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Commentary on the Confucian Analects, Book 14: "Hsien Wan" Part 2/3

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7 years ago
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"The Master said, 'In ancient times, men learned with a view to their own improvement. Nowadays, men learn with a view to the approbation of others.'"

Hello everyone! This is the next post in my series of commentaries on the Confucian Analects. For those of you who are new, the previous posts will be linked down below. Let's get into the next part of my commentaries on Book 14!

Here is the part of my commentaries on Book 14: Hsien Wan:

[Image Source: pixabay.com, License: CCO Public Domain]

Original text from the Public Domain Confucian Analects (from the 2013 edition of "The Art of War and Other Classics of Eastern Thought")

@cmp2020 original commentary

Hsien Wan

XVI
The different characters of the dukes Wan of Tsin and Hwan of Ch'i
The Master said, "The duke Wan of Tsin was crafty and not upright. The duke Hwan of Ch'i was upright and not crafty."

The point of this passage is that deceit and honor do not go hand in hand. The duke of Tsin was deceitful and therefore was not honorable. The duke of Ch'i was honorable and therefore was not deceitful.

XVII
The merit of Kwan Chung-a conversation with Tsze-lu

  1. Tsze-lu said, "The duke Hwan caused his brother Chiu to be killed when Shao Hu died with his master, but Kwan Chung did not die. May not I say that he was wanting in virtue?"
  2. The Master said, "The duke Hwan assembled all the princes together, and that not with weapons of war and chariots: it was all through the influence of Kwan Chung. Whose beneficence was like his? Whose beneficence was like his?"

The point of this passage is that Kwan Chung was able to convince all of the princes to meet without the use of war, even though Hwan caused the death of one of the princes.

XVIII
The merit of Kwan Chung-a conversation with Tsze-kung

  1. Tsze-kung said, "Kwan Chung, I apprehend, was wanting in virtue. When the duke Hwan caused his brother Chiu to be killed, Kwan Chung was not able to die with him. Moreover, he became prime minister to Hwan."
  2. The Master said, "Kwan Chung acted as prime minister to the duke Hwan made him leader of all the princes, and united and rectified the whole kingdom. Down to the present day, the people enjoy the gifts which he conferred. But for Kwan Chung, we should now be wearing our hair unbound, and the lappels of our coats buttoning on the left side."
  3. "Will you require from him the small fidelity of common men and common women, who would commit suicide in a stream or ditch, no one knowing anything about them?"

This passage makes the same point as the previous one, but adds that even though Kwan Chung did not follow through with one of the traditional rituals of killing himself after his brother died, his accomplishments still outweighed his mistakes.

XIX
The merit of Kung-shu Wan in recommending to high office, while in an inferior position, a man of worth

  1. The great officer, Hsien, who had been family minister to Kung-shu Wan, ascended to the princes court in company with Wan.
  2. The Master, having heard of it, said, "He deserved to be considered Wan (the accomplished)."

I think the point of this passage is that a good worker should aim to be of value no matter what position he holds. He may or may not be promoted as a result of this, but he does what is necessary to ensure that his tasks are completed with the utmost efficiency.

XX
The importance of good and able ministers-seen in the state of Wei

  1. The Master was speaking about the unprincipled course of the duke Ling of Wei, when Ch'i K'ang said, "Since he is of such a character, how is it he does not lose his State?"
  2. Confucius said, "The Chung-shu Yü has the superintendence of his guests and of strangers; the litanist, T'o, has the management of his ancestral temple; and Wang-sun Chia has the direction of the army and forces: with such officers as these, how should he lose his State?"

There are good aspects and bad aspects in any situation. Do not focus on the bad, but rather focus on the good. Confucius made the point that even though the duke of Wei was bad, his officers were all competent hard workers, and therefore nothing was wrong with the government, and there was no reason to remove the duke. This is like the modern cliche "If it aint broke, don't fix it."

XXI
Extravagent speech hard to be made good
The Master said, "He who speaks without modesty will find it difficult to make his words good."

The point of this passage is that it is hard to make something sound good that is not backed by evidence.

XXII
How Confucius wished to avenge the murder of the duke of Ch'i-his righteous and public spirit

  1. Chan Ch'ang murdered the duke Chien of Ch'i.
  2. Confucius bathed, went to court and informed the duke of Ai, saying, "Chan Hang has slain his sovereign. I beg that you will undertake to punish him."
  3. The duke said, "Inform the chiefs of the three families of it."
  4. Confucius retired, and said, "Following in the rear of the great officers, I did not dare not to represent such a matter, and my prince says, 'Inform the chiefs of the three families of it.'"
  5. He went to the chiefs, and informed them, but they would not act. Confucius then said, "Following in the rear of the great officers, I did not dare not to represent such a matter."

Confucius felt bad that he could not bring justice to the killer of Chien, or Chan Ch'ang. By the way, the first one is a tongue twister. Especially if your replace murdered with choked.

XXIII
How the minister of a prince must be sincere and boldly upright
Tsze-lu asked how a ruler should be served. The Master said, "Do not impose on him, and, moreover, withstand him to his face."

A good worker will be truthful, but not forceful when performing his tasks. In the same way, he will be honorable in his conduct.

XXIV
The different progressive tendencies of the superior man and the mean man
The Master said, "The progress of the superior man is upwards; the progress of the mean man is downwards."

A superior man is always working towards achieving forward progress. The mean man does not work towards this, and as a result lags.

XXV
The different motives of learners in old times, and in the times of Confucius
The Master said, "In ancient times, men learned with a view to their own improvement. Nowadays, men learn with a view to the approbation of others."

I think this passage is about how people should view learning. It is important for a learner to only care about their own progress when learning. It is not good for learners to learn what those around them want them to learn.

XXVI
An admirable messenger

  1. Chü Po-yü sent a messenger with friendly inquiries to Confucius.
  2. Confucius sat with him, and questioned him. "What," said he, "is your master engaged in?" The messenger replied, "My master is anxious to make his faults few, but he has not yet succeeded." He then went out, and the Master said, "A messenger indeed! A messenger indeed!"

I think the point of this passage is that the messenger understands the scenario in which he speaks of. Any messenger might have said "My master is trying to improve himself," but only the admirable messenger says "he has not yet achieved his goals."

XXVII
[A repition of VII:XIV]
The Master said, "He who is not in any particular office has nothing to do with plans for the administration of its duties."

This passage means that if you are not effected by something, you should not have a say in the process by which it is created.

XXIX
The superior man more in deeds than in words
The Master said, "The superior man is modest in his speech, but exceeds in his actions."

A superior man will be critical of themselves, but always try their best in every situation.

XXX
Confucius's humble estimate of himself, which Tsze-kung denies

  1. The Master said, "The way of the superior man is threefold, but I am not equal to it. Virtuous, he is free from anxieties; wise, he is free from perplexities; bold, he is free from fear."
  2. Tsze-kung said, "Master, that is what you yourself say."

This passage is an example of Confucius speaking of himself humbly. He says that the superior man is free from anxiety, problems, and fear due to his virtue, wisdom, and boldness. He admits early on that he has not entirely achieved these qualities. Tsze-kung follows by basically saying "Yeah right!"

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Confucian Analects

Art of War Review

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