鐔津文集 7.28

7.28

君子不以非師而師人。不以非師而師於人。故君子教尊而道正也。師者標道也。標者表方也。標不正則使人失其嚮。師不正則使人失其志。堯師於君疇舜師於務成昭。禹師於西王國。湯師於成子伯。文王師於時子思。武王師於郭叔。而孔子師七十二子。子夏師諸侯。子思師孟軻。孟子荀卿皆師其徒。堯舜禹湯文武善師於人。而後世嗣帝王者稽之也。孔子子夏子思諸子善師人。而後世踐聖賢者稽之也。天下者教為其本也。教者道為其主也。道者師為其端也。正其端所以為道也。正其主所以為教也。正其本所以為天下也。故古之君子不苟尊而師人。不苟從而師於人。其存心於天下乎。今天下其教未至。不亦苟為人師者之罪乎。不亦不擇師於人者之罪乎。

The exemplary person does not teach others unless one is truly a teacher, nor does one take others as teachers unless they are truly teachers. Therefore, the exemplary person's teaching is revered and their Way is upright. A teacher is a marker of the Way; a marker indicates direction. If the marker is not upright, it causes people to lose their direction; if the teacher is not upright, it causes people to lose their aspiration. Yao took Jun Chou as his teacher; Shun took Wucheng Zhao as his teacher; Yu took Xiwang Guo as his teacher; Tang took Chengzibo as his teacher; King Wen took Shizisi as his teacher; King Wu took Guo Shu as his teacher. Confucius took his seventy-two disciples as teachers; Zixia took the feudal lords as teachers; Zisi took Meng Ke as his teacher; Mencius and Xun Qing both took their disciples as teachers. Yao, Shun, Yu, Tang, Wen, and Wu were skilled at taking others as teachers, and subsequent emperors and kings examined their example. Confucius, Zixia, Zisi, and the various masters were skilled at teaching others, and subsequent people who walked the path of sages and worthies examined their example. Teaching is the root of all under Heaven; the Way is the master of teaching; the teacher is the starting point of the Way. Rectifying this starting point is that by which the Way is realized; rectifying this master is that by which teaching is realized; rectifying this root is that by which all under Heaven is governed. Therefore, the exemplary persons of antiquity did not improperly exalt themselves to teach others, nor did they carelessly follow others to take them as teachers. Was this not their concern for all under Heaven? In the present age, teaching under Heaven has not reached perfection; is this not the fault of those who carelessly act as teachers to others? Is it not also the fault of those who do not choose carefully when taking others as teachers?