2. At the mourning rites for duke Tâo[1], Kî
Kâo-jze asked Mǎng King-jze what they should
eat (to show their grief) for the ruler. King-jze
replied, "To eat gruel is the general rule for all the
kingdom." (The other said), "It is known throughout
the four quarters that we three ministers[2] have
not been able to live in harmony with the ducal
house. I could by an effort make myself emaciated;
but would it not make men doubt whether I was
doing so in sincerity? I will eat rice as usual."
3. When Sze-thû King-jze of Wei died, Зze-hsiâ made a visit of condolence (to his house); and, though the chief mourner had not completed the slight dressing (of the corpse), he went in the headband and robe of mourning. Зze-yû paid a similar visit; and, when the chief mourner had completed the slight dressing, he went out, put on the bands, returned and wailed. Зze-hsiâ said to him, "Did you ever hear (that) that (was the proper method to observe)?" "I heard the Master say," was the reply, "that until the chief mourner had changed his dress, one should not assume the mourning bands[3]."
4. Зǎng-jze said, "An-jze may be said to have known well the rules of propriety;—he was humble and reverent." Yû Zo said, "An-jze wore the same
(robe of) fox-fur for thirty years. (At the burial of
- ↑ B.C. 467-431.
- ↑ The heads of the Kung-sun, Shû-sun, and Kî-sun families; whose power Confucius had tried in vain to break.
- ↑ In this case Зze-yû was correct, according to rule, following the example of the chief mourner. Sze-thû was a name of office,—the ministry of Instruction; but it had become in this case the family name; from some ancestor of King-jze, who had been minister of Instruction.
