CHAP. XXIII. Tsze-lu asked how a ruler should be served. The
Master said, 'Do not impose on him, and, moreover, withstand him
to his face.'
CHAP. XXIV. The Master said, 'The progress of the superior
man is upwards; the progress of the mean man is downwards.'
CHAP. XXV. The Master said, 'In ancient times, men learned
with a view to their own improvement. Now-a-days, men learn
with a view to the approbation of others.'
CHAP. XXVI. 1. Chu Po-yu sent a messenger with friendly
inquiries to Confucius.
2. Confucius sat with him, and questioned him. 'What,' said he,
'is your master engaged in?' The messenger replied, 'My master is

anxious to make his faults few, but he has not yet succeeded.' He
then went out, and the Master said, 'A messenger indeed! A
messenger indeed!'
CHAP. XXVII. The Master said, 'He who is not in any particular
office, has nothing to do with plans for the administration of its
duties.'
CHAP. XXVIII. The philosopher Tsang said, 'The superior man,
in his thoughts, does not go out of his place.'
CHAP. XXIX. The Master said, 'The superior man is modest in
his speech, but exceeds in his actions.'
CHAP. XXX. 1. The Master said, 'The way of the superior man
is threefold, but I am not equal to it. Virtuous, he is free from
anxieties; wise, he is free from perplexities; bold, he is free from
fear.
2. Tsze-kung said, 'Master, that is what you yourself say.'

CHAP. XXXI. Tsze-kung was in the habit of comparing men