Analects 5.21 · Gongye Chang
“When the state followed the Way, he was wise; when it did not, he played the fool. His wisdom can be matched, but his foolishness cannot.”
Meaning, context, and how to apply it today
邦有道則知 邦無道則愚 其知可及也 其愚不可及也 (bāng yǒu dào zé zhì, bāng wú dào zé yú, qí zhì kě jí yě, qí yú bù kě jí yě) means “When the state followed the Way, he was wise; when it did not, he played the fool. His wisdom can be matched, but his foolishness cannot.” It is a passage from the Analects of Confucius, Book 5 (Gongye Chang), Chapter 21.
邦有道則知 邦無道則愚 其知可及也 其愚不可及也
- Pinyin
- bāng yǒu dào zé zhì, bāng wú dào zé yú, qí zhì kě jí yě, qí yú bù kě jí yě
- Translation
- When the state followed the Way, he was wise; when it did not, he played the fool. His wisdom can be matched, but his foolishness cannot.
- Source
- Analects, Book 5 (Gongye Chang), Chapter 21
What does this passage mean?
In the twenty-first chapter of Gongye Chang, Confucius comments on Ning Wuzi, a grandee of Wei. When the state was stable, Ning Wuzi served wisely; when it fell into chaos, he behaved as if foolish while risking danger to protect his ruler. Confucius says that others can match his wisdom but not his foolishness. The foolishness here is not real stupidity but the attitude of hiding one’s brilliance and quietly bearing difficult burdens. The idiom ‘a foolishness none can match’ comes from this passage, and originally it was, as here, the highest praise.
How can we apply it today?
Looking clever is easy. What is hard is doing what must be done without drawing attention when circumstances turn bad. Many people produce brilliant results when a company is thriving, but few hold their post and absorb losses in a crisis. Ning Wuzi’s foolishness is sincerity that does not calculate. Those who quietly do the unrecognized work, the work that brings no credit, are the ones who ultimately save an organization. Cleverness can be learned; the steadfastness to accept loss is hard to learn. That is why Confucius prized it more highly.
Questions to reflect on
- ·How do you behave when circumstances turn bad?
- ·Is there work you carry out steadily even without recognition?
- ·Which do you lack more, cleverness or steadfastness?
Character-by-character breakdown
| Character | Pinyin | Meaning | Strokes | Radical |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 邦 | bāng | state | 7 | 邑 (city) |
| 有 | yǒu | exist | 6 | 月 (moon) |
| 道 | dào | the Way; road | 13 | 辵 (walk) |
| 則 | zé | then; immediately | 9 | 刀 (knife) |
| 知 | zhì | wise | 8 | 矢 (arrow) |
| 邦 | bāng | state | 7 | 邑 (city) |
| 無 | wú | lack | 12 | 火 (fire) |
| 道 | dào | the Way; road | 13 | 辵 (walk) |
| 則 | zé | then; immediately | 9 | 刀 (knife) |
| 愚 | yú | foolish | 13 | 心 (heart) |
| 其 | qí | that; he | 8 | 八 (eight) |
| 知 | zhì | wise | 8 | 矢 (arrow) |
| 可 | kě | right | 5 | 口 (mouth) |
| 及 | jí | reach | 4 | 又 (again) |
| 也 | yě | grammatical particle | 3 | 乙 (second) |
| 其 | qí | that; he | 8 | 八 (eight) |
| 愚 | yú | foolish | 13 | 心 (heart) |
| 不 | bù | not | 4 | 一 (one) |
| 可 | kě | right | 5 | 口 (mouth) |
| 及 | jí | reach | 4 | 又 (again) |
| 也 | yě | grammatical particle | 3 | 乙 (second) |
Frequently asked questions
Q. What does “When the state followed the Way, he was…” mean?
邦有道則知 邦無道則愚 其知可及也 其愚不可及也 (bāng yǒu dào zé zhì, bāng wú dào zé yú, qí zhì kě jí yě, qí yú bù kě jí yě) means “When the state followed the Way, he was wise; when it did not, he played the fool. His wisdom can be matched, but his foolishness cannot.” It comes from the Analects, Book 5 (Gongye Chang), Chapter 21.
Q. Where does this passage appear in the Analects?
It is Analects 5.21: Book 5 (Gongye Chang), Chapter 21.
Q. How can this teaching be applied today?
Looking clever is easy.What is hard is doing what must be done without drawing attention when circumstances turn bad.