Pre-chin Confucianism I:
The Analects論語
Lecture Outline
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Confucius the Sage
Attitude on Traditional Heritage
Attitude on Afterlife
Political Ideas
Important Ideas in Confucius’
Analects
e.g. xue/learning學, ren仁, junzi君子
Confucius孔子: the Sage
• “The Teacher of the Ten Thousand
Generations”萬世師表/ a sage聖人
• Born in Spring-Autumn春秋 period
The Life of Confucius
(551-479 B.C.)
• At a very early age: orphaned
• Young mother married as a concubine
to his old father, who died soon.
• He said, “I was of humble station
when young. That is why I am skilled
in many menial things” (Analects 9.6)
The Life of Confucius
(551-479 B.C.)
• Born in the state of Lu (魯): small, weak
• Became the police commissioner for a
short period of time in the time of Duke
Ting (r. 509-494 B.C.)
• Two events took place:
– Accompanied Duke Ting to meet with Duke
Ching of Chi(齊): a diplomatic victory.
– An abortive plan to demolish 3 powerful nobles
in Lu.
The Life of Confucius
(551-479 B.C.)
• 497 B.C. (probably): left Lu & return after
13 years
• Why?
• “The men of Chi [a noble of Lu] made a
present of singing and dancing girls. Chi
Huanzi [Duke of Lu] accepted them and
stayed away from court for three days” (A
18.4)
The Life of Confucius
(551-479 B.C.)
• The Mencius孟子:
• “Confucius was the police commissioner of Lu, but
his advice was not followed. He took part in a
sacrifice, but afterwards, was not given a share
of the meat of the sacrificial animal. He left the
state without waiting to take off his ceremonial
cap.
• Mencius’ comment was: “Those who did not
understand him thought he acted in this way
because of the meat, but those who understand
him realized that he left because Lu failed to
observe the proper rites (li)” (Mencius 12.6)
The Life of Confucius
(551-479 B.C.)
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Travel to various states
Failed, old: back to Lu魯.
A professional teacher: 3000 students.
Last years: saddened by the death of
– his son
– his favorite disciple, Yan Hui顏回
– both at an early age.
Confucius’s Analects
• Everyday conservations between Confucius and his
disciples or others
• NOT systematic/logical.
• Scattered passages: condense, short
• commonly in text of similar period
How to read the
Analects ?
• Look for all passages containing the
particular important words/terms.
• Synthesizing the passages together for a
better understanding of that words/terms
• D.C. Lau & Chen Fong Ching:The ICS
Ancient Chinese Texts Concordance Series,
The Commercial Press (Hong Kong): 1995
Confucius’ Attitude on
Traditional Heritage
• Tradition heritage: foundation in Confucius’ self-cultivation/to
be a “full”/ “complete” person (junzi君子)
• The Shijing 詩經, The Shujing 書經, The Book of Rites/Lijing 禮
記, The Book of Change 易經,The Book of Music 樂
• Confucius “uses the correct pronunciation for the Book of
Songs (Shijing), the Book of History (Shujing) and the
performance of the rites, li 禮” (A 7.18).
Confucius’ Attitude on
Traditional Heritage
• Set the model for later generations.
• Chinese philosophers re-construct rather
than revolutionize philosophies before
them.
– Mencius孟子 & Xunzi荀子 agree with The
Analects
• Add new ideas/elements Confucius
– Aristotle negates Platonic teachings
• proposes his new philosophy
Text: Confucius’
Attitude on Traditional
Heritage
• Those who learn from the tradition:
“Having ascended the hall, though
they may not have gained entrance to
the inner chamber” (升堂矣, 未入室)
(A 11.15)
– i.e. achieved some progress in selfcultivation/ becoming a junzi 君子.
Shijing for Confucius
• “Be stimulated by the Shijing, take one’s stand
through with the help of the li, and be perfected
by music” (興於詩,立於禮,成於樂) (A 8.8).
• The Shijing can stimulate the imagination, endow
one with breeding, enable one to live in a
community, and give expression to grievances (詩,
可以興,可以觀,可以群,可以怨) (A 17.9).
• Quotes from the Shijing (A 1.15, 8.3, 3.8, 16.13,
17.9).
Confucius’ Attitude on
Afterlife
• Great impact for Chinese
• Did not care/talk about life after death/
spiritual beings.
– “It is man who is capable of broadening dao
(the Way). It is not dao that is capable of
broadening man.” (人能弘道,非道弘人)(A 15.29)
– the Way (Dao) does not pre-determine human
being
Confucius’ Attitude on
Afterlife
• Zilu子路 [a close disciple of Confucius] asked
about the spirits of the dead and the gods should
be served. The Master said, “You are not able
even to serve man. How can you serve the
spirits”(未能事人,焉能事鬼)
• “May I ask about death?” (敢問死)
• “You do not understand even life. How can you
understand death?”(未知生,焉知死) (A 11.12)
Confucius’ Attitude on
Afterlife
• Fanzhi樊遲 [a disciple of Confucius]
asked about zhi/wisdom.
• The Master said, “To work for things
the common people have a right to
and to keep one’s distance from the
gods and spirits of the dead while
showing them reverence can be called
wisdom.”(務民之義,敬鬼神而遠之,可謂
知矣) (A 6.22)
Confucius’ Philosophy
• 1. philosophy of life, how to become
a full human being/ junzi (by selfcultivation)
• 2. To have a good government and
harmonious human relations.
Virtue vs. Punishment
• The Master said, “Guide them by edicts, keep them in line
with punishments, and the common people will stay out of
trouble but will have no sense of shame. Guide them by
virtue (de), keep them in line with the rites (li), they will,
besides having a sense of shame, reform themselves.”(道之
以政,齊之以刑,民免而無恥;道之以德,齊之以禮,有恥且格) (A 2.3)
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- punishment/modern law & order: what one should not do
(negative aspect).
• Confucius’ teachings: what one should do (positive aspect)
Confucius:
Philosophy of Life
• Nobility: of moral character, not a matter
of blood, but of moral character.
– Yan Hui (his favorite disciple):
• poor
• the only one: “does not lapse from ren for three
months” (三月不違仁)
• a junzi/full human: not for reward/success
• Morality: for its own sake.
• The process of self-cultivation
– by learning (xue學) & reflection (think思).
Important Terms/Ideas:
Cannot be translated
• 1.xue 學 (to “learn,” to “study by heart,” to
“understand,” always includes to “act
according to what you have learn”)
• 2. ren 仁 (“benevolent”, “authoritative”,
“love”, “kindness”, “altruism”)
• 3. li 禮 (“rites”, “propriety”, “ceremony”,
“manners”)
• 4. junzi 君子 (“gentleman”, “good person”,
“moral person”)
1. xue
• xue 學: 65 times
• e.g.: xue shi can be translated as
• 1. “to study the Shijing”
– * a practical application to something
theoretical.
• 2. “learning the Shijing by heart”
– * part of the meaning but not the whole.
1. xue
• xue shi 學詩
– to improve one’s sensibility
– to enable one to use lines from the Shijing to convey a
meaning capable of a subtle interpretation.
• Xue ????????
– Zixia子夏 (a disciple of Confucius) says:
– “he would grant those who act and behave appropriately
as schooled, even though they never received formal
education (xue)” (賢賢易色;事父母,能竭其力;事君,能致其身;
與朋友交,言而有信. 雖曰未學,吾必謂之學矣) (A 1.7).
1. xue
• xue: long, arduous process
– VERY few
– Confucius- a lot of students (A 11.7)
• ONLY Yan Hui truly loves learning (haoxue好學).
– “After his [Hui’s] death, there is no one”(有顏
回者好學,不幸短命死矣,今也則亡) (A 11.7, 6.3).
1. xue
• Xue :
– the process of human becoming/ self-cultivation
– the development of character: the promotion of the way (dao
道)
– BUT opposed to craftsmenship for specific skills/ master a
trade(百工居肆以成其事,君子學以致其道) (A 19.7).
• Xue :book-learning & life-learning.
• Confucius: once reproved by a villager for not having
mastered any specialty although he was broad in learning (博
學而無所成名) (A 9.2).
1. xue
• a junzi is not a “mere vessel,”(君子不
器) (A 2.12)
– a junzi :not a person of instrumental
skills.
• xue for self-cultivation vs. skills to
earn a living).
1. xue
• one should be concerned with how to live our lives
with dao but not preoccupied with making a living
– “Go and till the land and you will not end up by being
hungry as a matter of course; study, and you will end up
with the salary of an official as a matter of course.”(君
子謀道不謀食. 耕也,餒在其中矣;學也,祿在其中矣.君子憂道不
憂貧) (A 15.32).
• Most: xue for fame/power/wealth
1. xue
• a disciple asks: xue for an official post.
– Confucius says, “if one focused on self-cultivation, an
official post would come therein” (言寡尤,行寡悔,祿在其中
矣) (A 2.18).
• “Very difficult to find one who would study (xue)
for three years without concentrating on the
matter of salary” (三年學,不至於穀,不易得也)(A
8.12).
– only one Yan Hui: focused on xue for the sake of selfcultivation
1. Passages on xue in the
Analects
• The Master says, “If one learns from others but
does not think, one will be bewildered. If, on the
other hand, one thinks but does not learn from
others, one will be in danger.” (學而不思則罔,思而
不學則殆) (A 2.15)
• Zihsia [a disciple of Confucius] says, “When a man
in office finds that he can more than cope with
his duties, then he studies; when a student finds
that he can more than cope with his studies, then
he takes office.”(仕而優則學,學而優則仕) (A 19.13)
1. Passages on xue in the
Analects
• (A 14.24) The Master says, “Men of antiquity
studied to improved themselves; men today study
to impress others.”(古之學為己,今之學為人)
• (A 16.9) Confucius says, “Those who born with
knowledge are the highest. Next come those who
attain knowledge through study/xue. Next again
come those who turn to study/xue after having
been vexed by difficulties. The common people, in
so far as they make no effort to study/xue even
after having been vexed by difficulties, are the
lowest.” (生而知之者上也;學而知之者次之;困而學之,
又其次也;困而不學,民斯為下矣)
2. ren 仁
• 109 times
• The most important moral quality
• Ren: the moral quality a junzi 君子must possess
• The word was used before Confucius
– but he adds complexity & moral quality to the term.
• Confucius answered 6 direct questions on ren
2. ren 仁
• “If the junzi forsakes ren, wherein can he make a name for
himself? The junzi never deserts ren, not even for as long
as it takes to eat a meal. If he hurries and stumbles one
may be sure that it is in ren that he does so.” (君子去仁,惡乎
成名?君子無終食之間違仁,造次必於是,顛沛必於是) (A 4.5)
• Some passages:
– “the junzi” and “the renzhe” 仁者(person of ren) are almost
interchangeable terms.
– “The junzi is free from worries and fears不憂” (A 12.4)
– The renzhe is not to have worries不憂(A 9.29, 14.28).
2. ren 仁
• Confucius’ answer on ren
– “Do not impose on others what you yourself do not desire”
(己所不欲,勿施於人) (A 12.2).
– “A renzhe helps others to take their stand [become a
junzi] in that he himself wishes to take his stand, and
gets others there in that he himself wishes to get there.
The ability to take as analogy what is near at hand can
be called the method of ren” (己欲立而立人,己欲達而達人.
能近取譬,可謂仁之方也已)(A 6.30)
• His answers: close to a German philosopher,
Immanuel Kant’s morality and duty.
2. ren 仁
• Kant’s central notion of duty:
– “universal conformity to law”
– a generalized version of the Golden Rule:
“Do unto others as you would have them
do unto you”
• “What if everyone were to do that?”
2. ren 仁
• Confucius:
-“Do not impose on others what you
yourself do not desire” (A 12.2).
• Immanuel Kant:
• - “Do unto others as you would have
them do unto you.”
2. ren 仁
• ren: “Love your fellow men” (愛人) (A
12.22)– very brief
• “In guiding a state of thousand
chariots…keep expenditure under proper
regulation and love your fellow men; employ
the labor of the common people in the
right seasons”(道千乘之國,敬事而信,節用而
愛人,使民以時) (A 1.5).
2. How to become ren 仁?
(A 14.4) The Master says, “…A renzhe is sure to
possess courage, but a courageous man does not
necessarily possess ren.”(仁者必有勇,勇者不必有仁)
---a renzhe : a courageous person
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(A 13.27) The Master says, “Unbending strength,
resoluteness, simplicity and slowness of speech are
close to be ren.”(剛,毅,木,訥近仁)
---characters close to being ren
–