25
Tzŭ-hsia went to see[1]
Tsêng-tzŭ, who said, "Come in and eat."[2]
Tzŭ-hsia said, "Is it not putting you to [unnecessary] expense?"
Tsêng-tzŭ said, "The superior man has three [unnecessary]
expenditures, but food and drink are not among them. The
superior man has three joys,[3]
but gongs and sonorous stones, lute
and cither are not among them."
Tzŭ-hsia said, "I venture to ask about the three joys."
Tsêng-tzŭ said, "Having parents to stand in awe of, a prince
to serve, and a son to leave behind—this is the first joy. Having
parents to remonstrate with, a prince to leave, and a son to be
angry with—this is the second joy. Having a prince to make
things clear to, and friends to help—this is the third joy."
Tzŭ-hsia said, "I venture to ask about the three expenditures."
Tsêng-tzŭ said, "To study when young and forget when adult
—this is the first expenditure. To serve one's prince with merit
and be lightly repudiated—this is the second expenditure. For a
long time to have friendly relations and then to break them off
suddenly[4]
—this is the third expenditure."
Tzŭ-hsia said, "Excellent! Carefully to emulate one [wise]
saying is better than continually reciting it,[5]
and to serve one
gentleman (?) is better than the merit of governing all the people
[6]
—this is something a man must know. I once let my fields go to
grass (?) and for a whole year I got no harvest.
[7]
When this is
true of all land, how much the more it is so of men! If you are
sincere with men, though they be far away, they will be intimate,
and if you are false with them, even close associates will be
alienated. Meeting sincerity with sincerity is like glue, is like
lacquer. Meeting falseness with falseness is like thin ice exposed
to the noonday sun. Can the superior man do anything but bear
this in mind?"
The Ode says,[8]
Treat him as holy and hearken to him;
And you will have harmony and peace.
