八佾（yì）篇第三
大成门
3.1 孔子谓季氏：“八佾舞于庭，是可忍也，孰不可忍也？”
Kongzi said of the Ji Family, “They have eight rows of dancers performing in their courtyard. If they can condone this, what are they not capable of?”
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？”
[When making offerings to their ancestors], the Three Families had the yong ode performed during the clearing away of the sacrificial vessels. The Master quoted a line from the ode,
"Assisting were the Feudal Lords,
The Son of Heaven, solemn and stately,"
adding, “What relevance could this possibly have to the ancestral hall of the Three Families?”
3.3 子曰：“人而不仁，如礼何？人而不仁，如乐何？”
The Master said, “A man who is not Good—what has he to do with ritual? A man who is not Good—what has he to do with 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 roots of ritual.
The Master exclaimed, “What a noble question! When it comes to ritual, it is better to be spare than
3.5 子曰：“夷狄之有君，不如诸夏之亡也。”
The Master said, “The Yi and Di barbarians, even with their rulers, are still inferior to the Chinese states without their rulers.”
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 head of the Ji Family made a sacrificial pilgrimage to Mt. Tai. The Master said to Ran Qiu, “Were you not able to prevent this?”
Ran Qiu replied, “I was not.”
The Master exclaimed, “Oh! That one would ever have to say that Mt. Tai was not the equal of Lin Fang!”
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。”
The Master said, “Surely archery can serve as an illustration of the fact that the gentleman does not compete! Before mounting the stairs to the archery hall, gentlemen bow and defer to one another, and after descending from the hall they mutually offer up toasts. This is how a gentleman ‘competes.’”
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。”
Zixia asked, “[The Odes say,]
'Her artful smile, with its alluring dimples,
Her beautiful eyes, so clear,
The unadorned upon which to paint.’
What does this mean?”
The Master said, “The application of colors comes only after a suitable unadorned background is present.”
Zixia said, “So it is the rites that come after?”
The Master said, “It is you, Zixia, who has awakened me to the meaning of these lines! It is only with someone like you that I can begin to discuss the Odes.”
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 Master said, “As for the rites of the Xia Dynasty, I can speak of them, but there is little remaining in the state of Qii to document them. As for the rites of the Shang Dynasty, I can speak of them, but there is little remaining in the state of Song to document them. This is because there is not much in the way of culture or moral worthies left in either state. If there were something there, then I would be able to document them.
3.10 子曰：“自既灌而往者，吾不欲观之矣。”
The Master said, “As for that part of the di sacrifice that comes after the pouring of the ceremonial libation, I have no desire to witness it.”
3.11 或问禘之说。子曰：“不知也，知其说者之于天下也，其如示诸斯乎！”指其掌。
Someone asked for an explanation of the di sacrifice. The Master said, “I do not understand it. One who understood it could handle the world as if he had it right here,” and he pointed to the palm of his hand.
3.12 祭如在，祭神如神在。子曰：“吾不与祭，如不祭。”
“Sacrifice as if [they were] present” means that, when sacrificing to the spirits, you should comport yourself as if the spirits were present.
The Master said, “If I am not fully present at the sacrifice, it is as if I did 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。”
Wang-sun Jia asked, "What do you think about the saying,
'It is better to pay homage to the kitchen stove
Than to the corner shrine.'"
The Master replied, “This is not so. Once you have incurred the wrath of Heaven, there is no one to whom you can pray for help.”
3.14 子曰：“周监于二代，郁郁乎文哉！吾从周。”
The Master said, “The Zhou gazes down upon the two dynasties that preceded it. How brilliant in culture it is! I follow the Zhou.”
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 went into the Great Ancestral Temple, he asked questions about everything that took place.
Someone said, “Who said that this son of a man from Zou understands ritual? When he went into the Great Ancestral Temple, he had to ask questions about everything.”
3.16 子曰：“射不主皮，为力不同科，古之道也。”
The Master said, “It is said, ‘In archery, one does not emphasize piercing the hide of the target,’ because people’s strengths differ. Such is the ancient Way.”
3.17 子贡欲去告朔之饩羊。子曰：“赐也！尔爱其羊，我爱其礼。”
Zigong wanted to do away with the practice of sacrificing a lamb to announce the beginning of the month.
The Master said, “Zigong! You regret the loss of the lamb, whereas I regret the loss of the rite.”
3.18 子曰：“事君尽礼，人以为谄也。”
The Master said, “If in serving your lord you are careful to observe every detail of ritual propriety, people will [wrongly] think you obsequious.”
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。”
Duke Ding asked, “How should a lord employ his ministers? How should a minister serve his lord?”
Kongzi replied, “A lord should employ his ministers with ritual, and ministers should serve their lord with dutifulness.”
3.20 子曰：“《关雎》，乐而不淫，哀而不伤。”
That Master said, “The ‘Cry of the Osprey’ expresses joy without becoming licentious, and expresses sorrow without falling into excessive pathos.”
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。”
Duke Ai asked Zai Wo about the altar to the soil.
Zai Wo replied, “The clans of the Xia sovereigns used the pine tree, the Shang people used the cypress tree, and the Zhou people used the chestnut tree (li). It is said that they wanted to instill fear (li) in the people.”
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’s vessel was of small capacity.”
Someone asked, “Do you mean that he was frugal?”
The Master replied, “Guan maintained three separate residences and had a separate staff member for each duty. How could he be called frugal?”
“Well, then, do you mean to say that Guan Zhong understood ritual?”
The Master replied, “The lord of a state erects a wall in front of his gate, and Guan did the same. The lord of a state, when entertaining other lords, has a stand upon which to place the drinking cups after the toast, and Guan also had one of these. If Guan understood ritual, who does not understand it?”
3.23 子语鲁大师乐，曰：“乐其可知也：始作，翕如也；从之一，纯如也，皦如也，绎如也，以成。”
The Master was discussing music with the Grand Music Master of Lu. He said, “What can be known about music is this: when it first begins, it resounds with a confusing variety of notes, but as it unfolds, these notes are reconciled by means of harmony, brought into tension by means of counterpoint, and finally woven together into a seamless whole. It is in this way that music reaches its perfection.”
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。”
A border official from the town of Yi requested an audience with the Master, saying, “I have never failed to obtain an audience with the gentlemen who have passed this way.” Kongzi’s followers thereupon presented him.
After emerging from the audience, the border official remarked, “You disciples, why should you be concerned about your Master’s loss of office? The world has been without the Way for a long time now, and Heaven intends to use your Master like the wooden clapper for a 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 Shao music, “It is perfectly beautiful, and also perfectly good (shan).” He said of the Wu music, “It is 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？”
The Master said, “Someone who lacks magnanimity when occupying high office, who is not respectful when performing ritual, and who remains unmoved by sorrow when overseeing mourning rites—how could I bear to look upon such a person?”
