The Passage

Hover over (or tap on mobile) Chinese characters for pinyin and definitions

Informal interpretation: Yong's the best! He'll have a corner office in no time!

You know it's the boss who gets the corner office. All that natural light, practically everyone has to trek over to your side of the floor just to have a chat. Well, today's quote is basically Confucius saying one of his students really deserves the corner office.

Philosophical Discussion

Who Was 雍 (Yong)?

雍 (yōng) was one of Confucius's disciples, also known as 仲弓 (zhòng gōng), with the full name 冉雍 (rǎn yōng). He was one of Confucius's most respected students, despite coming from a humble background.

The disciples served as archetypes in the Analects, allowing Confucius to give examples of commendable and reprehensible behavior. We've already seen:

• 顏回 (yán huí) showed a deep love of learning
• 澹臺滅明 (tàn tái miè míng) was someone whose rough appearance belied his great dedication
• 宰我 (zái wǒ) was lazy and too clever with words to be trusted

And here in 6.1 we have 雍 (yōng) as an example of someone worthy of leadership.

Building a Picture of a Disciple

We can find mention of 雍 (yōng) in passages 5.5, 6.1, 6.2, 6.6, 11.3, 12.2, and 13.2. From these passages, we learn:

• In 5.5: He is human-hearted but not eloquent
• In 6.1: He can occupy the place of a prince
• In 6.2: He expresses concern about people who don't take their job seriously
• In 6.6: Confucius points out that he comes from a commoner family, but should not be passed over for opportunities
• In 11.3: He is listed among those disciples who are virtuous in their conduct
• In 12.2: He asks for instruction on acting as a minister, and claims to be slow-witted
• In 13.2: He is promoted to Chief Minister of the house of Ji and asks for advice

Overall, this paints a picture of a disciple who approached his studies seriously, was respected by his mentor, aimed for and found success in his career, and continued to care about doing the right thing even after reaching his goal.

The Meaning of "Facing South"

If you listened to Episode 3, you may remember our extensive discussion of seating arrangements in the Eastern Zhou. Where someone sat, what direction they faced, who they sat next to—these details were extremely important. The place of honor, the one that indicated authority or rulership, was the spot facing south.

This is how we get from "facing south" to "place of a prince." Confucius wouldn't say this without good reason. He was incredibly concerned with both ritual and propriety, especially in matters of government.

Meritocracy Over Birth

The key to what made 雍 (yōng) stand out was that he was "low-born but righteous." In 6th century BCE China, the easiest way to get a good job was to be born into a powerful family. But Confucius holds 雍 (yōng) up as an example of someone who should not be passed over, even without a prestigious family background.

In Passage 6.6, Confucius says: "If the calf of a plow-ox is red and with horns, although people may not wish to use it, would the mountains and rivers neglect it?" A red ox with horns was considered rare and beautiful, and a plow-ox was common and used for labor. This metaphor makes the point that a talented individual shouldn't be ignored just because their parents are commoners.

This was an egalitarian view that likely contributed to the development of a civil service examination system later in China's history—a path to official positions that would last for over 1,300 years.

Lessons for Today

This is a lesson we should keep in mind today, no matter how egalitarian and meritocratic we believe our society to be. We live in a time of increasing disparity between rich and poor, where well-connected and influential families continue to find opportunity while so many others live paycheck to paycheck.

If you're hiring someone and you don't see a fancy school's name on the resume, or you assume they're not going to work out because they've been doing physical labor or service work, maybe have a conversation with them anyway. Remember that even if someone is a little rough around the edges, that doesn't mean they don't have what it takes.

Historical Evidence

Beyond the Analects itself, we can learn more about 雍 (yōng) from other sources:

• 孔子家語 (kǒng zi jiā yǔ), the Family Sayings of Confucius
• 史記 (shǐ jì), the Records of the Grand Historian
• 戰國楚竹書 (zhàn guó chǔ zhú shū), the Warring States Chu State Bamboo Book (discovered in the 1990s)

These sources confirm he held a ministerial position for the House of Ji, consulted with Confucius on political matters even after beginning that work, and cared deeply about justice and being a good minister.

Language Notes

The Three Names of One Disciple

Why does 雍 (yōng) have three names?

• 雍 (yōng) was his personal name
• 冉 (rǎn) was his surname or family name
• 仲弓 (zhòng gōng) was his courtesy name

A courtesy name was given to a man as part of his coming of age, around 20 years old. One common practice was to indicate birth order with the first character. In this case, 仲 (zhòng) indicated he was the second-born son.

The second character, 弓 (gōng), refers to a bow. During the Zhou Dynasty, archery was a sport practiced to sharpen the mind and strengthen the body, with strong associations with being fair, accurate, and balanced in life.

也 (yě)

This is a common 虛詞 (xū cí) or grammatical particle in classical Chinese. If you're a student of modern Chinese, put aside what you know about 也 (yě)—it doesn't mean "also" like it does today.

In this case, 也 (yě) functions a bit like a comma, colon, or semicolon. It's a break marker that indicates the topic of the sentence, almost like: "As for Yong, he's fit to be a prince."

可 (kě)

Means "can" just like in modern Chinese. There's the same ambiguity as in English—we can use "can" to mean someone "is able to" do something, is allowed to do something, is willing to do something, is suitable for something, and so forth.

We should assume Confucius was not talking about willingness or being allowed, but was probably focused on suitability.

使 (shǐ)

Has the same general meaning as today: to use, apply, or employ. In modern Chinese, we often hear:

• 使用 (shǐ yòng) - to utilize something, like a computer or tool
• 使勁 (shǐ jìn) - to put muscle into something or apply force

南面 (nán miàn)

Means facing south or the southern direction. This is just like in modern Chinese. Keep in mind the ritual and symbolic context: in the Zhou era, a south-facing seat was reserved for a leader or ruler.

Context in the Analects

Book 6 has a strong focus on those who consulted with Confucius, such as his disciples and political leaders. 冉雍 (rǎn yōng) is mentioned three times in Book 6 alone.

Interpretations of this quote are consistent—there's not a whole lot of variety between them, especially because every commentator was working with essentially the same information about 冉雍 (rǎn yōng) and understood the meaning of facing south.

Related Passages

If you're interested in Confucius's egalitarian approach to teaching and government service, you can:

• Listen to Episode 2 of this podcast
• Read passages 7.7 and 15.39
• Read the other passages about 冉雍 (rǎn yōng): 5.5, 6.1, 6.2, 6.6, 11.3, 12.2, and 13.2