本集課程重點包括：

一、人沒有信用，一切都不可靠

      一個人說話不算話、承諾也不算數，他的話就不被當一回事，人家對他沒有信心，不會跟他共事，也不會提拔他，這個人就算很聰明、很勇敢，一切都不可靠。

二、孔子的說話藝術

      孔子是一個善於說話的人，本章他用比喻來顯明義理，古代的大小馬（牛）車，如果沒有使木頭相接的金屬插銷，根本無法運作；就好比今日的汽車，沒有汽油也無法行走。金屬的插銷或者今日的汽油，要比喻的就是人的信用，沒有信用的人，孔子說：「這樣不曉得還可以行嗎？」，孔子沒有把話說死，讓人可以去反省，這是孔子說話的藝術。

三、守信的重要與權變

      守信至今仍十分重要，許多企業家也說，他人生成功的秘密就是守信。守信也有權變的空間，當承諾不合於義時，這樣的承諾不能遵守，然而還是要先培養自己守信的質地，真正多讀書、能活用聖賢的道理時，才可以權變。

為政篇第二十二章白話翻譯

【經文】

子曰：人而無信，不知其可也。大車無輗，小車無軏，其何以行之哉。

【字詞解釋】

輗：ㄋㄧˊ，駕牛車所用的牛軛兩頭與車槓扣合的關鍵。

軏：ㄩㄝˋ，駕馬車所用的馬軛兩頭與車槓扣合的關鍵。輗、軏都是先在兩轅端鑿圓孔，橫木兩頭也鑿圓孔，與轅孔相對。輗與軏，木製，外裡鐵皮，豎串於轅與軛的兩孔中，使轅與軛可以靈活轉動，不會滯固。車子的行動，車子本身既有輪，又有駕車馬，有轅與軛束縛之，但若無輗、軏，仍不能靈活行動。所以輗、軏是行車的關鍵。

【白話解釋】

      孔子說：一個人如果沒有信用，其餘都無可取了。就像是大車沒有連接轅端橫木的輗，小車沒有連接轅端橫木的軏，少了這個關鍵，車子無法行動。一個人沒有信用，妄言妄行，到哪裡都行不通，一事無成，更談不上學道。

【章旨】

      此章明不可無信也。

《論語講要》原文

      為人必須有信用。人而無信，可乎，不知其可也。劉氏正義引鄭注：「不知其可者，言不可行也。」以下說比喻。大車無輗，小車無軏，其何以行之哉。無輗，無軏，必不能行。人而無信，亦必不能行。

      包注：「大車，牛車。小車，駟馬車。」據鄭注及說文，大小車皆有轅，以為牛馬引車之用。轅端接一橫木，此橫木在大車名為鬲，在小車名為衡。轅端與橫木相接處，各鑿圓孔相對，以金屬物貫穿之，使轅端與橫木能活動自如。此金屬貫穿物，大車稱為輗，小車稱為軏，是大小車行動之關鍵。說文段注引戴東原說：「大車鬲以駕牛，小車衡以駕馬。其關鍵則名輗軏。轅所以引車，必施輗軏然後行。信之在人，亦交接相持之關鍵。故孔子以輗軏喻信。」

      無信之人，妄言妄行。不知其可，即是一事無成，更談不上學道。孔子喻以無輗無軏之後，便問何以行之。此何字又比可字活動，尤耐尋味。

English

Teacher Tang Yuling will accompany you to read The Analects 39

39.Book 2 Wei Zheng (Of Governance), Chapter 22

The Master said, “I do not know how a man without truthfulness is to get on. How can a large carriage be made to go without the crossbar for yoking the oxen to, or a small carriage without the arrangement for yoking the horses?”

Highlights of this lecture include:

1. A person who is not true and trusty makes him unreliable

  If a person does not keep his words and promises are not counted, his opinions became modest. People have no confidence in him, unpleasant to work with, not to speak of a promotion. Even if he is smart and brave, everything about him is considered unreliable.

2. Confucius’ art of speaking

  Confucius is good at speaking. In this chapter, the Master used metaphoric argumentation to express the importance to be trusty. In ancient time, animal-drawn carts, normally by oxen or horses were used as vehicle for transport. Larger cart here was referred to cart drew by oxen, and lighter cart was pulled by horses. In order to draught goods, a cart may have a pole or shaft and a horizontal drawbar, a bolt is to plug the two together. An animal-pull cart without a bolt (輗ni or 軏yue) cannot be operated. Just like automobiles without gasoline. The bolts or today’s gasoline are figuratively referred to as people’s trustworthiness to others. A person with poor credibility, the Master remarked, “I don’t know whether he is fine with it; or others will find him acceptable or not?” Confucius didn’t make conclusion, he let people reflect on it. Confucius is preeminent in wisely used language to let people think.

3. The importance of trustworthiness and its flexible application

  To be trusty and sincere remains important nowadays. Many entrepreneurs said that the secret of their successes is trustworthiness. Sometimes, trustworthiness has the right to change or modify due to different situations. When promises are not righteous, such promises cannot be kept. However, one must first cultivate his trusty virtue. To well-judge and adapt the flexibility to different conditions and circumstances, one has to read more and study hard before he can make the wisdom and standards provided by our great sages into full play.