7.1. 子曰：“述而不作，信而好古，窃比于我老彭。”
I narrate, said the Master, but not create. I believe and delight in the ancients, and make bold to compare myself to the Old Master.
7.2. 子曰：“默而识之，学而不厌，诲人不倦，何有于我哉？”
If I can learn by heart, said the Master, not tired of learning nor of teaching, what more shall I need?
7.3. 子曰：“德之不脩，学之不讲，闻义不能徙，不善不能改，是吾忧也。”
Virtue uncultivated, said the Master, knowledge unpropagated, the right undone, and the wrong unrighted, these are my worries.
7.4. 子之燕居，申申如也；夭夭如也。
Unoccupied, the Master took it easy and looked pleased.
7.5. 子曰：“甚矣吾衰也！久矣吾不复梦见周公。”
How decrepit have I grown! said the Master. For long have I not dreamed of the sage.
7.6. 子曰：“志于道，据于德，依于仁，游于艺。”
Aim at truth, said the Master, depend on virtue, rely on the good and delight in the arts.
7.7. 子曰：“自行束脩以上，吾未尝无诲焉。”
I would teach, said the Master, any student above fifteen who would bring me a bundle of dried flesh.
7.8. 子曰：“不愤不启，不悱不发。举一隅不以三隅反，则不复也。”
I will not instruct. said the Master, those who are not eager to learn, nor enlighten those who are not anxious to discover. If I show a man one corner of the table and he cannot infer the other three, I will not repeat the lesson.
7.9. 子食于有丧者之侧，未尝饱也。
Taking a meal by the side of a mourner, the Master would never eat to the full.
7.10. 子于是日哭，则不歌。
The Master would not sing after he had wept at a funeral.
7.11. 子谓颜渊曰：“用之则行，舍之则藏，惟我与尔有是夫！”子路曰：“子行三军，则谁与？”子曰：“暴虎冯河，死而无悔者，吾不与也。必也临事而惧。好谋而成者也。”
The Master said to Yan Hui, "Ride when employed and hide when unemployed, that is what you and I would do." Zi Lu asked the Master, "Who would you employ if you were in command of three armies?" The Master said, "I would not employ one who would fight a tiger with bare hands or cross a river with broken legs and die without regret and remorse. I would employ one considerate when confronted with difficulties, and deliberate when accomplishing a task."
7.12. 子曰：“富而可求也；虽执鞭之士，吾亦为之。如不可求，从吾所好。”
If wealth is attainable, said the Master, I would condescend to be a gate-keeper of the market. With wealth unattainable, I would do what I like.
7.13. 子之所慎：齐、战、疾。
The Master was cautious before the sacrifice, in war and in sickness.
7.14. 子在齐闻《韶》，三月不知肉味，曰：“不图为乐之至于斯也。”
Hearing the music of succession in Qi, the Master did not know the taste of meat for three months, saying, "I did not realize that music could have been so delicious,"
7.15. 冉有曰：“夫子为卫君乎？”子贡曰：“诺，吾将问之。”入，曰：“伯夷、叔齐何人也？”曰：“古之贤人也。”曰：“怨乎？”曰：“求仁而得仁，又何怨。”出，曰：“夫子不为也。”
Ran You said, "Is our Master on the side of the Prince of Wei who contended for the throne with his father?" Zi Gong said, "I do not know. I will ask him." Coming in, he asked the Master, "What do you think of the two Yin brothers who yielded the crown?" The Master said, "They were two worthy ancients." Zi Gong asked, "Did they regret?" The Master said, "They sought to be worthy men. Why should they regret?" Coming out, Zi Gong said, "Our Master is not on the side of the Prince."
7.16. 子曰：“饭疏食，饮水，曲肱而枕之，乐亦在其中矣。不义而富且贵，于我如浮云。”
There is delight, said the Master, in plain food and water while pillowing the head on the arm. I would keep ill-gotten wealth and rank as far away as floating cloud.
7.17. 子曰：“加我数年，五十以学易，可以无大过矣。”
Give me a few more years, said the Master, to study the Book of Change after fifty, I may be free from error.
7.18. 子所雅言，《诗》、《书》、执礼，皆雅言也。
The Master used fine language in reading Poetry and History, and in performing the rites. All these are written in fine language.
7.19. 叶公问孔子于子路，子路不对。子曰：“女奚不曰：‘其为人也，发愤忘食，乐以忘忧，不知老之将至云尔。’”
The Duke of She asked Zi Lu about Confucius. Zi Lu made no reply. Then the Master said, "Why did you not tell him that I am a man who forgets his hunger while thirsty for knowledge, and neglects his sorrow while drowned in delight so as not to perceive the coming of old age?"
7.20. 子曰：“我非生而知之者，好古，敏以求之者也。”
I was not born with innate knowledge, said the Master. Fond of history, I am eager in pursuit of the experience accumulated in it.
7.21. 子不语怪、力、乱、神。
The Master never talked of monstuosity, violence, disturbence and divinity.
7.22. 子曰：“三人行，必有我师焉。择其善者而从之，其不善者而改之。”
When three men walk together, said the Master, there must be one worthy to be my teacher. I will choose what is good in him to follow, and avoid what is not good.
7.23. 子曰：“天生德于予，桓魋其如予何？”
I have the innate virtue in me, said the Master. What have I to fear for the Minister of War?
7.24. 子曰：“二三子以我为隐乎？吾无隐乎尔。吾无行而不与二三子者，是丘也。”
Two or three of you, said the Master, may think I have secret from you. In fact, I have no secret at all. I have done nothing which I should keep secret from you. Otherwise, how could I be myself?
7.25. 子以四教：文、行、忠、信。
The Master taught four things: culture, conduct, faithfulness and trustworthiness.
7.26. 子曰：“圣人吾不得而见之矣！得见君子者，斯可矣。”子曰：“善人吾不得而见之矣！得见有恒者，斯可矣。亡而为有，虚而为盈，约而为泰，难乎有恒矣。”
I cannot hope, said the Master, to see a sage, but only a cultured man, nor can I hope to see a man of men, but only a consistent one. A consistent man will not take nothing for something, nor the empty for the full, nor the poor for the rich. Otherwise, he cannot be called a consistent man.
7.27. 子钓而不纲，弋不射宿。
The Master fished with a line, but not with a net. He shot at birds, but not at roosting ones.
7.28. 子曰：“盖有不知而作之者，我无是也。多闻，择其善者而从之，多见而识之，知之次也。”
There are those, said the Master, who do what they do not understand. but I am not among the number. I would learn again and again and choose and follow what is good and bear it in mind. Knowledge acquired is only next to innate gift.
7.29. 互乡难与言，童子见，门人惑。子曰：“与其进也，不与其退也，唯何甚？人洁己以进，与其洁也，不保其往也。”
The people of Hu Village were difficult to approach. One day when a young man of Hu Village came for an interview with the Master, the disciples doubted whether he should be accepted. The Master said, "When a man comes forward, he is welcome. When he retrogrades, we should not go backwards with him. Be not too particular! A purified man is acceptable. Let bygones be bygones!"
7.30. 子曰：“仁远乎哉？我欲仁，斯仁至矣。”
Are we far from benevolence? said the Master. If we wish to be benevolent, then benevolence is within our reach.
7.31. 陈司败问：“昭公知礼乎？“孔子曰：“知礼。”孔子退，揖巫马期而进之曰：“吾闻君子不党，君子亦党乎？君取于吴，为同姓，谓之吴孟子。君而知礼，孰不知礼？”巫马期以告。子曰：“丘也幸，苟有过，人必知之。”
When the Minister of Crime of the State of Chen asked whether Duke Zhao of Lu knew the ritual system, Confucius answered, "Yes." When Confucius withdrew, the Minister motioned Wuma Qi to come forward and said to him, "I have heard that an intelligentleman should not be partial. How could your Master be partial to Duke Zhao who married a daughter of the same clan but called her a different name? If the Duke knew the ritual system, then who does not?" Wuma Qi told this to the Master, who said, "How fortunate I am! When I have made a mistake, the people are sure to know it."
7.32. 子与人歌而善，必使反之，而后和之。
When the Master liked a song, he would make the singer repeat it and then sang it together with him.
7.33. 子曰：“文，莫吾犹人也。躬行君子，则吾未之有得。”
In word, said the Master, perhaps I am no better than others. In deed, I dare not say that I am an accomplished intelligentleman.
7.34. 子曰：“若圣与仁，则吾岂敢？抑为之不厌，诲人不倦，则可谓云尔已矣。”公西华曰：“正唯弟子不能学也。”
The Master said, "The sage and his benevolence are beyond me. What I claim is only the untiring effort to learn and to teach." Gongxi Hua said, "That is just what we disciples are incapable of."
7.35. 子疾病，子路请祷。子曰：“有诸？”子路对曰：“有之。《诔》曰：‘祷尔于上下神祗。’”子曰：“丘之祷久矣。”
When the Master was very ill, Zi Lu asked leave to pray for him. The Master said, "Did the ancients pray?" Zi Lu said, "Yes, it is said in the Book of Prayer that we may pray to the divinities above and below." The Master said, "Then I have been praying for a long time."
7.36. 子曰：“奢则不孙，俭则固。与其不孙也，宁固。”
Extravagance, said the Master, leads to insubordination, and frugality to obstinacy. But it would be far better to be obstinate than to be insubordinate.
7.37. 子曰：“君子坦荡，小人长戚戚。”
An intelligentleman, said the Master, is carefree while an uncultured man is careworn.
7.38. 子温而厉，威而不猛，恭而安。
The Master was mild but firm, dignified but unaggressive, respectful but equanimous.