Analects 13.21 · Zi Lu
“If I cannot find people who keep to the middle way, I will take the ardent and the scrupulous. The ardent press forward; the scrupulous have things they will not do.”
Meaning, context, and how to apply it today
不得中行而與之 必也狂狷乎 狂者進取 狷者有所不爲也 (bù dé zhōng xíng ér yǔ zhī, bì yě kuáng juàn hū, kuáng zhě jìn qǔ, juàn zhě yǒu suǒ bù wéi yě) means “If I cannot find people who keep to the middle way, I will take the ardent and the scrupulous. The ardent press forward; the scrupulous have things they will not do.” It is a passage from the Analects of Confucius, Book 13 (Zi Lu), Chapter 21.
不得中行而與之 必也狂狷乎 狂者進取 狷者有所不爲也
- Pinyin
- bù dé zhōng xíng ér yǔ zhī, bì yě kuáng juàn hū, kuáng zhě jìn qǔ, juàn zhě yǒu suǒ bù wéi yě
- Translation
- If I cannot find people who keep to the middle way, I will take the ardent and the scrupulous. The ardent press forward; the scrupulous have things they will not do.
- Source
- Analects, Book 13 (Zi Lu), Chapter 21
What does this passage mean?
This passage comes from the twenty-first chapter of Zi Lu. Confucius says that it is best to keep company with those who walk the middle way, but if such people cannot be found, he would rather take the ardent and the scrupulous. The ardent have grand aspirations and press forward, though their conduct falls short of their aims; the scrupulous may lack breadth, but they have things they will never do. Mencius, explaining this passage, said that what Confucius most disliked was the ‘village worthy,’ who is neither one nor the other and simply pleases everyone by conforming. A sincere person with a bias is better than a bland, colorless one.
How can we apply it today?
Organizations tend to prefer people without rough edges. Confucius saw it differently: if no one has perfect balance, then someone with big aspirations and drive, or someone with clear principles who will never do certain things, is better. Both have faults, but both have sincerity. The person who adapts to everything and is nice to everyone gives no clue what they actually believe. What a team needs is not a bland person but a person with direction. If you lean toward the ardent, add practice; if toward the scrupulous, add breadth. Having a color is better than having none.
Questions to reflect on
- ·Are you closer to the ardent or to the scrupulous?
- ·What is something you will never do?
- ·Have you ever become colorless while trying to avoid rough edges?
Character-by-character breakdown
| Character | Pinyin | Meaning | Strokes | Radical |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 不 | bù | not | 4 | 一 (one) |
| 得 | dé | obtain | 11 | 彳 (step) |
| 中 | zhōng | middle | 4 | 丨 (line) |
| 行 | xíng | practice | 6 | 行 (walk) |
| 而 | ér | and; but | 6 | 而 (and) |
| 與 | yǔ | together with | 14 | 臼 (mortar) |
| 之 | zhī | go; possessive particle | 4 | 丿 (slash) |
| 必 | bì | certainly | 5 | 心 (heart) |
| 也 | yě | grammatical particle | 3 | 乙 (second) |
| 狂 | kuáng | wild; ardent | 7 | 犬 (dog) |
| 狷 | juàn | restrained; scrupulous | 10 | 犬 (dog) |
| 乎 | hū | grammatical particle | 5 | 丿 (slash) |
| 狂 | kuáng | wild; ardent | 7 | 犬 (dog) |
| 者 | zhě | person | 8 | 老 (old) |
| 進 | jìn | advance | 12 | 辵 (walk) |
| 取 | qǔ | take | 8 | 又 (again) |
| 狷 | juàn | restrained; scrupulous | 10 | 犬 (dog) |
| 者 | zhě | person | 8 | 老 (old) |
| 有 | yǒu | exist | 6 | 月 (moon) |
| 所 | suǒ | that which | 8 | 戶 (door) |
| 不 | bù | not | 4 | 一 (one) |
| 爲 | wéi | do | 12 | 爪 (claw) |
| 也 | yě | grammatical particle | 3 | 乙 (second) |
Frequently asked questions
Q. What does “If I cannot find people who keep to the…” mean?
不得中行而與之 必也狂狷乎 狂者進取 狷者有所不爲也 (bù dé zhōng xíng ér yǔ zhī, bì yě kuáng juàn hū, kuáng zhě jìn qǔ, juàn zhě yǒu suǒ bù wéi yě) means “If I cannot find people who keep to the middle way, I will take the ardent and the scrupulous. The ardent press forward; the scrupulous have things they will not do.” It comes from the Analects, Book 13 (Zi Lu), Chapter 21.
Q. Where does this passage appear in the Analects?
It is Analects 13.21: Book 13 (Zi Lu), Chapter 21.
Q. How can this teaching be applied today?
Organizations tend to prefer people without rough edges.