Analects 11.15 · Xian Jin
“Zilu has climbed to the hall, but he has not yet entered the inner room.”
Meaning, context, and how to apply it today
由也升堂矣 未入於室也 (yóu yě shēng táng yǐ, wèi rù yú shì yě) means “Zilu has climbed to the hall, but he has not yet entered the inner room.” It is a passage from the Analects of Confucius, Book 11 (Xian Jin), Chapter 15.
由也升堂矣 未入於室也
- Pinyin
- yóu yě shēng táng yǐ, wèi rù yú shì yě
- Translation
- Zilu has climbed to the hall, but he has not yet entered the inner room.
- Source
- Analects, Book 11 (Xian Jin), Chapter 15
What does this passage mean?
The background of the fifteenth chapter of Xian Jin is this. When Zilu played the zither, its sound was rough, and Confucius asked why such music should be heard at his gate; after that, the other disciples stopped respecting Zilu. Confucius then defended him with these words. You was Zilu’s personal name. Zilu had already ascended to the hall; he simply had not yet entered the inner room. Ascending to the hall means reaching a considerable level; entering the inner room means reaching profundity. The idiom ‘ascend the hall and enter the room’ comes from here. The words show a teacher’s balance: rebuking without belittling, pointing out what is lacking while acknowledging what has been achieved.
How can we apply it today?
When giving feedback, we tend to mention only what is lacking, and the listener feels as if they had achieved nothing. Confucius does it differently: you have come this far, and you have not yet reached there. He marks the position exactly. Hearing this, Zilu could know where he stood, and the other disciples came to respect him again. When speaking of growth to a child, a junior colleague, or a team member, ‘you have reached the hall’ should come before ‘you still have far to go.’ The person whose achievement is acknowledged is the one who crosses the next threshold.
Questions to reflect on
- ·When you point out someone’s shortcomings, do you also mention what they have achieved?
- ·In what field have you reached the hall, and what inner room have you not yet entered?
- ·Have you ever received feedback that marked your position exactly?
Character-by-character breakdown
| Character | Pinyin | Meaning | Strokes | Radical |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 由 | yóu | proceed from | 5 | 田 (field) |
| 也 | yě | grammatical particle | 3 | 乙 (second) |
| 升 | shēng | ascend | 4 | 十 (ten) |
| 堂 | táng | hall | 11 | 土 (earth) |
| 矣 | yǐ | grammatical particle | 7 | 矢 (arrow) |
| 未 | wèi | still | 5 | 木 (tree) |
| 入 | rù | enter | 2 | 入 (enter) |
| 於 | yú | at; in | 8 | 方 (square) |
| 室 | shì | inner room | 9 | 宀 (roof) |
| 也 | yě | grammatical particle | 3 | 乙 (second) |
Frequently asked questions
Q. What does “Zilu has climbed to the hall, but he has…” mean?
由也升堂矣 未入於室也 (yóu yě shēng táng yǐ, wèi rù yú shì yě) means “Zilu has climbed to the hall, but he has not yet entered the inner room.” It comes from the Analects, Book 11 (Xian Jin), Chapter 15.
Q. Where does this passage appear in the Analects?
It is Analects 11.15: Book 11 (Xian Jin), Chapter 15.
Q. How can this teaching be applied today?
When giving feedback, we tend to mention only what is lacking, and the listener feels as if they had achieved nothing.