original text
Confucius lived in seclusion, and Zhang Zi, Zi Gong and Yan Yangchu (1) all paid attention to ceremony. Confucius said, "You three, I say you are polite, and you will turn around at four o'clock."
Zi Gong crossed the table and said, "How dare you ask?" Confucius said, "Respect and rudeness are wild, respect and rudeness are good, and courage and rudeness are bad." Confucius said, "Give me more kindness." Zi Gong said, "Dare I ask why you are so polite?" Confucius said, "The ceremony is almost the same, so the husband's ceremony is also being made." Zi Gong retreated, saying, "Dare to ask a courtesy, and lead evil to perfection?" Confucius said, "Of course." Zi Gong asked, "Why?" Confucius said, "It's a gift from the suburban community, so it's also kind to ghosts and gods; Taste the third ceremony, so Ren Zhaomu also; The gift of eating and drinking, so benevolence dies and loses; Shooting ceremony ④, so Ren Xiang party also; Food is a gift, so the guests are also very kind. Know the meaning of the suburban community, taste the ceremony, and know the way to govern the country like the palm of your hand. Polite is the former residence, so respect for elders is honorable; Be polite to the boudoir, so the three families are in harmony; In order to be polite to the court, the rank is orderly; Hunting is polite, so it is idle; He was polite to the army, so he succeeded in martial arts. It is based on the palace to get its degree, the tripod to get its image, the time to get its things, the festival to have fun, the car to get its poetry, the joy of ghosts and gods, the loss of discipline, the debate of the party, the body of hundreds of officials, and the implementation of political affairs. If you put it on your body and in front of you, you will get what you want. "
Kim retorted, "Dare you ask what a gift is?" Confucius said, "The owner is the person who manages things. If a gentleman has something to do, he must wait for it. Governing a country badly is like being ignorant. 5. What does it matter? For example, I've been thinking about something all night in the secluded room. Why not light a candle and watch it? Therefore, rudeness is at a loss and deaf. Therefore, because of their residence, the young and the old lost their differences, the three boudoir families lost harmony, the court officials lost their orders, the hunting and hunting military affairs lost their power, the palace lost its degree, the tripod lost its image, the things lost its time, the music lost its festival, the car lost its poetry, the ghost lost its enjoyment, lost its sorrow, lost its party and lost its official position. If you put it on your body and put it in front of you, everyone is not suitable to move. In this way, no ancestors will contact the six seas. "
Confucius said, "Listen carefully, you three. I'm talking to you, and there are nine ceremonies and four ceremonies. If you know this, although you are on an acre of land, you are a saint. When the two gentlemen met, they bowed and started. I am willing to go to court, and I am also willing to go to court. Dance like an elephant, Xia Xing 8. Recommend Yi, make him be polite and happy, and prepare his official. Only in this way can a gentleman understand benevolent governance. The rules in the line, the moment in the spin, and the harmony in the mining. The guests came out with "Yong" and "Zhen Yu". Therefore, a gentleman has nothing but ceremony. Introduction to alchemy, showing affection; Sing the song "Qing Palace" to show virtue; The next pipe is like dancing, showing things. Being a gentleman in the past, you don't have to talk to each other in person, but show people with courtesy and joy. The husband is polite and reasonable; Music, festival also. Rude, motionless, unruly. Can't "poetry", in the ceremony; Can't be happy, Yu Lisu; Thinner than virtue, less than courtesy. "
Zi Gong asked, "But what about the poor?" Confucius said, "What happened to the ancients? Ancient people also. Courtesy without Da Le is called element; It is biased to be happy and impolite. Husband is interested in pleasure rather than ceremony, that's the name. The ancients also said that where the system is in the ceremony, the text is in the ceremony, but in people? "
The third son, who has heard of this theory, is also ignorant.
To annotate ...
① Zhang Zi: That is, transfer to Sun Shi. Zigong: that is, Duanmu Ci, the word Zigong. Yan you: that is, Yan Yan, Ziyou. These three people are all disciples of Confucius.
2 here: it's convenient to talk. This means that the words are not appropriate.
③ Zi (dì): One of the four festivals of ancestral temple, which is held every summer. Taste: the name of the ancient autumn festival.
(4) Shooting: refers to the shooting ceremony in the countryside, that is, the shooting ceremony held after Dr. Qing raised a scholar. Serve with wine and food.
⑤ (g incarnation): blind. Photo: Help, help.
⑥ Zuqia: Advocating harmony. Old note: "ancestors, beginning also; Contact, and. If you are rude, you don't want to get along with the public. "
⑦ Suspension: Suspension. G: work. Play music. Old note: "Xing, have fun."
⑧ Summer tune: Summer dance, follow the dance. Preface: refers to the civil and military dances taking turns. Old note: "Summer, literature and dance also. Holding a symbol, like a flute. "
9. The guest plays "Yong": After the banquet, the guest plays "Yong" when he goes out. Yong: Music name. Old note: "Yong, the title of the song, in."
⑩ Sing a Qing Temple Song: Sing a Qing Temple poem when you go to church. Qing Palace: the title of The Book of Songs Zhou Song.
translate
Confucius rested at home, and his disciples Zhang Zi, Zi Gong and Zi You accompanied him. They talked politely. Confucius said, "Sit down, you three, and I'll talk to you about the ceremony. Ceremony is applicable everywhere. "
Zi Gong stood up and left the meeting and replied, "How was the ceremony?" Confucius said, "Filial piety and rudeness are called rustic; Humble and impolite is called flattery; Courage without etiquette is called disobedience. Confucius added: "Assertion confuses compassion and benevolence. Zi Gong said, "What can I do to be polite?" Confucius said, "What about the ceremony? "Etiquette is used to control behavior and make it moderate." When Zi Gong retired, Zi You came forward and said, "Excuse me, is the so-called courtesy to control bad habits and preserve good conduct?" Confucius said, "Yes." Zi Gong asked, "What should I do?" Confucius said: "the ceremony of offering sacrifices to heaven and earth is used to show mercy to ghosts and gods;" In autumn, the ceremony of tasting Xia Qi is used to show kindness to ancestors. The ceremony of offering sacrifices is used to show kindness to the dead; Rural shooting ceremony and rural drinking ceremony are held to be kind to villagers and neighbors; The etiquette of drinking at a party is to be kind to the guests. Knowing the etiquette of offering sacrifices to heaven and earth and tasting summer in autumn, it is as easy to govern the country as pointing to your palm for others to see. Therefore, with these manners, being polite at home will distinguish the old and the young; Courtesy is within the family, and three generations of the family will be harmonious; Polite in the court, the official title will be orderly; Hunting should be polite and military exercises should be skillful; Politeness in the army can build meritorious military service. Because of the ritual, the palace has a system, the sacrificial vessels have a style, all kinds of vessels are in line with the season, the music is in line with the rhythm, the vehicles have a formula, the ghosts and gods get the sacrifices they deserve, the funeral has a moderate sorrow and joy, and the debaters can be supported to keep their posts and conduct political affairs smoothly. What is added to everyone and placed in front of them can make people's behaviors and actions appropriate. "
When Ziyou retired, Zhang Zi stepped forward and asked, "What is a gift?" Confucius said: "The so-called ceremony is the governance of things. If a gentleman has any affairs, he must have corresponding means of governance. Being rude in running a country is like being helpless for a blind person, who doesn't know where to go. It's like looking for something in a dark room all night. What can I do without candlelight? So, if there is no ceremony, you will be at a loss. Your eyes and ears don't know what to listen to and what to see. Advance and retreat, bow, and humility will all lose their scale. In this way, the three generations in the family will lose harmony, the official ranks in the court will lose order, hunting and martial arts will lose strategy, the army will lose control, the palace construction will lose system, sacrificial vessels will lose style, all kinds of things will lose their due time, music will lose control, vehicles will lose formula, ghosts and gods will lose sacrifice and enjoyment, and funeral will lose harmony. Everything that is imposed on everyone and placed in front of them, and people's behaviors and actions are inappropriate. This will make it impossible to coordinate the concerted actions of the people. "
Confucius said, "Listen up, you three! I tell you, there are nine other things about the ceremony, four of which are unique to the ceremony. If you know this, even if you are a farmer, as long as you follow the ceremony, you will be a saint. When the two monarchs met, they bowed to each other and entered the gate. After the introduction, the bell and drum are played with other musical instruments. After bowing to each other again, they boarded the lobby. The music stopped after boarding the lobby. At this time, under the hall, the music of "Elephant" was played with wind music, and then the people who raised their glasses danced the dance of "Summer" and various dances. Arrange water beans and sacrificial bowls, arrange ceremonies and music in order, and prepare various deacons. In this way, the visiting monarch felt the kindness of his master. Here, people walk around according to the rules, their steps conform to the rules, and the car bell also conforms to the beat of the music "Picking". When guests go out, the hall plays the music of "harmony"; When the tableware on the table was removed, the movement of Zhen Yu was played. Therefore, a gentleman's actions are all about etiquette. When the guests enter the door, the bell rings to welcome them; In the hall, he played the poem "Qing Palace" to praise his merits; The dance music "Elephant" is played under the hall to show respect for the achievements of our ancestors. Therefore, in ancient times, when adults and gentlemen met, they didn't have to talk to each other, but they could convey their feelings through rites and music. Etiquette is reason; Music is a festival. Don't do unreasonable things, don't do unrestrained things. If you don't know how to express your wishes in poetry, you will make etiquette mistakes; If you can't use music, etiquette will be monotonous; If the morality is shallow, the ceremony will appear false. "
Zi Gong stood up and asked, "So, are you proficient in etiquette?" Confucius said, "Isn't Wei Xiao an ancient man? He's from ancient times! Being proficient in etiquette but not in music is called simplicity; Being proficient in music but not in manners is called prejudice. Wei Xiao probably only knows music and doesn't know manners, so he has a reputation of being proficient in music. But in ancient times, all systems existed in the ceremony, and the system was also decorated by the ceremony. It is probably up to people to implement it. "
When the three disciples heard Confucius' words, they suddenly brightened up, as if clearing the fog.
Comment and analysis
During the Spring and Autumn Period, the ceremony collapsed and the society was in chaos. Confucius wanted to restore the normal order of society with rites and music. The article "Confucius' Seclusion" tells some important views of Confucius on the ceremony, such as what the ceremony is and how to do it, and comprehensively discusses the function of the ceremony: "The ceremony of the suburban community is so kind to ghosts and gods; The gift of taste, so Ren Zhaomu also; The gift of eating and drinking, so benevolence dies and loses; Shooting ceremony, so Ren Xiang Fang also; The gift of food, so the guest is also kind. " It is still embarrassing to think that "governing the country is not good." What does it matter? " For example, I've been thinking about something all night in the secluded room. Why not light a candle and watch it? Therefore, rudeness is at a loss, deaf and dumb, and inaction. "