Analects 2.24 · Wei Zheng
“To see what is right and fail to do it is a lack of courage.”
Meaning, context, and how to apply it today
見義不爲 無勇也 (jiàn yì bù wéi, wú yǒng yě) means “To see what is right and fail to do it is a lack of courage.” It is a passage from the Analects of Confucius, Book 2 (Wei Zheng), Chapter 24.
見義不爲 無勇也
- Pinyin
- jiàn yì bù wéi, wú yǒng yě
- Translation
- To see what is right and fail to do it is a lack of courage.
- Source
- Analects, Book 2 (Wei Zheng), Chapter 24
What does this passage mean?
Righteousness means the right action that ought to be done, while courage is the capacity to carry it out. Confucius distinguished knowing what is right from doing it. Knowing intellectually yet refusing to act may be worse than not knowing at all. Placed at the end of Wei Zheng, this saying concludes a discussion of politics and ethics by returning everything to the question of practice.
How can we apply it today?
We often encounter moments when we stay silent after witnessing unfairness at work, pass someone who needs help, or fail to oppose a mistaken decision. Few people truly cannot recognize the right course. The difficulty lies in having the courage to turn knowledge into action. Real courage is not recklessness; it is doing what is right despite fear.
Questions to reflect on
- ·Have you ever known the right thing to do but failed to act?
- ·What stopped you?
- ·When you have acted courageously, how did you feel afterward?
Character-by-character breakdown
| Character | Pinyin | Meaning | Strokes | Radical |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 見 | jiàn | see | 7 | 見 (see) |
| 義 | yì | right | 13 | 羊 (sheep) |
| 不 | bù | not | 4 | 一 (one) |
| 爲 | wéi | do | 12 | 爪 (claw) |
| 無 | wú | lack | 12 | 火 (fire) |
| 勇 | yǒng | brave | 9 | 力 (power) |
| 也 | yě | grammatical particle | 3 | 乙 (second) |
Frequently asked questions
Q. What does “To see what is right and fail to do it is a…” mean?
見義不爲 無勇也 (jiàn yì bù wéi, wú yǒng yě) means “To see what is right and fail to do it is a lack of courage.” It comes from the Analects, Book 2 (Wei Zheng), Chapter 24.
Q. Where does this passage appear in the Analects?
It is Analects 2.24: Book 2 (Wei Zheng), Chapter 24.
Q. How can this teaching be applied today?
We often encounter moments when we stay silent after witnessing unfairness at work, pass someone who needs help, or fail to oppose a mistaken decision.