1. Tsze-yew said, "The disciples and followers of Tsze-hea , in sprinkling and sweeping the ground, in answering and replying, in advancing and receding, are sufficiently accomplished. But these are only the branches of learning, and they are left ignorant of what is essential.—How can they be acknowledged as sufficiently taught?"

2. Tsze-hea heard of the remark and said, "Alas! Yen Yew is wrong. According to the way of the superior man in teaching, what departments are there which he considers of prime importance, and delivers? What are there which he considers of secondary importance, and allows himself to be idle about? But as in the case of plants, which are assorted according to their classes, so he deals with his disciples. How can the way of a superior man be such as to make fools of any of them? Is it not the sage alone, who can unite in one the beginning and the consummation of learning?"

12. TSZE-HEA'S DEFENCE OF HIS OWN GRADUATED METHOD OF TEACHING:—AGAINST TSZE-YEW. 1. 小子 is to be taken in apposition with 门人, being merely, as we have found it previously, an affectionate method of speaking of the disciples. The sprinkling, &c., are the things which boys were supposed anciently to be taught, the rudiments of learning, from which they advanced to all that is inculcated in the 大学. But as Tsze-hea's pupils were not boys, but men, we should understand, I suppose, these specifications as but a contemptuous reference to his instructions, as embracing merely what was external. 酒, read shae and sha, up. 1st tone, 'to sprinkle the ground before sweeping'. 应, upper 3d tone, 'to answer a call'. 对, 'to answer a question'. 抑= 'but', as in VII. 33. 本之is expanded by the paraphrasts—若本之所在, 'as to that in which the root (or, what is essential) is'. This is, no doubt, the meaning, but the phrase itself is abrupt and enigmatical. 如之何=如之何其可哉, in opposition to the 则可矣 above. 2. The general scope of Tsze-hea's reply is sufficiently plain, but the old interpreters and new differ in explaining the several sentences. After dwelling long on it, I have agreed generally with the new school, and followed Choo He in the translation. 区is explained in the dict. by 类, 'classes'.