Analects 3.7 · Ba Yi
“The exemplary person has nothing to contend over; if anything, it is archery. Bowing and yielding, they ascend; descending, they drink together. Even their contest is that of exemplary people.”
Meaning, context, and how to apply it today
君子無所爭 必也射乎 揖讓而升 下而飮 其爭也君子 (jūn zǐ wú suǒ zhēng, bì yě shè hū, yī ràng ér shēng, xià ér yǐn, qí zhēng yě jūn zǐ) means “The exemplary person has nothing to contend over; if anything, it is archery. Bowing and yielding, they ascend; descending, they drink together. Even their contest is that of exemplary people.” It is a passage from the Analects of Confucius, Book 3 (Ba Yi), Chapter 7.
君子無所爭 必也射乎 揖讓而升 下而飮 其爭也君子
- Pinyin
- jūn zǐ wú suǒ zhēng, bì yě shè hū, yī ràng ér shēng, xià ér yǐn, qí zhēng yě jūn zǐ
- Translation
- The exemplary person has nothing to contend over; if anything, it is archery. Bowing and yielding, they ascend; descending, they drink together. Even their contest is that of exemplary people.
- Source
- Analects, Book 3 (Ba Yi), Chapter 7
What does this passage mean?
The seventh chapter of Ba Yi describes how the exemplary person competes, using archery as the image. In the ancient community archery rite, the archers bowed and deferred to one another as they ascended the hall, and when the shooting was over they came down and the losers drank the forfeit cup. The procedures surrounding the contest were themselves ritual. Confucius says the exemplary person has nothing to contend over, except perhaps archery; yet even that contest, conducted with ritual propriety, is worthy of the exemplary person. What reveals a person’s character is not the contest but the manner of contesting.
How can we apply it today?
In a society where competition cannot be avoided, this passage does not tell us to stop competing. It asks how we compete. In a race for promotion, the person who undercuts colleagues and the person who competes fairly on merit leave different reputations even when the outcome is the same. Shaking hands before a match and acknowledging the opponent afterward is the modern form of bowing and yielding. Respecting the opponent in victory and accepting defeat cleanly are remembered longer than the score. The exemplary person’s competition does not eliminate the other; it raises both.
Questions to reflect on
- ·What attitude do you bring to competition?
- ·Have you ever done something you should not have in order to win?
- ·Is there a rival with whom you competed while maintaining mutual respect?
Character-by-character breakdown
| Character | Pinyin | Meaning | Strokes | Radical |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 君 | jūn | ruler | 7 | 口 (mouth) |
| 子 | zǐ | son | 3 | 子 (child) |
| 無 | wú | lack | 12 | 火 (fire) |
| 所 | suǒ | that which | 8 | 戶 (door) |
| 爭 | zhēng | contend | 8 | 爪 (claw) |
| 必 | bì | certainly | 5 | 心 (heart) |
| 也 | yě | grammatical particle | 3 | 乙 (second) |
| 射 | shè | archery | 10 | 寸 (inch) |
| 乎 | hū | grammatical particle | 5 | 丿 (slash) |
| 揖 | yī | bow with clasped hands | 12 | 手 (hand) |
| 讓 | ràng | yield | 20 | 言 (speech) |
| 而 | ér | and; but | 6 | 而 (and) |
| 升 | shēng | ascend | 4 | 十 (ten) |
| 下 | xià | below | 3 | 一 (one) |
| 而 | ér | and; but | 6 | 而 (and) |
| 飮 | yǐn | drink | 13 | 食 (eat) |
| 其 | qí | that; he | 8 | 八 (eight) |
| 爭 | zhēng | contend | 8 | 爪 (claw) |
| 也 | yě | grammatical particle | 3 | 乙 (second) |
| 君 | jūn | ruler | 7 | 口 (mouth) |
| 子 | zǐ | son | 3 | 子 (child) |
Frequently asked questions
Q. What does “The exemplary person has nothing to contend…” mean?
君子無所爭 必也射乎 揖讓而升 下而飮 其爭也君子 (jūn zǐ wú suǒ zhēng, bì yě shè hū, yī ràng ér shēng, xià ér yǐn, qí zhēng yě jūn zǐ) means “The exemplary person has nothing to contend over; if anything, it is archery. Bowing and yielding, they ascend; descending, they drink together. Even their contest is that of exemplary people.” It comes from the Analects, Book 3 (Ba Yi), Chapter 7.
Q. Where does this passage appear in the Analects?
It is Analects 3.7: Book 3 (Ba Yi), Chapter 7.
Q. How can this teaching be applied today?
In a society where competition cannot be avoided, this passage does not tell us to stop competing.It asks how we compete.