Analects 12.3 · Yan Yuan
“The humane person is hesitant in speech.”
Meaning, context, and how to apply it today
仁者 其言也訒 (rén zhě, qí yán yě rèn) means “The humane person is hesitant in speech.” It is a passage from the Analects of Confucius, Book 12 (Yan Yuan), Chapter 3.
仁者 其言也訒
- Pinyin
- rén zhě, qí yán yě rèn
- Translation
- The humane person is hesitant in speech.
- Source
- Analects, Book 12 (Yan Yuan), Chapter 3
What does this passage mean?
In the third chapter of Yan Yuan, Sima Niu asks about humaneness and Confucius gives this answer. The key character describes bringing out words with difficulty, as if stammering: speaking carefully rather than carelessly. When Sima Niu asks whether careful speech alone counts as humaneness, Confucius replies that since acting is hard, how could one fail to be careful in speaking? Sima Niu is said to have been talkative and impetuous. Confucius explained humaneness differently to each disciple, aiming at that person’s particular flaw, and for Sima Niu restraint in speech was the road to humaneness. Speech becomes careful when one knows the weight of action.
How can we apply it today?
People who speak quickly are usually people who do not yet know the weight of action. Once you learn how hard a promise is to keep and how much responsibility advice demands, your speech naturally slows. The prescription Confucius gave Sima Niu was not to speak less but to grasp the relationship between words and deeds. Pausing a beat before answering in a meeting, reading a message once more before sending it, saying ‘let me check’ instead of asserting: these small hesitations are the speech habits of a humane person. Words brought out with difficulty are the words we keep.
Questions to reflect on
- ·How much do you hesitate before speaking?
- ·Have you been embarrassed by something you said too easily?
- ·Is there an area where knowing the weight of action has made your speech more careful?
Character-by-character breakdown
| Character | Pinyin | Meaning | Strokes | Radical |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 仁 | rén | benevolent | 4 | 人 (person) |
| 者 | zhě | person | 8 | 老 (old) |
| 其 | qí | that; he | 8 | 八 (eight) |
| 言 | yán | speech | 7 | 言 (speech) |
| 也 | yě | grammatical particle | 3 | 乙 (second) |
| 訒 | rèn | slow to speak | 10 | 言 (speech) |
Frequently asked questions
Q. What does “The humane person is hesitant in speech” mean?
仁者 其言也訒 (rén zhě, qí yán yě rèn) means “The humane person is hesitant in speech.” It comes from the Analects, Book 12 (Yan Yuan), Chapter 3.
Q. Where does this passage appear in the Analects?
It is Analects 12.3: Book 12 (Yan Yuan), Chapter 3.
Q. How can this teaching be applied today?
People who speak quickly are usually people who do not yet know the weight of action.