The Duke Ching, of Ch'i, asked Confucius about government.
齐景公问政于孔子。
Confucius replied, "There is government, when the prince is prince, and the minister is minister, when the father is father, and the son is son."
孔子对曰:“君君,臣臣,父父,子子。”
"Good!" said the duke, "if, indeed, the prince be not prince, the minister not minister, the father not father, and the son not son, although I have my revenue, can I enjoy it?"
公曰:“善哉!信如君不君、臣不臣、父不父、子不子,虽有粟,吾得而食诸?”
The Master said, "Ah! it is Yu, who could with half a word settle litigations!" Tsze-lu never slept over a promise.
子曰:“片言可以折狱者,其由也与?”子路无宿诺。
![论语 论语](http://upload.kekenet.com/2019/1024/60991571885128.jpg)
The Master said, "In hearing litigations, I am like any other body. What is necessary, however, is to cause the people to have no litigations."
子曰:“听讼,吾犹人也。必也使无讼乎。”
Tsze-chang asked about government, the Master said, "The art of governing is to keep its affairs before the mind without weariness, and to practice them with undeviating consistency."
子张问政,子曰:“居之无倦,行之以忠。”
The Master said, "By extensively studying all learning, and keeping himself under the restraint of the rules of propriety, one may thus likewise not err from what is right."
子曰:“博学于文,约之以礼,亦可以弗畔矣夫。”
The Master said, "The superior man seeks to perfect the admirable qualities of men, and does not seek to perfect their bad qualities; The mean man does the opposite of this."
子曰:“君子成人之美,不成人之恶;小人反是。”