Analects 16.10 · Ji Shi
“The exemplary person has nine things to keep in mind: to see clearly, to hear distinctly, to keep a gentle expression, a respectful bearing, sincere speech, and careful conduct, to ask when in doubt, to think of the consequences when angry, and to think of what is right when gain is in sight.”
Meaning, context, and how to apply it today
君子有九思 視思明 聽思聰 色思溫 貌思恭 言思忠 事思敬 疑思問 忿思難 見得思義 (jūn zǐ yǒu jiǔ sī, shì sī míng, tīng sī cōng, sè sī wēn, mào sī gōng, yán sī zhōng, shì sī jìng, yí sī wèn, fèn sī nán, jiàn dé sī yì) means “The exemplary person has nine things to keep in mind: to see clearly, to hear distinctly, to keep a gentle expression, a respectful bearing, sincere speech, and careful conduct, to ask when in doubt, to think of the consequences when angry, and to think of what is right when gain is in sight.” It is a passage from the Analects of Confucius, Book 16 (Ji Shi), Chapter 10.
君子有九思 視思明 聽思聰 色思溫 貌思恭 言思忠 事思敬 疑思問 忿思難 見得思義
- Pinyin
- jūn zǐ yǒu jiǔ sī, shì sī míng, tīng sī cōng, sè sī wēn, mào sī gōng, yán sī zhōng, shì sī jìng, yí sī wèn, fèn sī nán, jiàn dé sī yì
- Translation
- The exemplary person has nine things to keep in mind: to see clearly, to hear distinctly, to keep a gentle expression, a respectful bearing, sincere speech, and careful conduct, to ask when in doubt, to think of the consequences when angry, and to think of what is right when gain is in sight.
- Source
- Analects, Book 16 (Ji Shi), Chapter 10
What does this passage mean?
In the tenth chapter of Ji Shi, Confucius lists the nine things the exemplary person keeps in mind. In seeing, to see clearly; in hearing, to hear distinctly; in expression, to be gentle; in bearing, to be respectful; in speech, to be sincere; in work, to be careful; in doubt, to ask; in anger, to think of the trouble that follows; and when gain is in sight, to think of what is right. The list divides every dimension of life, perception, expression, bearing, speech, work, learning, emotion, and profit, into nine items and assigns a standard to each. It is the most systematic checklist in the Confucian tradition of self-cultivation.
How can we apply it today?
The nine considerations are a self-inspection list from 2,500 years ago. In today’s terms: do not believe what you see without checking; hear what was actually said rather than what you want to hear; manage your expression; keep a proper bearing; speak without falsehood; do not do work carelessly; ask when you do not know; think of the consequences when angry; and weigh what is right when profit is in view. Picking out even one item you missed at the end of each day changes a life. The goal is not to keep all nine perfectly. What separates the exemplary person from others is having a standard to check against every day.
Questions to reflect on
- ·Which of the nine did you most neglect today?
- ·Have you ever thought about the trouble to follow when you were angry?
- ·If you made your own self-inspection list, what would be on it?
Character-by-character breakdown
| Character | Pinyin | Meaning | Strokes | Radical |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 君 | jūn | ruler | 7 | 口 (mouth) |
| 子 | zǐ | son | 3 | 子 (child) |
| 有 | yǒu | exist | 6 | 月 (moon) |
| 九 | jiǔ | nine | 2 | 乙 (second) |
| 思 | sī | think | 9 | 心 (heart) |
| 視 | shì | see | 11 | 見 (see) |
| 思 | sī | think | 9 | 心 (heart) |
| 明 | míng | clear | 8 | 日 (sun) |
| 聽 | tīng | hear | 22 | 耳 (ear) |
| 思 | sī | think | 9 | 心 (heart) |
| 聰 | cōng | acute of hearing | 17 | 耳 (ear) |
| 色 | sè | color; countenance | 6 | 色 (color) |
| 思 | sī | think | 9 | 心 (heart) |
| 溫 | wēn | warm | 13 | 水 (water) |
| 貌 | mào | bearing | 14 | 豸 (badger) |
| 思 | sī | think | 9 | 心 (heart) |
| 恭 | gōng | courteous | 10 | 心 (heart) |
| 言 | yán | speech | 7 | 言 (speech) |
| 思 | sī | think | 9 | 心 (heart) |
| 忠 | zhōng | loyalty | 8 | 心 (heart) |
| 事 | shì | affair | 8 | 亅 (hook) |
| 思 | sī | think | 9 | 心 (heart) |
| 敬 | jìng | respect | 13 | 攴 (tap) |
| 疑 | yí | doubt | 14 | 疋 (bolt of cloth) |
| 思 | sī | think | 9 | 心 (heart) |
| 問 | wèn | ask | 11 | 口 (mouth) |
| 忿 | fèn | anger | 8 | 心 (heart) |
| 思 | sī | think | 9 | 心 (heart) |
| 難 | nán | difficult | 19 | 隹 (short-tailed bird) |
| 見 | jiàn | see | 7 | 見 (see) |
| 得 | dé | obtain | 11 | 彳 (step) |
| 思 | sī | think | 9 | 心 (heart) |
| 義 | yì | right | 13 | 羊 (sheep) |
Frequently asked questions
Q. What does “The exemplary person has nine things to…” mean?
君子有九思 視思明 聽思聰 色思溫 貌思恭 言思忠 事思敬 疑思問 忿思難 見得思義 (jūn zǐ yǒu jiǔ sī, shì sī míng, tīng sī cōng, sè sī wēn, mào sī gōng, yán sī zhōng, shì sī jìng, yí sī wèn, fèn sī nán, jiàn dé sī yì) means “The exemplary person has nine things to keep in mind: to see clearly, to hear distinctly, to keep a gentle expression, a respectful bearing, sincere speech, and careful conduct, to ask when in doubt, to think of the consequences when angry, and to think of what is right when gain is in sight.” It comes from the Analects, Book 16 (Ji Shi), Chapter 10.
Q. Where does this passage appear in the Analects?
It is Analects 16.10: Book 16 (Ji Shi), Chapter 10.
Q. How can this teaching be applied today?
The nine considerations are a self-inspection list from 2,500 years ago.