1. The philosopher Tsa?ng being sick, Meng King went to ask how he was.

2. Tsa?ng said to him, "When a bird is about to die, its notes are mournful; when a man is about to die, his words are good.

3. "There are three principles of conduct which the man of high rank should consider specially important:—that in his deportment and manner he keep from violence and heedlessness; that in regulating his countenance he keep near to sincerity; and that in his words and tones he keep far from lowness and impropriety. As to such matters as attending to the sacrificial vessels, there are the proper officers for them."

4. THE PHILOSOPHER TSANG'S DYING COUNSELS TO A MAN OF HIGH RANK. 1. 敬 was the hon. epi. of 仲孙捷, a great officer of Loo, and son of Mangwoo, II.6. From the conclusion of this chapter, we may suppose that he descended to small matters below his rank. 之refers to 疾. 2. 言, in 曾子言曰, intimates that Tsa?ng commenced the conversation. 3. 动, 正, and 出are all verbs governing the nouns following. 倍is read like 背, and with the same meaning, 'to rebel against', 'to be contrary to', that here opposed being 道, 'the truth and right'. 笾 was a bamboo dish with a stand, made to hold fruits and seeds at sacrifice; 豆was like it, and of the same size, only made of wood, and used to contain pickled vegetables and sauces. 君子 is used as in ch. 2.—In Ho An's compilation, the three clauses, begin. 斯远, are taken differently, and = 'thus he will not suffer from men's being violent and insulting, &c., &c.' I prefer the modern view.