Analects - 100 Classic Sentences of Chinese Literature

Author: Wenxin Studio
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-08-01
Features: The Birth of Famous Quotes
Ranyou said, "Is the Master helping the prince of Wei1?" Zigong replied, "Yes2, I will ask him." Entering, he said, "Who are Bo Yi and Shu Qi3?" The Master replied, "They are the virtuous people of ancient times." Zigong asked, "Do they resent4?" The Master said, "They sought benevolence and obtained it5, so why would they resent?" Exiting, Zigong said, "The Master will not help the prince of Wei." (From The Analects, Chapter 14)
To Fully Understand the Famous Quote
1 Is the Master helping the prince of Wei?
"Is" means to help. The prince of Wei refers to Wei Zhi Gong. After the Prince of Wei Kuai Gui was driven out by Duke Ling of Wei, when Duke Ling died, the people of Wei established Kuai Gui's son, Zhao, as the ruler, known as the Prince of Wei. The people of Jin accepted Kuai Gui and assisted him in attacking Wei to seize the throne. The people of Wei fiercely resisted the troops of Jin, creating a situation where father and son fought for the kingdom. At that time, Confucius was living in Wei, and his disciples did not know whether to help the prince of Wei to oppose his father.
2 Yes
"" means agreement, as in "okay."
3 Bo Yi and Shu Qi
Both were sons of the ruler of Guzhu. The ruler of Guzhu ordered Bo Yi to be the heir, but Bo Yi wanted to give the throne to his older brother, Shu Qi. Shu Qi refused to become king and fled. Later, because they refused to eat the food of the new dynasty during a regime change, both starved to death on Shouyang Mountain. Zigong asked about Bo Yi and Shu Qi to probe Confucius's stance on the father-son conflict for the throne.
4 Resent
To complain or regret.
5 Benevolence
In this passage, "benevolence" can be interpreted as "peace of mind."
Ranyou said, "Will the Master help the prince of Wei?" Zigong replied, "Yes, I will ask him." Zigong entered and saw Confucius, asking, "Who are Bo Yi and Shu Qi?" Confucius replied, "They are the virtuous people of ancient times." Zigong asked again, "Do they regret?" Confucius said, "They sought benevolence and obtained it, so how could they regret?" Zigong exiting said, "The Master will not help the prince of Wei."
The Story Behind the Famous Quote
Confucius praised "Bo Yi and Shu Qi" more than once. Sima Qian recorded in The Records of the Grand Historian that Confucius called them "not resentful of past grievances." When Zhu Xi explained this passage, he noted that Bo Yi and Shu Qi were even unwilling to be kings, so how could they complain?
According to The Records of the Grand Historian, Bo Yi and Shu Qi were the eldest and third sons of the ruler of Guzhu (located west of Lulong County in Hebei Province) during the late Shang Dynasty. The ruler of Guzhu left a will naming Shu Qi as the heir. However, after his father's death, Shu Qi believed Bo Yi was the older brother and wanted to give him the throne, but Bo Yi thought it was wrong to defy his father's will. Thus, Bo Yi fled Guzhu, and Shu Qi also refused to become king and fled. The people of Guzhu then chose the ruler's second son as the new king, known as "Bo Yi and Shu Qi yielding the throne."
Later, Bo Yi and Shu Qi retired to the coast of Bohai. Hearing that the Zhou Dynasty was growing powerful in the west and that King Wen was a man of virtue, they traveled a long distance to meet him. However, by the time they arrived, King Wen had died, and King Wu had succeeded. King Wu sent his brother, the Duke of Zhou, to welcome them and offered them positions and stipends, but they left angrily because they hoped King Wu would not attack the Shang Dynasty.
Later, when the Zhou conquered the Shang, Bo Yi and Shu Qi, to show their integrity, refused to eat the grain of the Zhou Dynasty and retreated to Shouyang Mountain (located west of Yongji County in Shanxi Province), gathering wild vegetables for sustenance.