Selected Quotations from Confucius

1. "A gentleman is a symbol of justice; a villain is a symbol of profit. "Meaning: Gentlemen are interested in the pursuit of morality; villains are interested only in private gain.

2. "Think wisely, think together, be unkind and reflective. " means: when you see a saint, you should consider how to align yourself with him, and when you see a saint, you should reflect inwardly to see if you have the same shortcomings.

3. "Our teacher must be three men. Choose the good ones and follow them, and change the bad ones. "Meaning: If three people come together, then there must be two others who can be one of my teachers. If they have strengths, I will study them. If they have weaknesses, I will make changes to them as a reference.

4. "A wistful gentleman, a wistful little man; a gentleman's punishment, a little man's wise glory. "The meaning is: the gentleman thinks of how to improve mercy, the villain thinks of how to gain ease. The gentleman thinks about how not to violate the penal code, and how the villain will be favourable to you.

5. "Life and death, treasure in heaven. The gentleman is courteous, polite, courteous, and all his brothers are everywhere. The meaning is: death and life depend on what fate has in store for them. Wealth and nobility lie in the decision of heaven. As long as a gentleman does his best without fault, he is respected and courteous, so that every man in the world is like a brother.

6. "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you, and do not do unto them."

It means: Do not inflict on others what you do not want others to inflict on you.

7. "Learn extensively, ask questions, think carefully, discern clearly, and practice." The meaning is: study extensively, inquire exhaustively, think carefully, discern clearly, and carry out faithfully.

8. "When using rituals, harmony is precious." Meaning: when applying rites and laws, pay special attention to harmony.

9. "To govern by virtue is like the North Star, in whose place all the stars live together." The meaning is: to rely on morality to govern the country. This is like the North Star, which is fixed in one place and does not move, but around which all the stars willingly surround.

10. "To know is to know, and not to know is to know." This means that to know is to know, and to admit that one does not know if one does not know is the right attitude to seek knowledge.

11. "If a man does not have faith, he does not know what he can do. How can a large cart travel without clamps and a small cart without a yoke?" It means: If a person is not trustworthy, I don't know how he can stand in the world. It is like an ox cart without its clamps and a horse cart without its yoke, how can one walk?

12. "The gentleman is a metaphor for righteousness, but the villain is a metaphor for profit." A gentleman knows how to pursue morality and righteousness, but a villain only knows how to pursue personal gain.

13. "When you see a virtuous person, you think of him, and when you see an unworthy person, you think of yourself." When you see a virtuous person, you should consider how you can be on par with him; when you see an unworthy person, you should reflect on yourself to see if you have the same shortcomings.

14. "A gentleman wants to be careful in what he says, but not in what he does." This means that a gentleman should be cautious in what he says, while he should be quick in what he does.

15. "A rotten wood cannot be carved." It means: decaying wood cannot be carved.

16. "To be wise and studious and not ashamed to ask questions is to be called 'wen'." It means: he was wise and learned, and was not ashamed to ask for advice from people of low status, so he was called "Wen".

17. "A man of knowledge enjoys water, while a man of benevolence enjoys mountains. The one who knows moves, the one who is benevolent is quiet, the one who knows is happy, the one who is benevolent lives."

The wise man loves water because he is as active as water, and the benevolent man loves the mountain because he is as generous as the mountain. A wise man is active, a kind man is quiet, a wise man is optimistic, and a kind man lives a long life.

18. "A man who is silent and knowledgeable, who never tires of learning, who never tires of teaching." It means: to remember what one has learned in silence, to persist in learning without tiring of it, and to teach others without tiring of it.

19. "When three people walk, there must be a teacher for me. Choose those who are good and follow them, and those who are not good and correct them." This means: If three people walk together, there must be one of the other two who can be my teacher. If they have merits, I will learn from them, and if they have faults, I will learn from them and correct them.

20. "The son taught by the four: literature, conduct, loyalty and faith." Meaning: Confucius taught his students in four ways: to learn culture, to cultivate virtue, to be faithful and consistent in word and deed.

21. "A gentleman is open and honest, but a villain is long-suffering."

The meaning is: a gentleman's heart is open and cheerful, but a small man's heart is narrow and sad.

22. "When a bird is about to die, its song is mournful; when a man is about to die, his words are kind." When a bird is about to die, its cry is mournful; when a man is about to die, his speech is kind.

23. "Death and life are destiny, and wealth and prosperity are in heaven. A gentleman is respectful without loss; he is respectful and courteous with others, and he is a brother within the four seas." The meaning is: death and life are at the mercy of fate, and wealth and prosperity are at the discretion of Heaven. If a gentleman does his best without fault, and treats people with respect and propriety, then all people within the four seas will be like brothers.

24. "A gentleman does what is good for him, but not what is bad for him. The villain is the opposite." A gentleman does good things for others, but not evil things for others. The villain is the opposite of this.

25. "The ruler of government is also righteous. If the son is righteous, who dares to be wrong?" The meaning is: 政 means righteousness. If you can take the lead in the righteous way, who will dare not to do so?

26. "If the name is not correct, the words will not be obedient; if the words are not obedient, the matter will not be accomplished; ... Therefore, the name of a gentleman must be available for speech, and the words must be feasible." The meaning is: if the name is not correct in theory, it will not make sense, and if it does not make sense in theory, things will not be done; ... Therefore, when a gentleman gives a name to something, it must make sense in theory, and it must work in practice.

27. "If his body is right, he will not do what he is told; if his body is not right, he will not obey even though he is told." The meaning is: as long as the person in the top position behaves properly, then even if he does not issue orders, those below will do so; if he does not behave properly, even if he issues orders, those below will not obey them.

28. "A gentleman is harmonious but different; a villain is the same but not harmonious." A gentleman is able to harmonize but does not follow others blindly, while a villain will only follow others blindly but cannot get along with them.

29. "A gentleman is easy to do but difficult to say. A gentleman is easy to do but difficult to say. If he does not say it in the right way, he does not say it; and if he makes people do it, he makes them do it. The little man is easy to talk about, even if he can't. Though he cannot speak in the way, he speaks; and when he makes others, he seeks to be prepared." The meaning is: it is easy for a gentleman to serve, but it is difficult to please him. He will not like him if he pleases him in an improper way; but he is able to use people according to their talents. It is difficult for a villain to serve, but it is easy to please him. He will like them if they please him by improper means; but when he uses them, he will seek to be all things to all men.

30. "When you see profit and righteousness, when you see danger, and when you have to not forget the words of your life for a long time, you can also be an adult."

This means that a person who is able to think of morality and righteousness in the face of personal gain, who is able to stand up for himself in times of danger, and who has not forgotten the promises he has made in his life despite living in poverty for a long time, can be said to be a perfect man.

31. "A gentleman is ashamed of his words but not his deeds." The meaning is: A gentleman is ashamed that his words exceed his actions.

32. or said, "How can one repay a grudge with virtue?" Tzu said, "What is the way to repay virtue? To repay grievances with straightforwardness, and to repay virtue with virtue." Meaning: someone said, "Is it okay if one repays someone's grudge against oneself with kindness and virtue?" Confucius said, "In that case, what will you use to repay others for their kindness to you? How about treating grievances and grudges with justice and repaying kindnesses with benevolence?"

33. "To have a fault and not change it is a fault." This means that if one has made a mistake and fails to correct it, then it is a real mistake.

34. "If you do not agree, you do not seek each other." It means: We do not discuss things with each other because we have different views.

35. "A gentleman has nine thoughts: to see and hear, to hear and hear, to see and hear, to see and hear. He should be respectful in appearance, loyal in speech, respectful in deeds, questioning in doubt, difficult in anger, and righteous in seeing." The meaning is: there are nine things that a gentleman needs to take into account: to see, consider whether it is clear; to hear, consider whether it is clear; to look, consider whether it is gentle; to look, consider whether it is respectful; to speak, consider whether it is faithful; to do, consider whether it is serious; to doubt, consider whether to ask for advice; to be angry, consider whether there are consequences; and to consider whether it is right to reach out when benefits are at hand.

36. "Confucius' saying: above the middleman, one can speak to the superior; below the middleman, one cannot speak to the superior." The meaning is: one can talk to a person who is above the middle level of talent about high learning; but one cannot talk to a person who is below the middle level of talent about high learning.

37. "Confucius' quotation: do not worry that people are not known, but that they do not know them." The meaning is: one does not worry that others do not know one's self, but that one does not know others.

38. "Quotes from Confucius: If a craftsman wants to be good at his work, he must first sharpen his tools." Meaning: a craftsman who wants to do his work well must first have sharp tools.

39. "Quotations from Confucius: There is no class in teaching." Meaning: to educate a person, regardless of what category he is.

40. "If his body is right, he will not do what he is told; if his body is not right, he will not obey despite orders." It means: As long as the person in the top position behaves properly, then even if he does not give orders, those below him will do so; if he behaves improperly, even if he gives orders, those below him will not obey them.