聞分館君 Ask BunKanKun

顏淵問於孔子

4 min read

Text ID
KR2p0074
Date
-350–-250
Dynasty
戰國

Yán Yuān Wèn Yú Kǒngzǐ 顏淵問於孔子

Yan Yuan’s Questions to Confucius (modern editorial title, from the opening dialogue)

(anonymous; excavated bamboo manuscript, no attributable author)

About the work

Yán Yuān Wèn Yú Kǒngzǐ 顏淵問於孔子 is one of the texts in 馬承源 Mǎ Chéngyuán ed., 《上海博物館藏戰國楚竹書》 vol. 8, Shànghǎi gǔjí chūbǎnshè 上海古籍出版社, 2011, comprising approximately 12 bamboo strips. The text is a structured dialogue between Yán Yuān 顏淵 (Confucius’s most praised disciple, also known as Yán Huí 顏回) and Confucius, organized around three sequential questions on the gentleman’s “inner affairs” (nèi shì 內事), “inner instruction” (nèi jiào 內教), and the attainment of “supreme renown” (zhì míng 至名). The dialogue’s structure — a series of questions each answered with a principle and then an explanatory elaboration — parallels the received Lúnyǔ 12.1 (the kè jǐ fù lǐ 克己復禮 passage) but is far more systematic.

Abstract

The gentleman’s inner affairs (nèi shì 內事, §§1–4). Yán Yuān asks if there is a Way for the gentleman’s inner affairs. Confucius answers: “Reverently be lenient toward faults (jìng yòu guò 敬宥過); put civil servants first (xiān yǒusī 先有司); revere the old and cherish the young (lǎo lǎo ér cí yòu 老老而慈幼); [be generous to the poor?] and take in the destitute; if your salary is insufficient, request [more]; if there is a surplus, decline [additional].” He then explains each principle:

  • Being reverently lenient toward faults: this is how to be relaxed (huǎn 緩).
  • Putting civil servants first: this is how to exhaust [the situation] and get the truth (dé qíng 得情).
  • Revering the old and cherishing the young: this is how to dwell in humaneness (chǔ rén 處仁).
  • [Being generous and taking in the destitute]: this is how to gain intimacy (qǔ qīn 取親).
  • If salary is insufficient, request; if surplus, decline: this is how to display trustworthiness (yáng xìn 揚信).

The gentleman’s inner instruction (nèi jiào 內教, §§5–7). Yan Yuan says he has received the teaching on inner affairs; he asks about inner instruction. Confucius answers:

  • “Cultivate the self first — then the people will not fail to comply.”
  • “Lead with broad love (bó ài 博愛) — then the people will not neglect their own families.”
  • “Guide them with frugality (jiǎn 儉) — then the people will know contentment.”
  • “Lead with yielding (ràng 讓) — then the people will not contend.”
  • “Guide and teach [them]; encourage the capable; demean the unworthy and distance them — then the people will know what is prohibited.”
  • “If those who advance are encouraged to act and those who retreat know what is prohibited — then the instruction is not far off.”

The attainment of supreme renown (zhì míng 至名, §§8–10). Yán Yuān asks about “supreme renown.” Confucius answers: “When virtue is complete, renown arrives. When renown arrives, you must humble yourself. When the self is governed, great [position] comes with great salary.” A saying follows: “The gentleman yields and obtains it; the petty person contends and loses it.” Then: “Be plain (sù 素) in conduct yet trustworthy; put loyalty first; be poor yet content — put [contentment] first.”

Relation to received texts. The three-part structure of inner affairs → inner instruction → supreme renown constitutes a complete governance curriculum for the minister-official (jūnzǐ 君子). The principle of “putting civil servants first” (xiān yǒusī) echoes Lúnyǔ 13.2 (Confucius to Zhonggong on governance). The “broad love, frugality, yielding” triad as the substance of “inner instruction” has parallels in the received Dàxué 大學 (the self → family → state → realm cultivation program). The text provides evidence for the pre-Hàn origins of this curriculum framework.

Translations and research

  • 馬承源 ed., 《上海博物館藏戰國楚竹書》 vol. 8, Shànghǎi gǔjí chūbǎnshè, 2011 — editio princeps.
  • Hunter, Michael. Confucius Beyond the Analects. Brill, 2017 — treats comparable non-Lúnyǔ Confucius-Yan Yuan dialogue traditions.
  • Gardner, Daniel K., trans. The Four Books: The Basic Teachings of the Later Confucian Tradition. Hackett, 2007 — for the Dàxué cultivation program and its parallels with this text.

Graph View