On the Bearing of Scholars

仪礼Jinzhang Book Company (Jinzhang Shuju) · ChinaJun 2024

4.2

Word count: 4.2K words
Chapters: 7

Summary

One: The scholar is neither partisan nor cliquish. Soft yet firm, empty yet full. His bearing is clear and unassuming, as though he has lost something of himself. He disdains petty matters while his aspirations fasten on the great; he seems to lack courage, yet cannot be cowed, and holds firm and bold beyond intimidation or disgrace. Facing danger and hardship, he keeps to righteousness without transgression; though he faces south and calls himself lord, he does not wax extravagant. Today, as ruler and people, he wishes to bring the seas beyond to submission; his standards in things are very high, and he does not rely on petty profit. His ears and eyes turn from custom, and he may be entrusted with settling the age; wealth and honor he does not pursue, poverty and lowliness he does not shun. In virtuous conduct he honors principle and is ashamed to use cunning guards. He is broad and generous without reproach, yet at heart most strict; hard to move by things, he will certainly not bend falsely. This is the bearing of a scholar of the state.

Editor's review

The passage on "The Bearing of the Scholar" in *Shi Rong Lun* concentrates on depicting "the bearing of a scholar of the state": neither partisan nor cliquish, soft yet firm, empty yet full; disdaining petty matters while his aspirations fasten on the great; facing danger and hardship, keeping to righteousness without transgression. The text uses bearing and demeanor to write of virtue and character, grounding an abstract ideal of personhood in conduct, aspiration, and response to circumstance; it is a condensed expression of the spiritual bearing of pre-Qin scholars. The edition printed by Shanghai Jinzhang Book Company preserves the appearance of the old engraving; the piece is short but dense, suited to repeated savoring. Its value lies in offering a traditional scholar's self-expectation: not flaunting courage, not chasing petty profit, not letting wealth and honor shift his resolve. It is a useful reference for understanding ancient scholar culture and the discourse of self-cultivation and conduct in the world. In reading, one should chew over it sentence by sentence, consult related chapters of the *Yili* or biographies of pre-Qin scholars, and avoid quoting isolated lines. It suits researchers in intellectual history and ancient literature and readers interested in the spirit of the scholar; it should not be used as a systematic manual of ritual institutions.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Researchers in pre-Qin intellectual history and ancient literature, concerned with the image of the scholar
Enthusiasts of traditional culture who wish to understand the meaning of the "scholar of the state"
Readers interested in self-cultivation and conduct who like to draw lessons from the classics
Writers and speakers in need of condensed classical vocabulary of personhood

Not a good fit for

Readers seeking systematic ritual procedures or ceremonial operations
Those who prefer vernacular stories and lack patience for classical Chinese
People looking for modern management or success-study methods

Reading tips

First read through the punctuated original once, then go sentence by sentence with annotations, grasping core antitheses such as "soft yet firm, empty yet full."
Extract the scholar's bearing traits item by item and compare them with passages on the scholar in the *Analects* and *Mencius*, comparing emphases in character.
Read alongside biographies of pre-Qin scholars or historical background to understand the context of "facing danger and hardship, keeping to righteousness without transgression."
After reading, restate "the bearing of the scholar of the state" in your own words to test whether you truly understand rather than merely remember the wording.

About the publisher

Jinzhang Book Company (Jinzhang Shuju) China · Founded in 1901

Jinzhang Book Company (Jinzhang Shuju) was a private publishing and distribution house in Shanghai during the late Qing and early Republican periods, issuing traditional works by lithographic printing. Judging from the 1,194 titles in the collection, its publishing focused on classical poetry, Eastern philosophy, historical reading, traditional Chinese medical texts, and canonical works, along with books on literary appreciation. Representative titles include the poetry and prose collections of Du Fu and Ouyang Xiu; historical works such as the Book of Han and Zizhi Tongjian; classical texts such as the Book of Documents and Mencius; and specialized and literary classics such as Treatise on Cold Damage and Li Sao. Its author resources cover major figures across the ages, including Du Fu, Ban Gu, Sima Guang, Zhang Zhongjing, Qu Yuan, Ouyang Xiu, and Tang Shenwei, reflecting the house's characteristic reliance on traditional scholarship and medical literature while serving general readers. Public information on its early history and operational details is limited, so no conjecture is offered here.

版权信息
士容
务大
上农
任地
辩土
审时

FAQ

What is the relationship between this passage and the *Yili*?

The source material labels the author as the *Yili*, but this passage is closer to pre-Qin discursive writing on the scholar, unlike the *Yili*'s main style of recording ceremonial details. Readers may treat it as a related piece within the same old engraving system, focusing on the image of the scholar and the description of virtue; there is no need to force it into the framework of ritual procedure.

Does "rong" in "the bearing of the scholar of the state" mean facial appearance?

It is more than outward appearance. Here "rong" covers conduct, bearing, aspiration, and posture in dealing with the world. From "neither partisan nor cliquish" to "hard to move by things, he will certainly not bend falsely," the text writes of inner virtue manifesting as perceptible style; it can be understood as the overall atmosphere of personhood.

The piece is not long; how should one read it so as not to reduce it to isolated quotations?

It is advisable first to grasp the structure of the whole passage: from principles of conduct, to attitude in facing matters, to choices of aspiration and profit, ending with "the bearing of the scholar of the state." Summarize layer by layer before extracting lines, and compare key terms with other pre-Qin writings on the scholar, avoiding isolated quotation that loses the overall thread.

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About the author

仪礼 Author

Yi Li, whose name is also commonly associated with the book Yi Li (The Book of Etiquette and Ceremonial), has limited publicly available information; his birth and death years, nationality, and English name are unknown. The library holds six of his works, including Shaolao Kuishi Li, Shisang Li, Shiguan Li, Shihun Li, Shirong Lun, and Shiyu Li. Most of these center on specific ceremonial procedures in ancient ritual institutions, covering the norms and sequences for capping, marriage, mourning, and sacrificial occasions in life and worship. Such texts consist mainly of clearly organized accounts of ritual steps, with attention to names, objects, order, and details of conduct; the style is plain and concise, with little expansive discussion. The works are commonly classified under Eastern philosophy and documentary literature, suggesting that their content is regarded both as a resource for ritual studies and thought and, because it records actual ceremonial practice, as having the nature of documentary record. No existing introduction is available; readers may consult the individual texts to understand the basic character of his ritual records.