3.1. 孔子 谓季氏 ：“八佾舞于庭，是可忍也，孰不可忍也？”
Confucius said of the lord of Ji Family, "The royal dance of eight teams are performed in his courtyard. If this can be tolerated, what cannot?"
3.2. 三家者以雍 彻。子曰：“‘相维辟公，天子穆穆’，奚取于三家之堂？”
At the end of the Three Families' sacrifice, King Wu's prayer to King Wen was sung: "The princes at the side Of the king dignified," The Master said, "What has the royal prayer to do with the Three Families? How could it be sung in their hall?"
3.3. 子曰：“人而不仁，如礼何？人而不仁，如乐何？”
If a man is not good, said the Master, what is the use for him to perform the rites? If a man is not good, what is the use for him to perform music?
3.4. 林放 问礼之本。子曰：“大哉问！礼，与其奢也，宁俭；丧，与其易也，宁戚。”
Lin Fang asked about the fundamental of the rites. "A significant question!" said the Master. "In ritual performance, it would be better to be thrift than lavish; in mourning service, it would be better to be deep in grief than minute in observance."
3.5. 子曰：“夷狄之有君，不如诸夏之亡也。”
The barbarian tribe with a sovereign, said the Master, is not so good as a civilized state without one.
3.6. 季氏 旅于泰山 。子谓冉有 曰：“女弗能救与？”对曰：“不能！”子曰：“呜呼！曾谓泰山 ，不如林放 乎？”
The lord of Ji Family was going to perform the royal ceremony of sacrifice to Mount Tai. The Master asked Ran You if he could prevent it, and Ran You answered he could not. Then the Master said, "Alas! does Mount Tai not know what Lin Fang does about the rites?" (Could it accept the royal sacrifice offered not by a prince but by a lord?)
3.7. 子曰：“君子无所争，必也射乎！揖让而升，下而饮，其争也君子。”
Cultured men do not contest, said the Master. Even in archery, the archers bow and make way for each other before the contest and drink after it. Such is the rivalry between cultured men.
3.8. 子夏 问曰：“‘巧笑倩兮，美目盼兮，素以为绚兮。’何谓也？”子曰：“绘事后素。”曰：“礼后乎？”子曰：“起予者商 也！始可与言诗 已矣。”
Zi Xia asked about the meaning of the following verse: "Ah! Dark on white her speaking eyes, Her cheeks with smiles and dimoles glow. Colored designs are made on plain silk." The Master said, "Colors should be put on the plain ground." Zi Xia asked if the rites should be performed on some ground. The Master said, "It is Zi Xia who understands me. Now I have someone with whom to talk about poetry."
3.9. 子曰：“夏 礼吾能言之，杞 不足征也；殷 礼吾能言之，宋 不足征也。文献不足故也，足则吾能征之矣。”
The rites of the Xia dynasty, said the Master, can be described, but I do not rely on the evidence supplied by its descendants of Qi. The rites of the Yin dynasty can be described, but I do not rely on the evidence supplied by its descendants of Song. For there are no sufficient documents. Otherwise, the rites of Qi and Song can be described.
3.10. 子曰：“褅自既灌而往者，吾不欲观之矣。”
At the ancestral sacrificial service of the Duke of Lu, said the Master, I would not attend after the libation, for the royal ceremony should not be performed by a duke.
3.11. 或问褅之说。子曰：“不知也。知其说者之于天下也，其如示诸斯乎！”指其掌。
Asked about the imperial sacrifice, the Master said, "I do not know it. Those who know it may see an empire as clearly as his palm."
3.12. 祭如在，祭神如神在。子曰：“吾不与祭，如不祭。”
Sacrifice to the dead as if they were living, and to the divinities as if they were present. If I do not think they are present, said the Master, I had better not sacrifice at all.
3.13. 王孙贾 问曰：“与其媚于奥，宁媚于灶，何谓也？”子曰：“不然，获罪于天，无所祷也。”
Wangsun Jia asked if it would be better to pray to home divinities than to those in Heaven. "No," said the Master," if you sin against Heaven, what is the use of praying?"
3.14. 子曰：“周 监于二代，郁郁乎文哉！吾从周 。”
The Zhou dynasty, said the Master, has profited from the two preceding dynasties. What a wealth of culture it has accumulated! I would rather follow the Zhou system.
3.15. 子入太庙，每事问。或曰：“孰谓鄹 人之子知礼乎？入太庙，每事问。”子闻之曰：“是礼也。”
When the Master entered the grand temple, he asked about everything there. Someone remarked, "Who would say this son of a villager from Zou knows the rites? When he entered the grand temple, he asked about everything." Hearing of this, the Master said, "This is just a part of the rites."
3.16. 子曰：“射不主皮，为力不同科，古之道也。”
In archery, said the Master, the principal thing is to hit, not to pierce through. Such is the way of the ancients. For archers are not equal in strength.
3.17. 子贡 欲去告朔之饩羊。子曰：“赐 也，尔爱其羊，我爱其礼。”
Zi Gong wanted to do away with the sacrificial sheep on the first day of each moon. The Master said, "Zi Gong, you care for a sheep while I care for the rites."
3.18. 子曰：“事君尽礼，人以为谄也。”
One who serves his prince nowadays in strict accordance with the rites, said the Master, would be considered as a sycophant.
3.19. 定公 问：“君使臣，臣事君，如之何？”孔子 对曰：“君使臣以礼，臣事君以忠。”
When Duke Ding asked how a prince should employ his ministers and how ministers should serve their prince, Confucius replied, "The prince should employ his ministers in accordance with the rites and the ministers should be devoted to the prince."
3.20. 子曰：“关雎 ，乐而不淫，哀而不伤。”
Cooing and Wooing (the first song in the Book of Poetry), said the Master, tells us pleasure and grief should not go to excess.
3.21. 哀公 问社于宰我 。宰我 对曰：“夏后氏 以松，殷 人以柏，周 人以栗，曰使民战栗。”子闻之曰：“成事不说，遂事不谏，既往不咎。”
When Duke Ai asked Zai Wo what symbol was used in the altar, Zai Wo replied, "The Xia rulers used the pine, the Yin rulers used the cypress, and the Zhou rulers used the chestnut, which means to chase the people off their nut." Hearing of this, the Master said, "What is done cannot be undone; what is accomplished need not be criticized, what is bygone need not be blamed."
3.22. 子曰：“管仲 之器小哉！”或曰：“管仲 俭乎？”曰：“管氏 有三归 ，官事不摄，焉得俭？”“然则管仲 知礼乎？”曰：“邦君树塞门，管氏 亦树塞门；邦君为两君之好，有反坫，管氏 亦有反坫。管氏 而知礼，孰不知礼？”
The Master said, "Guan Zhong was not a great minister." When asked if Guan Zhong was frugal, the Master said, "Guan Zhong had three granaries while his official duties were not performed, how could he be considered frugal?" When asked if Guan Zhong knew the rites, the Master said, "Only the prince may build a wall to screen the gate of his mansion, but Guan Zhong had one before his. Only the prince may use a stand for cups to entertain his guests, but Guan Zhong used one. If he knew the rites, who does not?"
3.23. 子语鲁 大师乐。曰：“乐其可知也：始作，翕如也；从之，纯如也，皦如也，绎如也，以成。”
Talking about music with the great master of the State of Lu, the Master said, "It is not difficult to perform music. In the beginning all the musical instruments should be played in high spirit. Then the music should be harmonious, distinct and flowing without breaking up to the end."
3.24. 仪 封人请见。曰：“君子之至于斯也，吾未尝不得见也。”从者见之。出曰：“二三子，何患于丧乎？天下之无道也久矣，天将以夫子为木铎。”
The guardian of the border at Yi asked to be presented to the Master, saying, "When a man of renown has come here, I have never been denied an interview." A follower of the Master presented him. After the interview, he said to two or three of the followers, "Why are you distressed at your master's unemployment? The world has gone out of the right way for long. Heaven would employ your master as an alarm bell."
3.25. 子谓韶 ：“尽美矣，又尽善也。”谓武 ：“尽美矣，未尽善也。”
The Master said of the Inauguration Music as perfectly beautiful and perfectly good, and the Martial Dance as perfectly beautiful but not perfectly good.
3.26. 子曰：“居上不宽，为礼不敬，临丧不哀，吾何以观之哉？”
High office filled without generosity, said the Master, ceremony performed without reverence, and mourning observed without grief, how can I bear to see such things!