeed when the ruler is not a ruler, the minister not a minister, the father not a father, and the son not a son, although I may have all the grain, shall I ever get to eat it?

齊景公問政於孔子。孔子對曰：「君君，臣臣，父父，子子。」公曰：「善哉！信如君不君，臣不臣，父不父，子不子，雖有粟，吾得而食諸？」

12.16  Master Kong said: The superior man brings the good things of others to completion and does not bring the bad things of others to completion. The inferior man does just the opposite.

子曰：「君子成人之美，不成人之惡。小人反是。」

12.17  Ji Kangzi⁵ asked Master Kong about government.

Kongzi replied: To govern (zheng 政) is to rectify (zheng 正). If you lead the people by being rectified yourself, who will dare not be rectified?

季康子問政於孔子。孔子對曰：「政者，正也。子帥以正，孰敢不正？」

12.19  Ji Kangzi asked Master Kong about government, saying: What do you think of killing the wicked and associating with the good?

Kongzi replied: In your government what is the need of killing? If you desire what is good, the people will be good. The character of a ruler is like wind and that of the people is like grass. In whatever direction the wind blows, the grass always bends.

季康子問政於孔子曰：「如殺無道，以就有道，何如？」孔子對曰：「子為政，焉用殺？子欲善，而民善矣。君子之德風，小人之德草。草上之風，必偃。」

12.22  Fan Chi asked about humanity.

Master Kong said: It is to love men.

He asked about knowledge.

Kongzi said: It is to know man.

樊遲問仁。子曰：「愛人。」問知。子曰：「知人。」