18.1. 微子去之，箕子为之奴，比干谏而死。孔子曰：“殷有三仁焉。”
The lord of Wei fled from the tyrant of Yin, the lord of Ji became the tyrant's slave, and Bi Gan was slain for his remonstrances. Confucius said, "The Yin dynasty had three men of virtue."
18.2. 柳下惠为士师，三黜。人曰：“子未可以去乎？”曰：“直道而事人，焉往而不三黜？枉道而事人，何必去父母之邦？”
Liuxia Hui was thrice dismissed from his post of chief judge. Someone said, "Is it not better to leave the state of Lu?" Hui said, "If I continue to serve men in an honest way, how could I not be dismissed thrice more? If I choose to serve in a crooked way, why should I leave the state of my parents?"
18.3. 齐景公待孔子曰：“若季氏，则吾不能。”以季、孟之间待之，曰：“吾老矣，不能用也。”孔子行。
Duke Jing of the state of Qi said of the treatment of Confucius, "I cannot treat him as the chief of the Ji family, but between the chiefs of Ji and Meng." Seeing Confucius, he said, "I am old and have no use for you." Confucius left the state of Qi.
18.4. 齐人归女乐，季桓子受之，三日不朝，孔子行。”
The state of Qi sent to Lu a band of musicians and songstresses. Ji Huan Zi accepted them, and no court was held for three days. Confucius left the state of Lu.
18.5. 楚狂接舆歌而过孔子曰：“凤兮凤兮，何德之衰？往者不可谏，来者犹可追。已而已而，今之从政者殆而！”孔子下，欲与之言，趋而辟之，不得与之言。
A hermit of Chu passed by the carriage of Confucius and sang, "Oh, phoenix, oh phoenix, How unfortunate you are! The past cannot be repaired, But the future can be remedied. Done with it! Done with it! What can be done with the government?" Confucius descended from his carriage in order to speak with the hermit, who hastened away so as to avoid talking with him.
18.6. 长沮、桀溺耦而耕，孔子过之，使子路问津焉。长沮曰：“夫执舆者为谁？”子路曰：“为孔丘。”曰：“是鲁孔丘与？”曰：“是也。”曰：“是知津矣。”问于桀溺，桀溺曰：“子为谁？”曰：“为仲由。”曰：“是鲁孔丘之徒与？”对曰：“然。”曰：“滔滔者天下皆是也，而谁以易之？且而与其从辟人之士也，岂若从辟世之士哉？”耰而不辍。子路行以告，夫子怃然曰：“鸟兽不可与同群，吾非斯人之徒与而谁与？天下有道，丘不与易也。”
Two riverside men were ploughing the field when Confucius passed by and sent Zi Lu to ask where the river could be forded. The first riverside man said, "Who is the man holding the reins in the carriage?" Zi Lu said, "It is Confucius." "Is it Confucius of the state of Lu?" "Yes, it is he." "Then he should have known where the ford is." Zi Lu asked the second riverside man, who said, "Who are you?" "I am Zi Lu." "Are you not the follower of Confucius of Lu?" "Yes." "The world is overwhelmed with a flood of bad men. Who could stem it? Would it not be better to withdraw from the world than from the flood?" He went on covering the seed. On hearing the report of Zi Lu, the Master said with a sigh, "Unable to get along with birds and beasts, with whom could I get along if not with men? If nothing is wrong with the world, what should I be busy about?"
18.7. 子路从而后，遇丈人，以杖荷蓧。子路问曰：“子见夫子乎？”丈人曰：“四体不勤，五谷不分，孰为夫子？”植其杖而芸，子路拱而立。止子路宿，杀鸡为黍而食之，见其二子焉。明日，子路行以告，子曰：“隐者也。”使子路反见之，至则行矣。子路曰：“不仕无义。长幼之节不可废也，君臣之义如之何其废之？欲洁其身而乱大伦。君子之仕也，行其义也，道之不行已知之矣。”
Zi Lu lagged behind the Master on the way when he met with an old man shouldering a staff and a weeder. Zi Lu asked, "Have you seen my master?" The old man said, "Unable to toil with four limbs and to choose from among five grains for seeding, how can you ask me to tell who your master is?" Then he planted his staff on the ground and began to weed. Zi Lu stood respectfully by the roadside. The old man kept him for the night, killed a fowl and prepared millet for the supper, and introduced him to to his two sons. Next day, Zi Lu pursued his way, overtook his master and told him all. The Master said, "He is a recluse." He told Zi Lu to call on the old man again. But when Zi Lu got there, the old man was already gone. Zi Lu said, "It is not right to refuse to serve one's country. If the relation between old and young cannot be neglected, how could that between sovereign and subjects? How could personal purity be maintained if social relationship should be subverted? If a cultured man serves his state, he is only doing his duty, though he knows he cannot put his principles into practice."
18.8. 逸民：伯夷、叔齐、虞仲、夷逸、朱张、柳下惠、少连。子曰：“不降其志，不辱其身，伯夷、叔齐与！”谓：“柳下惠、少连降志辱身矣，言中伦，行中虑，其斯而已矣。”谓：“虞仲、夷逸隐居放言，身中清，废中权。我则异于是，无可无不可。”
The following good men who would not serve the state: Bo Yi, Shu Qi, Yu Zhong, Yi Yi, Zhu Zhang, Liuxia Hui, Shao Lian. The Master said, "Bo Yi and Shu Qi would not surrender mentally and physically. Liuxia Hui and Shao Lian would, but they were reasonable and prudent in words and in deeds, but that is all. Yu Zhong and Yi Yi were free of speech in seclusion, pure in action and tactful in retirement. As for me, I am different from them. There is nothing I must do, nor anything I must not."
18.9. 太师挚适齐，亚饭干适楚，三饭缭适蔡，四饭缺适秦，鼓方叔入于河，播鼗武入于汉，少师阳、击磬襄入于海。
Zhi, chief musician, went to Qi; Gan, musician of the second meal, went to Chu; Liao, musician of the third meal, went to Cai; Que, musician of the fourth meal, went to Qin; Fang Shu, drummer, went to the riverside; Wu, hand-drummer, went to River Huai; Yang, assistant master, and Xiang, chime-player, went to the seaside. (None of them would stay in the state of Lu.)
18.10. 周公谓鲁公曰：“君子不施其亲，不使大臣怨乎不以，故旧无大故则不弃也，无求备于一人。”
The Duke of Zhou told his son, "A good ruler should not neglect his kinsmen, nor let his ministers complain of distrust. He should not dismiss his old relations from their offices without grave cause. He should not expect one man to be capable of everything."
18.11. 周有八士：伯达、伯适、仲突、仲忽、叔夜、叔夏、季随、季騧。
The Zhou dynasty had eight men of virtue: eldest brothers Da and Kuo, elder brothers Tu and Hu, younger brothers Ye and Xia, youngest brothers Sui and Gua.