The Analects
Analects of ConfuciusThe Analects of ConfuciusConfucius
The Analects of Confucius
Biography of Confucius1:1 Confucius said: "Isn’t it a pleasure to study and practicewhat you have learned? Isn’t it also great when friends visitfrom distant places? If people do not recognize me and itdoesn’t bother me, am I not a Superior Man?"[Comment] Superior Man is a common Englishtranslation for the Chinese term ch•n-tzu which originallymeans "Son of a Prince"—thus, someone from thenobility. In the Analects, Confucius imbues the term witha special meaning. Though sometimes used strictly in itsoriginal sense, it also refers to a person who has madesignificant progress in the Way (Tao) of self-cultivation, by practicing Righteousness, by loving treatment of parents, respect for elders, honesty with friends, etc.Though the ch•n-tzu is clearly a highly advanced human being, he is still distinguished from the category of sage(sheng-jen), who is, in the Analects more of a "divine being," usually a model from great antiquity.The character of the Superior Man, in contrast to the sage, is being taught as a tangible model for all in the here and now.And although many descriptions of the requirements for ch•n-tzu status seem quite out of our reach, there are many passageswhere Confucius labels a contemporary, or one of his disciples a"Superior Man," intending a complement. Thus, thecategorization is not so rigid. One might want to compare theterm "Superior Man" to the Buddhist bodhisattva, in that bothare the models for the tradition, both indicate a very high stage
of human development as technical terms, yet both may be usedcolloquially to refer to a "really good person."1:2 Yu Tzu said: "There are few who have developedthemselves filially and fraternally who enjoy offending their superiors. Those who do not enjoy offending superiors are never troublemakers. The Superior Man concerns himself with thefundamentals. Once the fundamentals are established, the proper way (tao) appears. Are not filial piety and obedience toelders fundamental to the enactment of jen?"[Comment] The Chinese term jen has been translated intoEnglish as "humanity," "benevolence," "goodness,""Perfect Goodness," etc. It is a difficult concept totranslate because it doesn’t really refer to any specific typeof virtue or positive endowment, but refers to an inner capacity possessed by all human beings to do good, ashuman beings should. This is the reason some havetranslated it as "humanity." The problem with thistranslation is that it does not indicate the "goodness"implied by the term jen.In the Chinese "essence-function" perception, jen can beunderstood as the essence of all kinds of manifestations of virtuosity: wisdom, filial piety, reverence, courtesy, love,sincerity, etc., all of which are aspects, or functions of jen.Through one’s efforts at practicing at the function of jen, onemay enhance and develop one’s jen, until one may be called aSuperior Man, or even better, a "Person of jen." In the Analects,"person of jen" is an extremely high state, rarely acknowledgedof any human being by Confucius.1:3 Confucius said: "Someone who is a clever speaker andmaintains a ‘too-smiley’ face is seldom considered a person of jen."1:4 Tseng Tzu said: "Each day I examine myself in three ways:in doing things for others, have I been disloyal? In myinteractions with friends, have I been untrustworthy? Have not practiced what I have preached?"
1:5 Confucius said: "If you would govern a state of a thousandchariots (a small-to-middle-size state), you must pay strictattention to business, be true to your word, be economical inexpenditure and love the people. You should use themaccording to the seasons."[Comment] "Usage of the people according to theseasons" is extremely important in an agriculture-basedsociety, where planting, cultivating, or harvesting a certaincrop during a certain few-day period can be critical.During the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods in China, selfish and aggressive warlordsfrequently pulled farmers off their land at importantfarming times, to use them for public works projects, or have them fight in the ruler’s personal wars.1:6 Confucius said: "A young man should serve his parents athome and be respectful to elders outside his home. He should beearnest and truthful, loving all, but become intimate with jen.After doing this, if he has energy to spare, he can studyliterature and the arts."[Comment] In the above-mentioned essence-functionview, the development of one’s proper relationship withone’s parents and others around her/him is fundamental inlife. Only after these things are taken care of is it proper togo off and play at whatever one likes—even if this "play"involves the serious study of some art form.1:7 Tzu Hsia said: "If you can treat the worthy as worthywithout strain, exert your utmost in serving your parents, devoteyour whole self in serving your prince, and be honest in speechwhen dealing with your friends. Then even if someone says youare not learned (hs•eh), I would say that you are definitelylearned."[Comment] In the Confucian tradition, learning (hs•eh) ismore than intellectual, academic study, or theaccumulation of facts (although this aspect is included). Itis the process of manifesting one’s jen by developing-
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