子游「子夏の若手の弟子達は家事や接客は良いが、つまりは使われの身だ、中身が無い。どうだろう」 子夏「違うな。どれを先にして、どれを後にするなどは問題でない。ちょうど植物を育てる手順がそれぞれで違うように、教育も能力に応じ人それぞれだ。全部身につくなんて聖人くらいのものだ」 Tsze-yu said, "The disciples and followers of Tsze-hsia, 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
Tsze-hsia heard of the remark and said, "Alas! Yen Yu 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?"