子曰：「父母之年，不可不知也：一則以喜，一則以。」
Confucius said: “Always keep the age of your parents in mind. Let this knowledge be a source of both joy and dread.”
Life is short. Make the most of it. Spend as much time as possible with the people you care the most about. They won’t be around forever. Neither will you for that matter.
Continue reading Leadership Lessons from Confucius: life is short
子曰：「父母在，不遠遊，遊必有方。」
Confucius said: “When your parents are alive, do not travel far. If you do have to travel, be sure to have a specific destination.”
As business becomes increasingly global, it’s getting more and more difficult to achieve the right balance between your working and family lives. While apps like Skype make it easier to remain in touch with your loved ones while you’re on the road, online conversations remain a poor substitute for face-to-face conversations. Even high-resolution video cannot capture the nuances of physical presence with someone.
Continue reading Leadership Lessons from Confucius: do not travel far
子曰：「事父母幾諫，見志不從，又敬不違，勞而不怨。」
Confucius said: “When serving your parents, you may gently remonstrate with them. If you see that they’re not following your advice, remain respectful and do not contradict them. Don’t let your efforts turn to bitterness.” (1)
How to react when your boss refuses to listen to your counsel? Do you continue to fight your corner or do you gracefully withdraw from the fray by agreeing to disagree with him? Perhaps even more importantly, do you accept his refusal to bow to your wisdom with grace or do you let his obvious stupidity and blindness consume you with anger and resentment?
Continue reading Leadership Lessons from Confucius: when serving your parents
Filial devotion (孝/xiào) is one of the best known of the values taught by Confucius, not least because it was so heavily promoted by a succession of imperial dynasties starting with the Han who drew a direct link between obedience to parents and obedience to the ruler. Continue reading Analects of Confucius Book 1: Confucius on filial devotion
Read this new English translation of the Analects of Confucius Book 2 to learn more about the teachings of China’s most famous philosopher. Its main themes include leadership, filial devotion, learning, thinking, and trust.
Chapter 1
子曰：「為政以德，譬如北辰，居其所而眾星共之。」
Confucius said: “Governing by the power of virtue can be compared to the Pole Star, which remains fixed in place while all the other stars orbit respectfully around it.”
Continue reading Analects of Confucius Book 2: New English Translation
子夏曰：「賢賢易色，事父母能竭其力，事君能致其身，與朋友交言而有信，雖曰未學，吾必謂之學矣。」
Zixia said: “A man who values virtue over beauty, who devotes all his energy to serving his father and mother, who is willing to sacrifice his life for his ruler, and who is true to his word in his dealings with his friends: even though some may say he is not learned, I will insist he is a learned man.”
The seventh chapter of Book 1 of The Analects explores the same theme as the sixth one, with Zixia, one of Confucius’s disciples, giving his own spin on the qualities that a man should possess. Continue reading A truly learned man
子曰：「弟子入則孝，出則弟，謹而信，汎愛眾，而親仁。行有餘力，則以學文。」
Confucius said: “At home, a young man should respect his parents. Outside, he should respect his elders; talk little but truthfully; and love everyone but only associate with those who are good. If he still has time and energy to spare after all this, he can study the cultural arts.”
The sixth chapter of Book 1 of The Analects brought some long-buried admonitions from my childhood bubbling to the surface of my brain as I worked my way through the words. What was it about little children? Oh yes, shouldn’t they be seen but not heard? Continue reading Seen and Not Heard