Original text:

Zhang Xueqianlu. Confucius said: "If you hear many doubts and doubts, and be careful in what you say, you will have few regrets. If you see many doubts, and be careful in doing other things, you will have few regrets. If you speak few words, you will have few regrets in action, and there will be wealth."

Translation:

Zizhang asked how to seek employment. The teacher said, "Listen more to what others say, and put aside the things you find suspicious, and speak cautiously about the rest. Pay more attention to what others are doing, put aside the things you feel uneasy about, and speak more cautiously about the rest. Act cautiously, and you will have fewer regrets. Make fewer mistakes in your words, and have fewer regrets in your actions. This is the way to seek a career."

Source: "The Analects of Confucius"

"The Analects of Confucius" is a collection of quotations from Confucius and his disciples. It was compiled by Confucius's disciples and his disciples and was completed in the early Warring States Period. This book mainly records the words and deeds of Confucius and his disciples, and reflects Confucius's thoughts more concentratedly. It is one of the classic works of the Confucian school. The book has 20 chapters and 492 articles, mainly in the form of quotations and supplemented by narratives, which embodies Confucius's political opinions, ethical thoughts, moral concepts and educational principles. Together with "The Great Learning", "The Doctrine of the Mean" and "Mencius", it is called the "Four Books". Together with the "Five Classics" such as "The Book of Songs", it is collectively called the "Four Books and the Five Classics".

"The Analects" had three versions in ancient times, including "Gu Lun", "Lun of Lu" and "Lun of Qi". The current version of "The Analects of Confucius" is compiled from "Lu Lun" and "Gu Lun".

Compiler

In the first year of Yongping (AD 58), Xu Fang wrote a letter saying, "The invention of chapters and sentences began with Zixia." "Mao Shi" is directly inherited from Zixia. Xu Fangyan said that emphasizing the importance of learning from others is a key link in the history of thought. It is also said that "The Analects of Confucius is not suitable for shooting policy", which shows that the status of the Analects of Confucius was not high at that time.

Later Zhao Qi's "Inscriptions to Mencius" included "the category of seventy disciples, who gathered what Confucius said as the Analects of Confucius." The Analects of Confucius is the "Five Classics" and the "Six Arts" It’s said that it’s the throat.”

Song Confucianism respected Yan Hui and had the "joy of Confucius and Yan". Xiao Chengzi Yichuan once wrote "What Learning Does Yan Zi Like?" The status of "The Analects of Confucius" has been greatly improved.

Qing Dynasty scholar Cui Shuze put forward different opinions on the compilation of "The Analects of Confucius". He noticed that there are differences in style and title between the ten chapters before and after the current version of "The Analects". The first ten chapters record Confucius's answer to the public. , Duke Ai's questions were all changed to "Confucius's answer" to express respect for the king. When answering the doctor's question, he said "Zi Yue", which means that he is different from the king and "determines the will of the people by distinguishing between superior and inferior". Then among the last ten chapters, "Advance", "Yan Yuan" and other chapters, the answers to the doctor's questions are all "Confucius answered", so it is suspected that "the first ten chapters are all recorded by Zi, Zengzi's disciples, and the saints are not far away, and the ritual system Fang Ming;

The last ten chapters were continued by later generations. At that time, the minister's position was respected and the minister's rights were important. Some people were accustomed to the name in the world but did not examine its style in detail, so there cannot be similarities and differences. also". Another example is that in the first ten chapters, Confucius is generally called "Zi" instead of "Confucius", and his disciples do not say "ask about Confucius" when asking about learning. Among the next ten chapters, "Ji Shi" and "Wei Zi" are mostly called Confucius. Zhang Wenren in "Yang Huo" and Zhang Wenzheng in "Yao Yue" are both called "Wen Yu Confucius", which is the same as "The Analects of Confucius". Other chapters are different, "It is not the posthumous writings of Confucius, but they are all copied from other writings by later generations." [ii] Influenced by Cui Shu, later scholars continued to judge the composition of the Analects based on the differences in terms and titles in the ten chapters before and after the Analects. Some scholars even believed that the Analects had only a single chapter in the beginning, and that it had to be compiled into a book. After the Han Dynasty.

Lu Deming of the Tang Dynasty quoted Zheng Xuan's note from "Classic Interpretation" as saying: "The Analects" was "written by Zhong Gong, Zi You, Zi Xia, etc." This statement is supported by circumstantial evidence in Guodian Slips. Guodian Tomb No. 1 is no later than 300 BC. Guodian's bamboo slips ""Yu Cong·3" quotes the Analects of Confucius, further confirming the early date of the book." "Yu Cong·1" quotes the content of Zisizi's "Fang Ji", and "Fang Ji" also quotes the content of "The Analects of Confucius". "Yu Cong excerpts "Fang Ji", proving that "Fang Ji" is earlier than the end of the middle period of the Warring States Period, and "Fang Ji" also quotes "The Analects of Confucius". It seems that "The Analects of Confucius" was written by Confucius disciples Zhong Gong, Zi Xia and others. It is still believable to say.”

Among Confucius’s disciples, there are sons who are descendants of Confucius. Confucius did what he did, so it is not surprising that he is called son. The intention of the disciple. In addition to Confucius, there were Zi, Zeng Zi, Ran Zi, and Min Zi, who were also called Zi. Ran Zi and Min Zi died young, so the only Confucian leader who could be taught by him was Zeng Shen. Among those who had sons in the old generation, only Zeng Zi was possible. Although Yan Hui was respected, he died early and did not have time to accept disciples. It was not recorded by his disciples, so he was not called son. It may have been recorded by his family. Yuan Xian, Knee Diao Kai, although he accepted disciples, he was known as Zi Si Zi, Knee Diao Zi, but the Analects of Confucius recorded it and it was not recorded by his disciples, so he was not called Zi. Most of them were mentioned by his brothers occasionally.