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ConfuciusAnalects of Confucius
Nonfiction | Book | Adult | BCEA modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
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BetaBooks 7-9Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Book 7 Summary
Confucius continues on with his commentary on various colleagues and students in order to further elucidate the essence of “manhood.” For Confucius, what is constitutive of the virtuous individual is that they do not focus on the personality or reputation of an individual but on the actions of that person and whether or not they lead to the correct outcome: “[T]hree of us walking along, perforce one to teach me, if he gets it right, I follow, if he errs, I do different” (44). Moreover, Confucius adds that the proper man, or one with “manhood,” is the individual who acts as a conduit for the virtues of a society built on filiality: “I have not managed to see a sage man. If I could manage to see a proper man (one in whom the ancestral voices function) that would do” (45). That is to say, the moral character that every individual should strive to cultivate is one in which everyone relates to others in a way that acknowledges that no one person is better than anyone else and that the only marker of superiority or excellence is proper behavior: “If he was with a man who sang true, he would make him repeat and sing in harmony with him” (46).
Book 8 Summary
Confucius provides further commentary on his colleagues with respect to their abilities of governing the people. For Confucius, it is the house of Yu (personified by Shun) that deserves the most praise. As Confucius says:
I find Yu without flaw, frugal in drinking and eating, showing the utmost filial continuity with the spirits and powers of air, badly dressed ordinarily, but absolutely elegant in sacrificial black and blue robes and sovran-cap [...] an inferior palace for a house, he put all his energy into the irrigation and drainage (aqueducts and ditches), I find him utterly flawless” (52).
And for those individuals who hold a position within government, whether it be local or federal, Confucius says that “[a]n officer cannot lack magnanimous courage [...] he carries weight on a long journey” (49). Or as he says again further on, “Full manhood in fulfilling his personal duties, is that not weighty, death and then it ends, is not that long?” (50). Thus, it is this combination of modesty, resoluteness in one’s deeds, and humility that are required on the part of those who wish to govern in the manner appropriate to one who possesses “manhood.”
Book 9 Summary
Confucius deals with the manner in which the one who has cultivated “manhood” deals with those moments wherein one lacks the knowledge or skill to act: “Wishing to finish, I cannot; having exhausted my talent, it is as if something was built up lofty; although I wish to comply with it, there is no way” (55). Thus, what are the virtuous individuals to do in situations such as these? How are they to live? Confucius replies via this rhetorical question: “Wouldn’t it be better to die among two or three intimates than in ministers’ hands? Might not have a big funeral, but I wouldn’t just die in a ditch” (55). In situations where one is inadequate to the task at hand, then, one must remain steadfast and continue to live in such a way that upholds the bonds of filiality and brotherhood among one’s peers. Or as he says further on in the book, “As a mountain [...] is not made perfect by one basket of earth; yet has position, I take position” (56). What counts more than one’s knowing how to act in every situation is acting, taking a position that reaffirms the values of filiality and brotherhood toward all.
Books 7-9 Analysis
In Books 7-9, Confucius further elaborates on the notion of manhood while providing various examples from the lives of his students and peers. In Book 7, Confucius argues that the moral character that every individual should strive to cultivate is one in which everyone relates to others in a way that acknowledges that no one person is better than anyone else and that the only marker of superiority or excellence is proper behavior: “If he was with a man who sang true, he would make him repeat and sing in harmony with him” (46). In Book 8, Confucius uses the example of the house of Yu to argue that the combination of modesty, resoluteness in one’s deeds, and humility is required of those who govern in the manner appropriate to the one who can be said to possess “manhood”:
I find Yu without flaw, frugal in drinking and eating, showing the utmost filial continuity with the spirits and powers of air, badly dressed ordinarily, but absolutely elegant in sacrificial black and blue robes and sovran-cap [...] an inferior palace for a house, he put all his energy into the irrigation and drainage (aqueducts and ditches), I find him utterly flawless (52).
In Book 9, Confucius addresses the way in which the one who has cultivated “manhood” acts in situations where one lacks the knowledge of the correct way forward. For Confucius, what counts more than one’s knowing how to act in every situation is acting, taking a position that reaffirms the values of filiality and brotherhood toward all: “Put first getting to the centre of the mind, and keeping one’s word; no friends not like one; when a mistake is made, not fearing to change” (57). Or as he reiterates further on regarding the importance placed on moral character over and above practical know-how: “The commander of three army corps can be kidnapped, you cannot kidnap a plain man’s will” (58). Thus Confucius proves his students with another way of synthesizing the virtues of filiality, brotherhood, and moral character, even in situations where they may be called upon to act without knowing the correct action to take. In situations such as these, it is moral character that trumps experience or expert knowledge (as shown in the passage above regarding the kidnapping of an army commander).
