Analects 15.22 · Wei Ling Gong
“The exemplary person is dignified but not contentious, sociable but not partisan.”
Meaning, context, and how to apply it today
君子矜而不爭 群而不黨 (jūn zǐ jīn ér bù zhēng, qún ér bù dǎng) means “The exemplary person is dignified but not contentious, sociable but not partisan.” It is a passage from the Analects of Confucius, Book 15 (Wei Ling Gong), Chapter 22.
君子矜而不爭 群而不黨
- Pinyin
- jūn zǐ jīn ér bù zhēng, qún ér bù dǎng
- Translation
- The exemplary person is dignified but not contentious, sociable but not partisan.
- Source
- Analects, Book 15 (Wei Ling Gong), Chapter 22
What does this passage mean?
This passage comes from the twenty-second chapter of Wei Ling Gong. The first key character is the dignity of holding oneself with self-respect; the second is contending with others. The third is mixing with people; the fourth is forming factions that divide into camps. The exemplary person has self-respect but does not contend, and mixes widely but does not form cliques. It matches the line in Wei Zheng that the exemplary person associates broadly but is not partisan. Self-respect and contention, sociability and factionalism, look alike on the surface but are divided by a hair’s breadth. Keeping to that difference is the balance of the exemplary person.
How can we apply it today?
A person with strong self-respect is easily mistaken for someone who picks fights, and a sociable person is easily mistaken for someone who builds cliques. Confucius draws the line precisely: keep your principles without trying to defeat others, and mix with many people without belonging to a particular group that excludes the rest. The person who cooperates with everyone at work without joining a faction, or who states their opinion clearly without making enemies, fits this description. Belonging and taking sides are different things. Open fellowship outlasts closed solidarity.
Questions to reflect on
- ·Can you keep your self-respect without contending?
- ·Is the group you belong to an open fellowship or a closed clique?
- ·How hard is it for you to mix widely without taking sides?
Character-by-character breakdown
| Character | Pinyin | Meaning | Strokes | Radical |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 君 | jūn | ruler | 7 | 口 (mouth) |
| 子 | zǐ | son | 3 | 子 (child) |
| 矜 | jīn | dignified | 9 | 矛 (spear) |
| 而 | ér | and; but | 6 | 而 (and) |
| 不 | bù | not | 4 | 一 (one) |
| 爭 | zhēng | contend | 8 | 爪 (claw) |
| 群 | qún | gather; multitude | 13 | 羊 (sheep) |
| 而 | ér | and; but | 6 | 而 (and) |
| 不 | bù | not | 4 | 一 (one) |
| 黨 | dǎng | category; type | 20 | 黑 (black) |
Frequently asked questions
Q. What does “The exemplary person is dignified but not…” mean?
君子矜而不爭 群而不黨 (jūn zǐ jīn ér bù zhēng, qún ér bù dǎng) means “The exemplary person is dignified but not contentious, sociable but not partisan.” It comes from the Analects, Book 15 (Wei Ling Gong), Chapter 22.
Q. Where does this passage appear in the Analects?
It is Analects 15.22: Book 15 (Wei Ling Gong), Chapter 22.
Q. How can this teaching be applied today?
A person with strong self-respect is easily mistaken for someone who picks fights, and a sociable person is easily mistaken for someone who builds cliques.