Analects 9.26 · Zi Han
“The commander of a great army may be taken away, but the purpose of even an ordinary person cannot be taken away.”
Meaning, context, and how to apply it today
三軍可奪帥也 匹夫不可奪志也 (sān jūn kě duó shuài yě, pǐ fū bù kě duó zhì yě) means “The commander of a great army may be taken away, but the purpose of even an ordinary person cannot be taken away.” It is a passage from the Analects of Confucius, Book 9 (Zi Han), Chapter 26.
三軍可奪帥也 匹夫不可奪志也
- Pinyin
- sān jūn kě duó shuài yě, pǐ fū bù kě duó zhì yě
- Translation
- The commander of a great army may be taken away, but the purpose of even an ordinary person cannot be taken away.
- Source
- Analects, Book 9 (Zi Han), Chapter 26
What does this passage mean?
In the Zi Han chapter, Confucius makes a powerful declaration about individual will. 三軍 refers to a massive ancient Chinese army—the entire military force of a feudal state—and 帥 is its commander in chief. 匹夫 means a single ordinary person. The commander can be taken away from an army of tens of thousands, but the will cannot be taken from even one individual. This is among the strongest declarations of humanity's inner freedom and dignity.
How can we apply it today?
Even in a modern world of increasingly sophisticated external pressure and control, the one thing that ultimately cannot be taken away is human will. Viktor Frankl wrote that even in a Nazi concentration camp, no one could take away the freedom to choose one's attitude. When we receive an unjust order at work or face social pressure, only we can decide whether to preserve or abandon our purpose. My will is the one thing no one else can seize.
Questions to reflect on
- ·Do I have a purpose of my own that no one can take away?
- ·Have I ever abandoned my convictions under external pressure?
- ·If I could return to that moment, what would I choose?
Character-by-character breakdown
| Character | Pinyin | Meaning | Strokes | Radical |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 三 | sān | three | 3 | 一 (one) |
| 軍 | jūn | army | 9 | 車 (cart) |
| 可 | kě | right | 5 | 口 (mouth) |
| 奪 | duó | seize | 14 | 大 (big) |
| 帥 | shuài | commander | 9 | 巾 (turban) |
| 也 | yě | grammatical particle | 3 | 乙 (second) |
| 匹 | pǐ | mate | 4 | 匚 (right open box) |
| 夫 | fū | man | 4 | 大 (big) |
| 不 | bù | not | 4 | 一 (one) |
| 可 | kě | right | 5 | 口 (mouth) |
| 奪 | duó | seize | 14 | 大 (big) |
| 志 | zhì | intention | 7 | 心 (heart) |
| 也 | yě | grammatical particle | 3 | 乙 (second) |
Frequently asked questions
Q. What does “The commander of a great army may be taken…” mean?
三軍可奪帥也 匹夫不可奪志也 (sān jūn kě duó shuài yě, pǐ fū bù kě duó zhì yě) means “The commander of a great army may be taken away, but the purpose of even an ordinary person cannot be taken away.” It comes from the Analects, Book 9 (Zi Han), Chapter 26.
Q. Where does this passage appear in the Analects?
It is Analects 9.26: Book 9 (Zi Han), Chapter 26.
Q. How can this teaching be applied today?
Even in a modern world of increasingly sophisticated external pressure and control, the one thing that ultimately cannot be taken away is human will.