The Passage

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Informal interpretation: Kiddo, you're out there in the trenches. But I promise you, there's a better way to fight the good fight.

Today's episode introduces us to 子路, Confucius's hot-headed warrior-disciple, and explores the concept of 德 (moral charisma). We'll discover why Confucius believed violence and virtue are opposing forces, and what it meant to truly understand moral charisma during the chaotic Spring and Autumn period.

Philosophical Discussion

Fighting the Good Fight

Confucius is addressing his student 子路, who had a nasty habit of wanting to fight instead of resolving problems with civility. He's reminding 子路 that violence and moral charisma (德) are opposing forces, and so he needs to learn to control his temper if he wants to improve his virtuous nature.

But there's more to it than just a personal lesson. Confucius is explaining that cultivating moral charisma isn't going to be easy—there's no running start anyone can get in their world. That's because there are so few people who have it, let alone understand it. To the contrary, lots of people are pretty confused about what 德 really is.

The Spring and Autumn Period (春秋時期)

To understand this passage, we need to understand the world Confucius lived in. He lived during the 周 dynasty, a roughly 800-year period from 1046 to 256 BCE ruled by kings of the royal house 姬. These kings ruled over a region centered on the North China Plain using a vassalage system where lords of small internal states recognized the authority of the 周 king.

In 770 BCE, the original 周 capital was sacked by nomadic peoples, forcing the court to flee east. This marked the beginning of the Eastern Zhou and the Spring and Autumn period. After the move, the 周 kings were still formally recognized by their vassals, but year by year, the vassals acted with more independence and less care for their obligations to the royal court.

By the time Confucius was born in 551 BCE, things had been deteriorating for over 200 years. Local rulers adopted styles reserved for the royal house. They started their own tribute systems. Armed conflicts between these rulers increased, occurring on average between once and twice a year.

子路: The Warrior-Disciple

子路 (also known by his personal name 由 and courtesy name 季路) is one of the most frequently mentioned disciples in the Analects, appearing dozens of times. He was a fighter who came from the wilderness in a distant corner of Confucius's home state of 魯. Sources refer to him as a 野人 (literally someone from the wilds), as opposed to the 國人 (city people) who lived within fortified urban settlements.

The 史記 describes 子路 as wearing a cap decorated with rooster feathers and a belt wrapped in boar leather. When he first met Confucius, he even attempted to mock and intimidate him before accepting him as his teacher.

In the Analects, he often appears as someone who easily gets angry—aggressive and brave to a fault. Passage 11.13 tells us he's not destined to die a natural death. According to the 左傳, he died fighting against a coup attempt in the palace of the state of 衛.

Violence vs. Virtue

Moral charisma (德) is often contrasted with coercive force in the Analects. It's described as a nearly divine power to attract the good and rectify the crooked—like gravity, something that can't be seen or felt directly, but nonetheless affects everything around it. That's the opposite of being coerced through force or threats.

Some examples of this contrast:

• In 16.12, Duke Jing of Qi (齊景公) had 4000 horses but no legacy of moral charisma. This contrasts with the legendary princes 伯夷 and 叔齊, praised for centuries because they chose self-exile and death over serving a lord they had no loyalty to.

• In 7.23, Confucius is threatened with violence by 桓魋 but says he has no fear due to his moral charisma.

• In 12.19, the powerful leader 季康子 wonders if killing the wicked would make the world better. Confucius tells him that moral charisma is like a righteous wind that blows to bend the people like grass.

The Flywheel Effect

Both violence and virtue are subject to what I'd call the flywheel effect. When you're at a full stop, it takes enormous energy to get rolling. But when you're on a roll, just a little extra push keeps you going. One fight can spiral into a blood feud that kills dozens, and one gift can inspire a dozen acts of kindness.

That's why Confucius mentions how few people of his time really understand moral charisma. Living in a chaotic era like the Spring and Autumn period, there are few people who have 德, and few people having it means few people can recognize it or understand what it really is.

Context and Connections

The "Village Worthy"

Lots of people BELIEVE they understand moral charisma. One famous example is the so-called "village worthy" (鄉愿)—the type of person most concerned with making sure their whole town is convinced of their righteousness. In 17.13, Confucius calls people like this the "thieves of moral charisma." He has similar complaints about what people value instead, like the clever words and impressive appearances mentioned in passages 1.3 and 6.16.

Textual Questions

Traditional commentaries discuss whether this passage was erroneously swapped with passage 15.3. Some scholars believe this could have happened when passages were being compiled on bamboo strips, since 15.2 also mentions 子路 and involves him getting angry when Confucius and his disciples run out of food while traveling.

程樹德, author of 論語集釋, rejects this interpretation. He points out that the first two passages in Book 15 don't seem to have any geographical or temporal connection. As he writes, those commentators speculating about misordered passages "show a love for the unusual and a tendency to force interpretations."

Related Passages

• 1.3 — Clever words and insinuating appearance
• 2.17 — Real wisdom is knowing what you know and what you don't
• 6.16 — Lamentation about overvaluing clever words
• 7.23 — Confucius threatened by 桓魋
• 9.18 — People unable to value 德 as much as physical beauty
• 11.13 — 子路 not destined for a natural death
• 12.19 — Moral charisma like wind bending the grass
• 15.2 — 子路 gets angry when they run out of food
• 16.12 — Duke Jing's horses vs. 伯夷 and 叔齊
• 17.13 — Village worthies as "thieves of 德"

Language Notes

子曰 (zǐ yuē)

"The Master said." This phrase appears at the beginning of most passages in the Analects. For more on this phrase and the structure of the text, see Episode 1: Don't Be a Tool.

由 (yóu)

The personal name of 子路. His family name was 仲, so his full name at birth was 仲由. His courtesy name was 季路. Don't confuse 仲由 with 仲尼, which is Confucius's courtesy name—different person, same first character. Since Confucius addresses him as 由 here, it gives the passage a personal and familiar tone, as well as one of an elder addressing someone of the younger generation. 子路's peers would not have called him 由—only someone older, either from his family or someone very familiar with him, would use this name.

知 (zhī)

Literally means "to know." This is the same character used in modern Chinese compounds like 知道 (to know) and 知識 (knowledge). In the Analects, 知 is sometimes used in place of 智 (wisdom). 19th century commentator 黃侃 believes 知 here really means "to be," so 知德者 means "the morally charismatic"—almost like saying someone "knows how to drive" to mean they're a driver.

德 (dé)

Moral charisma or virtue. For a deep dive on this concept, see Episode 5: Won't You Be My Neighbor.

者 (zhě)

Acts as an agent suffix, like we use "-er" in English for writers, speakers, actors, etc. Modern Chinese examples include 記者 (reporter) and 受害者 (victim). In the phrase 知德者, it creates "people who know moral charisma" or "the morally charismatic."

鮮 (xiǎn)

A tricky character if you've learned it in modern Chinese. Here it does NOT mean "fresh" (that's first tone, xiān). This is third tone and means "rare" or "few." This usage appears consistently throughout the Analects.

矣 (yǐ)

This 虛詞 (classical grammatical particle) is most similar to 了 in modern Chinese. It ends the sentence and provides an emphatic tone, making the statement more forceful than it would otherwise be. Some translators render sentences ending in 矣 with an exclamation point or turn it into "alas" to indicate frustration or regret.