18.1. 微子去之，箕子為之奴，比干諫而死。 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. 柳下惠為士師，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. 齊景公待孔子曰：“若季氏，則吾不能。”以季、孟之間待之，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. 齊人歸女樂，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. 楚狂接輿歌而過孔子曰：“鳳兮鳳兮，何德之衰？往者不可諫，來者猶可追。已而已而，今之從政者殆而！”孔子下，欲與之言，趨而辟之，不得與之言。
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. 長沮、桀溺耦而耕，孔子過之，使子路問津焉。長沮曰：“夫執輿者為誰？”子路曰：“為孔丘。”曰：“是魯孔丘與？”曰：“是也。”曰：“是知津矣。”問於桀溺，桀溺曰：“子為誰？”曰：“為仲由。”曰：“是魯孔丘之徒與？”對曰：“然。”曰：“滔滔者天下皆是也，而誰以易之？且而與其從辟人之士也，豈若從辟世之士哉？”耰而不輟。子路行以告，夫子憮然曰：“鳥獸不可與同群，吾非斯人之徒與而誰與？天下有道，丘不與易也。”
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. 子路從而後，遇丈人，以杖荷蓧。子路問曰：“子見夫子乎？”丈人曰：“四體不勤，五穀不分，孰為夫子？”植其杖而芸，子路拱而立。止子路宿，殺雞為黍而食之，見其二子焉。明日，子路行以告，子曰：“隱者也。”使子路反見之，至則行矣。子路曰：“不仕無義。長幼之節不可廢也，君臣之義如之何其廢之？欲潔其身而亂大倫。君子之仕也，行其義也，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、叔齊、虞仲、夷逸、朱張、柳下惠、少連。子曰：“不降其志，不辱其身，伯夷、叔齊與！”謂：“柳下惠、少連降志辱身矣，言中倫，行中慮，其斯而已矣。”謂：“虞仲、夷逸隱居放言，身中清，廢中權。我則异於是，無可無不可。”
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. 太師摯適齊，亞飯幹適楚，三飯繚適蔡，四飯缺適秦，鼓方叔入於河，播鞀武入於漢，少師陽、擊磬襄入於海。
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. 周公謂魯公曰：“君子不施其親，不使大臣怨乎不以，故舊無大故則不弃也，無求備於一人。”
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：伯達、伯適、仲突、仲忽、叔夜、叔夏、季隨、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.