Zhongyong – The Doctrine of the Mean

The Master said, "It is only king Wan of whom it can be said that he had no cause for grief! His father was king Chî, and his son was king Wû. His father laid the foundations of his dignity, and his son transmitted it.

Legge XVIII.1.

武王继承太王、王季、文王的基业，战灭大国殷商*得到天下，本身没有失去显赫于天下的名声。尊贵地做了天子，财富拥有整个天下的一切。有宗庙的祭品供他享受，子子孙孙不断保持他的功业。
* “壹戎衣”，《尚书·康诰》上作“殪戎殷”。衣读为殷，大的意思，当时殷自称“大”，周代也尊之为大。壹是殪的简笔字。

白话翻译

"King Wû continued the enterprise of king T'âi, king Chî, and king Wan. He once buckled on his armor, and got possession of the kingdom. He did not lose the distinguished personal reputation which he had throughout the kingdom. His dignity was the royal throne. His riches were the possession of all within the four seas. He offered his sacrifices in his ancestral temple, and his descendants maintained the sacrifices to himself.

Legge XVIII.2.

武王年老才受命为天子，周公完成文王、武王的行业，追崇太王、王季为王，祭祀祖先时他们用帝王的礼节。这种礼节，通行到诸侯、大夫，一直到士人和平民。父亲是大夫，儿子是士人，用大夫的礼仪埋葬他，用士人的礼仪祭祀他。父亲是士人，儿子是大夫，用士人的礼仪埋葬他，用大夫的礼仪祭祀他。旁系亲属一年的丧期，到大夫为止。三年的丧期一直通行到天子。至于父母的丧，不论地位高低，是一个样的服丧。”

白话翻译

"It was in his old age that king Wû received the appointment to the throne, and the duke of Châu completed the virtuous course of Wan and Wû. He carried up the title of king to T'âi and Chî, and sacrificed to all the former dukes above them with the royal ceremonies. And this rule he extended to the princes of the kingdom, the great officers, the scholars, and the common people. If the father were a great officer and the son a scholar, then the burial was that due to a great officer, and the sacrifice that due to a scholar. If the father were a scholar and the son a great officer, then the burial was that due to a scholar, and the sacrifice that due to a great officer. The one year's mourning was made to extend only to the great officers, but the three years' mourning extended to the Son of Heaven. In the mourning for a father or mother, he allowed no difference between the noble and the mean.

Legge XVIII.3.

孔子说：“开王和周公是天下公认的大孝子吧！孝是什么呢？

白话翻译