Fine Words

AnonymousBashu Publishing House · ChinaJul 2024

Rating 2.5
Word count
1.3K words
Chapters
2

Tags

Eastern Philosophy Confucian WordsClassical PhilosophyCharacter AppraisalSage FigureMoral DiscoursePre-Qin Anecdote

Summary

Confucius went to Zhou and visited Chang Hong; after their conversation, he withdrew. Chang Hong said to Liu Wengong, "I observe that Kong Zhongni has the bearing of a sage: eyes like a river and a high forehead—the physiognomy of the Yellow Emperor; long arms and a turtle-like back, standing nine chi six cun—the frame of Cheng Tang. Yet he speaks of the former kings, personally practices humility and deference, is broadly learned and retentive, and his knowledge of things is inexhaustible. Could he not be one in whom the sage is rising?" Master Liu said, "Now the house of Zhou has declined, and the feudal lords strive by force. Kong Qiu is a commoner—where will the sage find scope?" Chang Hong said, "The Way of Yao, Shun, Wen, and Wu has slackened and fallen; rites and music have collapsed. One simply sets their order and norms right again." Later the Master heard of this and said, "How would I dare? I am merely one who loves rites and music."

Editor's review

The passage recorded in Jiayan centers on Chang Hong's and Lord Wen of Liu's appraisal of Confucius, making it a “fine words” record of considerable historical value. It first tells how the Master went to Zhou, met Chang Hong, and withdrew after their conversation ended; then, through Chang Hong's words, it describes Confucius's appearance, using phrases such as “river-like eyes and a high forehead” and “long arms and a turtle's back” to sketch the visage of a sage, and stresses that Confucius “cited the former kings in his speech, practiced humility in his conduct, was widely informed and retentive of memory, and inexhaustibly knowledgeable about things,” praising him on both appearance and learning as “one in whom the sage has arisen.” Lord Liu then raises the realistic question: with “the Zhou house declined and the feudal lords contending by force,” how will a sage in commoner's cloth find scope for his powers? Chang Hong answers that although the ways of Yao, Shun, Wen, and Wu have fallen into neglect and the rites and music have collapsed, what is needed is simply to restore their ordering. In the final section, Confucius, hearing of this, humbly says, “How would I dare? I am merely one who loves the rites and music,” which shows both his humility and the fact that the rites and music are the foundation of his learning. The whole text is brief yet clearly structured, touching on such topics as the visage of a sage, the sage in commoner's cloth, and the ordering of rites and music; it is suitable for close reading by those interested in pre-Qin Confucianism and ancient texts. In reading, attention should be paid to the measure of praise in the dialogue and to the deeper meaning of Confucius's self-deprecating words.

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Reading tips

  1. First read the whole text through and sort out the layers of discourse among Chang Hong, Lord Wen of Liu, and Confucius, then go back to see what each speech is directed at.
  2. Mark the sentences describing Confucius's appearance and consider why the ancients argued for “sagehood” by citing appearance and learning together.
  3. Pay special attention to Confucius's self-deprecating closing words and compare the tension between others' appraisal and his self-definition.
  4. Read alongside relevant chapters of the Analects in which Confucius discusses rites and music to deepen understanding of the phrase “loves the rites and music.”

About the publisher

Bashu Publishing House China · Founded in 1983

Bashu Publishing House is a publisher centered on collating and publishing classical Chinese cultural texts, with its main publishing areas covering classical literature, Eastern philosophy, ancient poetry, and educational classics. Its library currently holds 1,075 titles, including representative works such as Dream of the Red Chamber, the Preface to the Orchid Pavilion Gathering, Renjian Cihua, and Out to the Frontier, involving authors such as Cao Xueqin, Wang Xizhi, Wang Guowei, Wang Changling, Liu Xie, and Yan Yu. These reflect the publisher's focus on literary classics, poetry criticism, and philosophical readings. Its publishing character lies in working around ancient texts and canonical works, with attention to textual collation and presentation. Public information on its more detailed publishing background and series plans is limited; this introduction is based only on the library's book information.

Contents

  1. 版权信息
  2. 嘉言第一

FAQ

Who is Chang Hong in the text? What is his relation to Confucius? Chang Hong was a grandee of the Zhou house, famed for his wide learning and much information. The text says that when Confucius went to Zhou he met him, and after their conversation ended he withdrew; Chang Hong then appraised Confucius to Lord Wen of Liu. This record shows one facet of Confucius's travels and his contacts with figures of the Zhou house when he inquired about rites in Zhou; Chang Hong's appraisal of Confucius is important material for understanding Confucius's reputation at the time.
What is the purpose of descriptions such as “river-like eyes and a high forehead”? These descriptions compare his appearance to those of the Yellow Emperor and Tang the Successful and link Confucius's physique with ancient sage-kings; this is a写法 combining ancient physiognomy with the conception of the sage. Its purpose is not a realistic portrait but an argument, by way of appearance, that Confucius has “the visage of a sage,” paving the way for the later praise of his learning and virtue.
What does Lord Wen of Liu's question show? Lord Wen of Liu says that “the Zhou house has declined and the feudal lords contend by force,” and questions whether Confucius, a commoner, even with sage virtue, would have anywhere to apply it. This question pulls the appraisal back from appearance and learning to the actual political situation and leads Chang Hong to answer with “restore their ordering,” highlighting that the rites-and-music tradition still had meaning for repairing order in a time of disorder.
Why does Confucius finally say, “How would I dare?” When faced with Chang Hong and others granting him sagehood, Confucius modestly says, “How would I dare?” and then states that he is merely “one who loves the rites and music.” This both shows his consistent humility and brings the topic back to the learning of rites and music, suggesting that his aspiration lies not in empty fame but in transmitting and ordering the rites-and-music tradition.

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About the author

Anonymous Author

Anonymous is not a real personal name but a general Chinese designation for authors whose names are unknown, lost, or unsigned. Neither nationality nor dates of birth and death can be verified, and available public information is limited, so the works attributed to this name are the only basis for description. The collection holds 2,078 works under Anonymous, spanning medicine, classics, historical readings, ancient poetry, classical literature, and philosophy. Representative works include The Yellow Emperor's Inner Canon: Lingshu, Mencius, The Book of Documents, Nineteen Old Poems, Complete Song Ci, and The Peacock Flies Southeast. Most of these works took shape through long transmission and editing, emerging either from collective folk creation or from authors whose names were lost over time. In ancient China, the Book of Songs, the Great Learning, and many popular storybooks and plays were signed Anonymous because their authors could not be traced. Anonymous works cross the classics, histories, philosophical writings, medical texts, and poetry; their subjects are broad, and their styles vary from archaic simplicity to clear naturalness, making them important and influential sources for understanding ancient Chinese thought, medicine, and literature.