Confucius was at leisure, with Tzŭ-king sitting by his side.
[Tzŭ-kung] asked the way to be below others.[2]
Confucius said,
"An excellent question! Being below others—is it not like the
earth?" Tzŭ-kung did not understand. Confucius said, "As for
the earth, if you dig it you get a spring of sweet water; if you
plant it you get the five cereals. Plants grow in it; birds and
beasts, fish and turtles live out their lives on it.[3]
Alive we stand
on it, and dead we are put into it. It has numerous merits but it
does not speak of them,[4]
but hands them on to [successive]
generations[5]
without intermission. Hence I said, Only the earth
is capable of being lowly."
Tzŭ-kung said, "Though I am not intelligent, I hope to act
on these words."
The Ode says,[6]
We have performed every ceremony without error.
