Paintings by Qiu Ying of the Ming Dynasty and “Zai Chen Jueliang Picture” of “Confucius’ Sacred Relics Picture” written by Wen Zhengming. (Public domain)
Zi Qin asked Yu Zigong: “Master, when it comes to establishing a state, you must hear about its government and ask for it, or should you give it to it?” Zigong said: “Master, you are gentle, kind, respectful, frugal, and generous. Master, you can get it. What are you asking for, are they different from what others are asking for?”(“The Analects of Confucius‧Xue Er‧10”)
【Note】
poultry: Chen Kang, courtesy name Ziqin. One said he was a disciple of Confucius. Zi Qin appears three times in The Analects of Confucius. Judging from his words, it seems that he is not; or that he is a friend of Zigong.
Zigong: Disciple of Confucius, surnamed Duanmu, given name Ci, courtesy name Zigong, from Wei, thirty-one years younger than Confucius. One of the “Four Subjects and Ten Philosophies”, it belongs to the “Speech” subject. Good at diplomacy and business.
Master: An ancient honorific. Huang Kan’s “Analects on Meanings”: “In terms of etiquette, a person who is a doctor in body and mind can be called a master. Confucius is a doctor of Lu, so his disciples call him a master.” Later, it was used as a title for the teacher, or it was used to refer specifically to Confucius.
Gentle, kind, respectful, frugal, and accommodating: Being gentle and moist is called gentleness, doing things without violating things is called good, being harmonious and never disobeying is called being respectful, avoiding extravagance and following covenants is called frugality, and putting others before oneself is called giving in. (Analects of Confucius Annotations)
【discuss】
Zigong finally appears in this chapter. Zigong’s language skills were unparalleled in the world. Fortunately, the political advisors Su Qin and Zhang Yi were born a hundred or two hundred years later. There is a story: Qi State wanted to attack Lu State. Confucius said to his disciples that Lu State is my hometown. Which of you can save Lu State? Zigong took on this burden. He came to the State of Qi and persuaded the King of Qi to attack the State of Wu; he went to the State of Wu and persuaded Fu Chai to attack the State of Qi; he went to the State of Yue and urged Gou Jian to attack Wu; and finally he went to the State of Jin and asked him to guard against the State of Wu. As a result, the fate of five countries was changed. “Historical Records” commented: When Gu Zigong came out, he saved Lu, disrupted Qi, defeated Wu, strengthened Jin, and dominated Yue.
This chapter is like a sketch, which demonstrates Zigong’s brilliance in speaking. Please see: Zi Qin was puzzled and asked Zi Gong quietly: Master, when you come to a country, you must know its political affairs. Where is the one you are asking for? Or was it told to him voluntarily? Zigong smiled and said humorously: We, Master, are gentle, kind, respectful, frugal and tolerant. This is how we know. Master’s desires should be different from others, right?
Modern people are too far away from the “Analects of Confucius” and may want to ask: Why can “Master be gentle, kind, respectful, thrifty and generous”? Here is a quote from Zhang Juzheng, the young emperor: “The reason why the master got to know the affairs of the country was not because the master wanted to ask for it, nor because the emperor gave it to him for no reason. It is because the master’s great virtues are filled in him, and the brilliance spontaneously comes from outside. Therefore, his appearance and words are so powerful. During the time, I can see that he is gentle and kind, without some rudeness; good and straightforward, without some pretense; respectful and solemn, without some laziness; frugal and temperate, without some indulgence; modest and modest, without some pride. The virtues and virtues of these five people moved people, so the kings of various countries naturally respected them without neglecting them, and believed in them without doubting them. They all came to visit the Master about the political affairs of the country that could be reformed, so the Master therefore Hearing ears.” In other words, Confucius heard about politics because of the inspiration of his virtues.
Zhang Juzheng also said: “Zigong’s words are not only enough to clear Ziqin’s doubts, but also make it possible to imagine the image of a saint for all eternity.” Indeed, when Zigong talked about Confucius, he only used “gentleness, kindness, respect, and thrift.” , let” these five words. These five characters not only express the profound cultivation of Confucius, but also are passed down from generation to generation as the essence of ancient Chinese traditional culture, shaping the unique character of Chinese civilization. Traditional Chinese people have more or less the flavor of these five characters. Confucius teaches people mainly to work on these five words.
Of course, some analysis should be done on this chapter. When Confucius was in his fifties, he wanted to save the world and traveled around the world. He was also “gentle, kind, respectful, frugal and accommodating”. Why didn’t he win the trust of the king of any country?
Zhang Shi of the Southern Song Dynasty said: “Master will definitely hear about the government of the country when he comes, but if there is no one who can entrust the country and entrust the government to Master, what can he do? For those who see the sage’s etiquette and are willing to inform him, he also has a good conscience of Yi. , and the soldiers cannot be taught to govern, it is because the husband’s selfish desires harm him.”
“Historical Records: The Family of Confucius” says: Confucius was out of food between the states of Chen and Cai. Knowing that his disciples were unhappy, he asked: “The Book of Songs says, ‘It is neither a rhinoceros nor a tiger, but it wanders in the wilderness.’ I am in such a miserable state now. Is our way wrong? Why have we fallen into this situation?” Yan Hui said to him: Master’s way is so great that no one in the world can tolerate it. Even so, Master still insisted on carrying it out. What does it matter if it cannot be tolerated by the world? It is precisely not being tolerated that shows you are a gentleman. Gentlemen should pay attention to cultivating their own way. If we don’t cultivate it well, that’s our problem; if we cultivate it well but are not reused, it is a shame for these countries. So what if they don’t tolerate us? Only then does it show that we are gentlemen! Confucius laughed happily after hearing this and said, “That’s right, Yan Hui, if you have a lot of property, I will be your housekeeper.” “
It can be seen that Confucius’s gentleness, kindness, respect, frugality, and concession are self-cultivation and self-cultivation, rather than seeking from outside and doing for others. What he pays attention to is getting without asking for anything.
Main reference materials
“Analects of Confucius” (Commentary and Commentary on the Thirteen Classics, edited by Li Xueqin, Peking University Press)
“Direct Interpretation of the Four Books” (Zhang Juzheng, Jiuzhou Publishing House)
“New Interpretation of the Analects of Confucius” (written by Qian Mu, Sanlian Bookstore)
“Annotations on the Analects of Confucius” (written by Yang Bojun, Zhonghua Book Company)
“Three Hundred Lectures on the Analects of Confucius” (written by Fu Peirong, Beijing United Publishing Company)
“Annotations on the Analects of Confucius” (written by Jin Liangnian, Shanghai Ancient Books Publishing House)
“The Analects of Confucius (Revised Edition)” (written by Sun Qinshan, Sanlian Bookstore)
“Fan Deng Talks about the Analects of Confucius: Learning” (Fan Deng, Beijing United Publishing Company)
Click to read the series of articles[“The Analects of Confucius”].
Editor in charge: Lin Fangyu#
