Analects 18.6 · Wei Zi
“One cannot flock with the birds and beasts. If I do not keep company with these people, with whom shall I keep company?”
Meaning, context, and how to apply it today
鳥獸不可與同群 吾非斯人之徒與而誰與 (niǎo shòu bù kě yǔ tóng qún, wú fēi sī rén zhī tú yú ér shuí yǔ) means “One cannot flock with the birds and beasts. If I do not keep company with these people, with whom shall I keep company?” It is a passage from the Analects of Confucius, Book 18 (Wei Zi), Chapter 6.
鳥獸不可與同群 吾非斯人之徒與而誰與
- Pinyin
- niǎo shòu bù kě yǔ tóng qún, wú fēi sī rén zhī tú yú ér shuí yǔ
- Translation
- One cannot flock with the birds and beasts. If I do not keep company with these people, with whom shall I keep company?
- Source
- Analects, Book 18 (Wei Zi), Chapter 6
What does this passage mean?
The background of the sixth chapter of Wei Zi is this. On the road, Confucius sent Zilu to ask two recluses plowing a field, Chang Ju and Jie Ni, where the ford was. The recluses said the whole world was like a muddy torrent and asked who could change it, and they urged Zilu to follow those who withdraw from the world rather than one who merely withdraws from particular people. When Zilu returned and reported this, Confucius said these words with a downcast look: one cannot flock with the birds and beasts; if he did not keep company with these people, with whom would he? He added that if the world already had the Way, he would not be trying to change it. The passage holds his choice: precisely because the world is in disorder, he cannot leave it.
How can we apply it today?
When we grow sick of the world, we have two paths: leave, or stay and change it. The recluses’ path is clean but leaves the world as it is. Confucius’s path is hard and often fails, but it stays inside the world. Walking out of a broken organization is easy; staying and trying to change even a little is hard. Confucius chose the latter and mostly failed, yet that failure has moved people for 2,500 years. If disappointment with people makes you leave people, the only place left is beside the birds and beasts. Living with people is itself the human path; that is the weight of this passage.
Questions to reflect on
- ·When you are disappointed in the world or your organization, do you leave, or stay and change it?
- ·Have you ever stayed beside people despite being disappointed in them?
- ·Who are the people you have chosen to keep company with?
Character-by-character breakdown
| Character | Pinyin | Meaning | Strokes | Radical |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 鳥 | niǎo | bird | 11 | 鳥 (bird) |
| 獸 | shòu | beast | 19 | 犬 (dog) |
| 不 | bù | not | 4 | 一 (one) |
| 可 | kě | right | 5 | 口 (mouth) |
| 與 | yǔ | together with | 14 | 臼 (mortar) |
| 同 | tóng | same; like | 6 | 口 (mouth) |
| 群 | qún | gather; multitude | 13 | 羊 (sheep) |
| 吾 | wú | I; me | 7 | 口 (mouth) |
| 非 | fēi | not | 8 | 非 (wrong) |
| 斯 | sī | this | 12 | 斤 (axe) |
| 人 | rén | person | 2 | 人 (person) |
| 之 | zhī | go; possessive particle | 4 | 丿 (slash) |
| 徒 | tú | fellow; company | 10 | 彳 (step) |
| 與 | yú | question particle | 14 | 臼 (mortar) |
| 而 | ér | and; but | 6 | 而 (and) |
| 誰 | shuí | who | 15 | 言 (speech) |
| 與 | yǔ | together with | 14 | 臼 (mortar) |
Frequently asked questions
Q. What does “One cannot flock with the birds and beasts…” mean?
鳥獸不可與同群 吾非斯人之徒與而誰與 (niǎo shòu bù kě yǔ tóng qún, wú fēi sī rén zhī tú yú ér shuí yǔ) means “One cannot flock with the birds and beasts. If I do not keep company with these people, with whom shall I keep company?” It comes from the Analects, Book 18 (Wei Zi), Chapter 6.
Q. Where does this passage appear in the Analects?
It is Analects 18.6: Book 18 (Wei Zi), Chapter 6.
Q. How can this teaching be applied today?
When we grow sick of the world, we have two paths: leave, or stay and change it.The recluses’ path is clean but leaves the world as it is.