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Book 4
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in The Analects, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Self-Restraint
Honesty and Integrity
The Individual vs. The Collective
Self-Mastery, Discipline, and Improvement
Summary
Analysis
When Tsai Yü is in bed in the daytime, the Master comments that rotten wood cannot be carved, and a “wall of dried dung [cannot] be troweled.” He then asks what the use is in condemning Yü for such laziness. After meeting Yü, the Master says, he changed his approach to evaluating character. Before, the Master would trust people’s actions aligned with their words. Now, he only listens to their words after observing their actions.
Confucius’s judgement of Yü in this moment is severe—he compares him to dung. It is clear that Yü has claimed to be hardworking or disciplined, while his actions (lying in bed all day) reveal to Confucius that he is lazy. From the Master’s point of view, Yü lacks inherent moral character because his words and actions don’t align.
Themes
The Master says that he has never met anyone who is “truly unbending.” Someone asks whether Shen Ch’eng might be considered to be truly unbending. But the Master comments that he desires many things, and therefore cannot be unbending.
It is implied that by “unbending,” the Master means unwilling to compromise on acting in accordance with the Way. He again states that restraint is key if one is dedicated to the way—“desiring many things” suggests a lack of restraint and prevents one from being “truly unbending.”
Themes
Tzu-kung shares that he does not impose on others what he wishes for others not to impose on him. The Master tells him that he is not capable of this.
Tzu-kung references the Golden Rule—not to impose on others what one does not wish to experience oneself—which is one of Confucius’s core teachings. However, Confucius tells him that he is not yet capable of truly putting that belief into action. This suggests that a lot of discipline is required to develop the skillset necessary to live up to high standards of moral behavior.
Themes
The Master says that he should give up hope, for he has not met any man who, upon observing his own weaknesses, holds himself accountable inwardly to change.
Here, the Master suggests that one of the main problems with society is not that men are incapable of improvement, but that they are unwilling to hold themselves accountable. This speaks to the importance of discipline.
Themes
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The Master says that in any town he is likely to find those who are his equals in that they are trustworthy and dedicated to serving others. However, he doubts that he will find anyone who is as eager to learn as he is.
In this passage, the Master highlights the importance of his own continued curiosity. This passage points back to the moment when Confucius asked many questions about the rites while in a holy temple; it suggests that being continuously open and willing to learn is very important in living the Way.
Themes
