1. The music master, Mёen, having called upon him, when they came to the steps, the Master said, "Here are the steps." When they came to the mat for the guest to sit upon,

36. THE SUPERIOR MAN'S FIRMNESS IS BASED ON RIGHT. 贞 is used here in the sense which it has throughout the Yih-king. Both it and 谅 imply firmness, but 贞 supposes a moral and intelligent basis which may be absent from 谅; see XIV. 18, 3.

37. THE FAITHFUL MINISTER. The 其refers not to君, but to the individual who 事君. We have to supply the subject—'a minister'. 后, as in VI. 20.

38. THE EFFECT OF TEACHING. Choo He says on this:—'The nature of all men is good, but we find among them the different classes of good and bad. This is the effect of physical constitution and of practice. The superior man, in consequence, employs his teaching, and all may be brought back to the state of good, and there is no necessity (The lang. is 不当复论其类之恶) of speaking any more of the badness of some.' This is very extravagant. Teaching is not so omnipotent.—The old interpretation is simply that in teaching there should be no distinction of classes.

39. AGREEMENT IN PRINCIPLE NECESSARY TO CONCORD IN PLANS. 为 is the 3d tone, but I do not see that there would be any great difference in the meaning, if it were read in its usual 1st tone.

40. PERSPICOUITY THE CHIEF VIRTUE OF LANGUAGE. 辞 may be used both of speech and of style.

he said, "Here is the mat." When all were seated, the Master informed him, saying, "So and so is here; so and so is here."

2. The Music-master, Mёen, having gone out, Tszechang asked, saying. "Is it the rule to tell those things to the Music-master?"

3. The Master said, "Yes. This is certainly the rule for those who lead the blind."

41. CONSIDERATION OF CONFUCIUS FOR THE BLIND. 1. 师,—i.q.太师, III. 23. Anciently, the blind were employed in the offices of music, partly because their sense of hearing was more than ordinarily acute, and partly that they might be made of some use in the world; see 集证, in loc. 见,—low 3d tone. Mёen had come to Conf. house, under the care of a guide, but the sage met him, and undertook the care of him himself. 2. 之 is governed by 言, and refers to the words of Conf. to Mёen in the preceding paragraph.