Analects 11.24 · Xian Jin
“A great minister serves the ruler according to the Way, and when that is no longer possible, resigns.”
Meaning, context, and how to apply it today
所謂大臣者 以道事君 不可則止 (suǒ wèi dà chén zhě, yǐ dào shì jūn, bù kě zé zhǐ) means “A great minister serves the ruler according to the Way, and when that is no longer possible, resigns.” It is a passage from the Analects of Confucius, Book 11 (Xian Jin), Chapter 24.
所謂大臣者 以道事君 不可則止
- Pinyin
- suǒ wèi dà chén zhě, yǐ dào shì jūn, bù kě zé zhǐ
- Translation
- A great minister serves the ruler according to the Way, and when that is no longer possible, resigns.
- Source
- Analects, Book 11 (Xian Jin), Chapter 24
What does this passage mean?
In the twenty-fourth chapter of Xian Jin, Ji Ziran asks whether Zilu and Ran Qiu could be called great ministers, and Confucius answers with these words. He defines a great minister as one who serves the ruler according to the Way and resigns when that is no longer possible, and says that Zilu and Ran Qiu are merely ministers who fill a post. It was an oblique criticism of two disciples who had yielded to the power of the Ji family and failed to prevent conduct contrary to the Way. Yet he adds that they would never go along with killing a father or a ruler, acknowledging that they kept the final line. The condition of a great minister, he declares, is principle rather than ability.
How can we apply it today?
When principle collapses inside an organization, we have three paths: comply, try to set it right, or leave. The great minister Confucius describes serves the organization according to what is right and gives up the post when that becomes impossible. Closing one’s eyes to injustice for the sake of salary or career is filling a post, not working. Leaving, of course, demands a high price, which is exactly why Confucius made it the condition of a great minister. Only those who have decided in advance how far they will tolerate and where they will stop are able to keep their principles.
Questions to reflect on
- ·How do you act when principle collapses in the organization you belong to?
- ·Do you have a line at which you could say, ‘If this cannot be done, I will resign’?
- ·Have you felt the difference between filling a post and working according to what is right?
Character-by-character breakdown
| Character | Pinyin | Meaning | Strokes | Radical |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 所 | suǒ | that which | 8 | 戶 (door) |
| 謂 | wèi | say; call | 16 | 言 (speech) |
| 大 | dà | great | 3 | 大 (big) |
| 臣 | chén | minister | 6 | 臣 (minister) |
| 者 | zhě | person | 8 | 老 (old) |
| 以 | yǐ | by means of | 5 | 人 (person) |
| 道 | dào | the Way; road | 13 | 辵 (walk) |
| 事 | shì | serve | 8 | 亅 (hook) |
| 君 | jūn | ruler | 7 | 口 (mouth) |
| 不 | bù | not | 4 | 一 (one) |
| 可 | kě | right | 5 | 口 (mouth) |
| 則 | zé | then; immediately | 9 | 刀 (knife) |
| 止 | zhǐ | stop | 4 | 止 (stop) |
Frequently asked questions
Q. What does “A great minister serves the ruler according…” mean?
所謂大臣者 以道事君 不可則止 (suǒ wèi dà chén zhě, yǐ dào shì jūn, bù kě zé zhǐ) means “A great minister serves the ruler according to the Way, and when that is no longer possible, resigns.” It comes from the Analects, Book 11 (Xian Jin), Chapter 24.
Q. Where does this passage appear in the Analects?
It is Analects 11.24: Book 11 (Xian Jin), Chapter 24.
Q. How can this teaching be applied today?
When principle collapses inside an organization, we have three paths: comply, try to set it right, or leave.