Analects 19.3 · Zi Zhang
“The exemplary person honors the worthy and accepts the many, commends the able and has compassion for the unable.”
Meaning, context, and how to apply it today
君子尊賢而容衆 嘉善而矜不能 (jūn zǐ zūn xián ér róng zhòng, jiā shàn ér jīn bù néng) means “The exemplary person honors the worthy and accepts the many, commends the able and has compassion for the unable.” It is a passage from the Analects of Confucius, Book 19 (Zi Zhang), Chapter 3.
君子尊賢而容衆 嘉善而矜不能
- Pinyin
- jūn zǐ zūn xián ér róng zhòng, jiā shàn ér jīn bù néng
- Translation
- The exemplary person honors the worthy and accepts the many, commends the able and has compassion for the unable.
- Source
- Analects, Book 19 (Zi Zhang), Chapter 3
What does this passage mean?
The background of the third chapter of Zi Zhang is this. A disciple of Zixia asked Zizhang about making friends, and Zizhang asked what Zixia had said. The disciple reported Zixia’s teaching: associate with those who are worthy and reject those who are not. Zizhang said this differed from what he had heard, and gave this reply: the exemplary person honors the worthy but accepts the many, commends the able but has compassion for the unable. He added that if he himself were greatly worthy there was no one he could not accept, and if he were unworthy, others would reject him before he could reject them. The passage reveals the difference between Zixia, who chose his company, and Zizhang, who embraced everyone.
How can we apply it today?
Advice on managing relationships abounds: associate with useful people and clear out the rest. Zixia’s teaching was similar. Zizhang offers a different path: respect the outstanding without excluding the ordinary, and praise the capable without looking down on the incapable. An organization that filters people by ability looks efficient, but everyone inside knows they too will someday be filtered out. In an organization that embraces those who fall short, people can safely fail and learn. The capacity to embrace people is a greater strength than the eye to sort them.
Questions to reflect on
- ·Do you choose your company selectively, or embrace people broadly?
- ·Have you ever looked down on someone of lesser ability?
- ·Who embraced you when you fell short?
Character-by-character breakdown
| Character | Pinyin | Meaning | Strokes | Radical |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 君 | jūn | ruler | 7 | 口 (mouth) |
| 子 | zǐ | son | 3 | 子 (child) |
| 尊 | zūn | honor | 12 | 寸 (inch) |
| 賢 | xián | worthy; virtuous | 15 | 貝 (shell) |
| 而 | ér | and; but | 6 | 而 (and) |
| 容 | róng | accommodate | 10 | 宀 (roof) |
| 衆 | zhòng | multitude | 12 | 血 (blood) |
| 嘉 | jiā | commend | 14 | 口 (mouth) |
| 善 | shàn | good | 12 | 口 (mouth) |
| 而 | ér | and; but | 6 | 而 (and) |
| 矜 | jīn | have compassion for | 9 | 矛 (spear) |
| 不 | bù | not | 4 | 一 (one) |
| 能 | néng | capable | 10 | 肉 (meat) |
Frequently asked questions
Q. What does “The exemplary person honors the worthy and…” mean?
君子尊賢而容衆 嘉善而矜不能 (jūn zǐ zūn xián ér róng zhòng, jiā shàn ér jīn bù néng) means “The exemplary person honors the worthy and accepts the many, commends the able and has compassion for the unable.” It comes from the Analects, Book 19 (Zi Zhang), Chapter 3.
Q. Where does this passage appear in the Analects?
It is Analects 19.3: Book 19 (Zi Zhang), Chapter 3.
Q. How can this teaching be applied today?
Advice on managing relationships abounds: associate with useful people and clear out the rest.Zixia’s teaching was similar.