一孔录The video for this chapter is still in production. For now this page gives the original text, the facsimile page, a working translation and the commentary; the full reading follows when the video is out.
季康子問政於孔子曰：如殺無道，以就有道，何如？孔子對曰：子為政，焉用殺？子欲善，而民善矣。君子之德風，小人之德草。草上之風，必偃。Ji Kangzi asked Confucius about government: What if I killed those without the Way in order to bring about the Way? Confucius replied: In governing, why use killing? If you desire the good, the people will be good. The virtue of the gentleman is the wind; the virtue of the petty man is the grass. When the wind passes over the grass, it surely bends.
What this chapter says
一孔按：季康子想杀无道以成有道，孔子说您为政，何必用杀。君子之德如风，小人之德如草，风吹到哪里草就倒向哪里。常有人问：季康子想杀无道以就有道，孔子为什么说“子为政，焉用杀”？上面是一孔录的回答。
Yikonglu's reading of this chapter is in Chinese for now; the English version comes with the video.
白Plain Chinese
季康子问，杀掉无道的人来成就有道，怎样，孔子说，你主持政事，何必用杀，你愿意向善，百姓也会向善。在上者的德行像风，百姓的德行像草，风吹到草上，草必随之倒伏。
Draft plain-Chinese rendering following Zhu Xi; it will be checked when the chapter is covered.
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Connections
- Same question
Asking about government: 10 times in the book. Different people asked, and got different answers:
- 12.7 Zigong: Enough food, enough arms, and the trust of the people.
- 12.11 Duke Jing of Qi: Let the ruler be a ruler, the minister a minister, the father a father, the son a son.
- 12.14 Zizhang: Keep it in mind without weariness; carry it out with loyalty.
- 12.17 Ji Kangzi: To govern is to set right.
- 12.19 Ji Kangzi: You govern; what need is there for killing?
- 13.1 Zilu: Go before them; toil for them.
- 13.2 Zhonggong: Put your officers to work first, pardon small faults, promote the worthy and able.
- 13.16 the Duke of She: Those near are pleased, and those far away come.
- 13.17 Zixia: Do not seek speed; do not look to small gains.
- 20.2 Zizhang: Honor the five excellences; banish the four evils.
- Same line elsewhere
- Analects 12.17 季康子問政於孔子。孔子對曰：……
- Other books
- Read alongside (Yikonglu)Daodejing 23: Laozi says a whirlwind does not last the whole morning, while Confucius likens the gentleman's virtue to the wind. The same word, wind, used two ways.
- Cited by commentatorsDaodejing 57: Jiao Hong records Xizhai's commentary, which cites "when the wind passes over the grass, it must bend" to explain "I do nothing, and the people transform of themselves" (我无为而民自化).
- Read alongside (Yikonglu)Daodejing 74: "There is always the executioner who does the killing" (常有司杀者杀). Confucius asks why governing should need killing at all.
- People
Relationship map of the whole book · The Analects, AI-reconstructed edition (PDF)
Close reading and checking
For readers who want to go deeper or check our work: key words in the commentary, what other commentators say, textual variants, the commentaries in their own words with facsimile pages, pronunciation and corrections. Tap a heading to open it.
常The common reading
季康子想杀无道以就有道，孔子为什么说“子为政，焉用杀”？
注Key words in the commentary
为政者，民所视效，何以杀为？欲善则民善矣。上，一作尚，加也。偃，仆也。
核Zhu Xi's commentary, line by line
Zhu Xi's own words on each line of this chapter, each checked against the base-edition page. Other commentators are added when the chapter is covered. About this edition
| Line | Quoted text | Page |
|---|---|---|
| 季康子问政于孔子 | “为政者，民所视效，何以杀为？欲善则民善矣。上，一作尚，加也。偃，仆也。” | page 167 |
| 草上之风，必偃。 | “杀之为言，岂为人上之语哉？以身教者从，以言教者讼，而况于杀乎？” | page 167 |
见Cross-references
- 季康子问政于孔子 Elsewhere in the Analects：季康子问政于孔子。（《论语》集注分章12.17（底本第 166 页））
家Other commentaries
Our base text is Zhu Xi's Collected Commentaries (above). Here are other commentaries side by side: for old commentaries, the first line of the sub-commentary with a link to the woodblock scan; for modern editions, one short quoted translation for comparison. The “compared with Zhu Xi” notes are written by Yikonglu, not quoted.
皇侃《论语义疏》Liang dynasty · 1750 Japanese woodblock edition · juan 六
“就，成也。”……
Compared with Zhu Xi
| Commentary | Point | Relation | Confidence | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 杨伯峻《论语译注》 | same | settled | 以善德感化胜于杀无道，风草喻上行下效；朱小人指在下民众，不是人人品德已恶的定性。 | |
| 钱穆《论语新解》 | same | fairly sure | 同以为政者受民视效、身善则民善，反对以杀不善成善政；风草为上行下效之喻，非草无主体价值之断。 |
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