6.1. 子曰：“雍 也可使南面。”
Ran Yong, said the Master, might be made a leader setting his face to the south.
6.2. 仲弓问子桑伯子。子曰：“可也，简。”仲弓曰：“居敬而行简，以临其民，不亦可乎？居简而行简，无乃大简乎？”子曰：“雍之言然。”
When Ran Yong asked about Master Zi Sang Bo, the Master said, "He will do, for he is lenient." Ran Yong said, "Severe with oneself and lenient with others, one may become a good ruler. Lenient with oneself as with others, will one not become negligent?" The Master said, "Yong, you are right."
6.3. 哀公 问：“弟子孰为好学？”孔子 对曰：“有颜回 者好学，不迁怒，不贰过。不幸短命死矣！今也则亡，未闻好学者也。”
Duke Ai of Lu asked Confucius, "Which of your disciples are eager to learn?" Confucius said, "There was Yan Hui who was eager to learn. He did not shift the blame on to others, nor would he make the same mistake again. But it was a pity that he died early. Now there is none like him. I have never again heard of anyone so eager to learn."
6.4. 子华 使于齐 ，冉子 为其母请粟。子曰：“与之釜。”请益。曰：“与之庾。”冉子 与之粟五秉。子曰：“赤 之适齐 也，乘肥马，衣轻裘。吾闻之也，君子周急不济富。”
When Gongxi Hua was sent on a mission to the state of Qi, Ran You requested grain for Gongxi's mother. The Master said, "Give her a measure." Ran You asked for more. The Master said, "Give her two measures." But Ran You gave her ten measures. The Master said, "When Gongxi Hua went to Qi, he drove sleek horses and wore light furs. I have heard that a cultured man will help those in need but not those who are rich."
6.5. 原思为之宰，与之粟九百，辞。子曰：“毋！以与尔邻里乡党乎！”
Yuan Si, when made a governor, was given a salary of nine hundred litres of grain, but he declined. The Master said, "Do not decline it. Why not share it with your neighbors, villagers and townsfolk?"
6.6. 子谓仲弓 曰：“犁牛之子骍且角，虽欲勿用，山川其舍诸？”
Would mountain gods and river gods, said the Master, reject the sacrifice of a calf because it is brindled and horned?
6.7. 子曰：“回 也，其心三月不违仁，其余则日月至焉而已矣。”
Yan Hui, said the Master, would not do anything against humanism for three months on end. Others may do so, but only for a day or at most for a month.
6.8. 季康子 问：“仲由 可使从政也与？”子曰：“由 也果，于从政乎何有？”曰：“赐 也，可使从政也与？”曰：“赐 也达，于从政乎何有？”曰：“求 也，可使从政也与？”曰：“求 也艺，于从政乎何有？”
When Ji Kang Zi asked whether Zi Lu was fit to be employed as an officer, the Master said, "Zi Lu is courageous. Why can he not be employed as an officer?" When asked about Zi Gong, the Master gave the same reply because Zi Gong was efficient. When asked about Ran Qiu, the Master said the same again because Ran Qiu was versatile.
6.9. 季氏 使闵子骞 为费 宰。闵子骞 曰：“善为我辞焉。如有复我者，则吾必在汶上 矣。”
When the usurper sent to ask Min Zi Qian to be governor of Fei, Min said, "Would you please decline that office for me? If anyone should come again, I would go far, far beyond the River Wen."
6.10. 伯牛 有疾，子问之，自牖执其手，曰：“亡之，命矣夫！斯人也而有斯疾也！斯人也而有斯疾也！
When Bo Niu was ill, the Master went to inquire after him. Grasping his hand through the window, the Master said, "It is all over. Alas! it is fatal for such a good man to have such a fatal illness. Such a good man should have such a fatal illness."
6.11. 子曰：“贤哉，回 也！一箪食，一瓢饮，在陋巷。人不堪其忧，回 也不改其乐。贤哉，回 也！”
How good Yan Hui was, said the Master, living in a humble lane with only a handful of rice to eat and a gourdful of water to drink! Others could not bear such a wretched life, but Yan Hui was as happy as ever. How good Yan Hui was!
6.12. 冉求 曰：“非不说子之道，力不足也。”子曰：“力不足者，中道而废。今女画。”
Ran Qiu said, "It is not that I am not delighted to follow your way, but that I lack the power." The Master said, "Those who lack power may stop on the midway, but you have not yet started."
6.13. 子谓子夏 曰：“女为君子儒，无为小人儒。”
The Master said to Zi Xia, "You should be an intellectual of the higher class, not one of the lower class."
6.14. 子游 为武城 宰。子曰：“女得人焉尔乎？”曰：“有澹台灭明 者，行不由径。非公事，未尝至于偃 之室也。”
When Zi You was governor of the town of Wu, the Master asked him whether he had got any helping hand. Zi You answered, "There is Tantai Mieming who never takes a shortcut in walking and never comes to my office unless on business."
6.15. 子曰：“孟之反 不伐，奔而殿。将入门，策其马，曰：‘非敢后也，马不进也。’”
Meng Zi Fan, said the Master, was no boaster. Once defeated, he was the last to retreat. Whipping up his horse near the city gate, he said, "I am the last to retreat, not because I am brave, but because my horse is slow."
6.16. 子曰：“不有祝 之佞而有宋朝 之美，难乎免于今之世矣！”
Without the eloquence of the priest Tuo, said the Master, and the beauty of Prince Chao of Song, it would be hard to get through with the world of today.
6.17. 子曰：“谁能出不由户？何莫由斯道也？”
Who, said the Master, could go out but by the door? Why not go this way?
6.18. 子曰：“质胜文则野，文胜质则史。文质彬彬，然后君子。”
More natural than cultured, said the Master, one would appear rustic. More cultured than natural, one would appear artificial. An intelligentle man should appear both cultured and natural.
6.19. 子曰：“人之生也直，罔之生也幸而免。”
A man should live an honest life, said the Master. It is by luck that a dishonest man can escape punishment.
6.20. 子曰：“知之者不如好之者，好之者不如乐之者。”
To know the truth is good, said the Master, to love it is better, and to delight in it is best. (To understand is good, to enjoy is better and to delight is best.)
6.21. 子曰：“中人以上，可以语上也；中人以下，不可以语上也。”
We may talk about what goes beyond the understanding of the average, said the Master, with those who are above mediocrity, not with those who are below.
6.22. 樊迟 问知。子曰：“务民之义，敬鬼神而远之，可谓知矣。”问仁。曰：“仁者先难而后获，可谓仁矣。”
When Fan Chi asked about wisdom, the Master said, "A wise man should do what is good for the people, respect spiritual beings and keep away from them." When asked about a good man, the Master said, "A good man will do hard work before he reaps. So may he be called a good man."
6.23. 子曰：“知者乐水，仁者乐山；知者动，仁者静；知者乐，仁者寿。”
The wise, said the Master, delight in water while the good delight in mountains. The wise love mobility while the good love tranquillity. The wise live happy while the good live long.
6.24. 子曰：“齐 一变，至于鲁 ；鲁 一变，至于道。”
After reformation, said the Master, the strong state of Qi might advance to a moral state, and the moral state of Lu might advance to an ideal state.
6.25. 子曰：“觚不觚，觚哉！觚哉！”
The wine cup, said the Master, looks unlike a cup. Can it be called a cup? Can it be called a cup?
6.26. 宰我 问曰：“仁者，虽告之曰：‘井有仁焉。’其从之也？”子曰：“何为其然也？君子可逝也，不可陷也；可欺也，不可罔也。”
Zai Wo asked whether a good man, when told another man was fallen into a well, should go down after him. The Master said, "Why should he go down? A good man might be told to go near the well, but not to go into it. He might be deceived, but not befooled."
6.27. 子曰：“君子博学于文，约之以礼，亦可以弗畔矣夫！”
A cultured man, said the Master, if wide read in literature and restrained by the rites, would not overstep what is right.
6.28. 子见南子 ，子路 不说。夫子矢之曰：“予所否者，天厌之！天厌之！”
When Zi Lu was displeased with the Master's visit to the beautiful but ill-famed Princess Nan Zi, the Master swore, "If I had done anything wrong, may Heaven reject me! May Heaven reject me!"
6.29. 子曰：“中庸之为德也，其至矣乎！民鲜久矣。”
How useful is the Golden Middle Way! said the Master. It is the highest virtue, but it has not been followed for a long time.
6.30. 子贡 曰：“如有博施于民而能济众，何如？可谓仁乎？”子曰：“何事于仁，必也圣乎！尧 、舜 其犹病诸！夫仁者，己欲立而立人，己欲达而达人。能近取譬，可谓仁之方也已。”
Zi Gong asked whether it could be called virtue to do good to people and benefit them. The Master said, It is more than virtue; it is the accomplishment of a sage. Even the earliest emperors could not boast of such accomplishment. What is virtue? To establish others as you would establish yourself, and help others to develop as you would help yourself to. To judeg of others by what is in yourself, that is the way towards virtue.