Admiring the Worthy

Yan ZhituiBashu Publishing House · ChinaJun 2024

4.3

Word count: 1.1K words
Chapters: 2

Summary

People are often blind: they prize what they hear and slight what they see, value the distant and neglect the near. Those with whom we have grown up and long associated, if they are wise and worthy, are often treated with familiarity and disrespect, without courtesy or honor; whereas someone in a distant village or another region, if there is but the faintest rumor of him, makes us crane our necks and stand on tiptoe, more than hunger and thirst. If we compare their strengths and weaknesses and examine their refinement and crudeness, perhaps that distant person cannot match this near one. That is why the people of Lu called Confucius 'the Eastern Neighbor Qiu'; in ancient times, Gong Zhiqi of the state of Yu had grown up with the ruler, and the ruler treated him with familiarity, rejected his remonstrance, and so brought the state to ruin. This cannot but be pondered.

Editor's review

A short passage from Yan Zhitui, "Muxian" (Cherishing the Worthy) cuts to the heart of a common failing in how people judge and treat others. The author opens by naming the problem—"valuing what is heard over what is seen, prizing the distant over the near"—then contrasts the worthy close at hand, often treated with familiarity and disrespect, with distant reputations that make people crane their necks in eager anticipation, showing how distance and hearsay distort judgment. He then offers two examples: the man of Lu who called Confucius "the hillbilly from the east" and Duke Yu, who treated Gong Zhiqi with casual familiarity and rejected his counsel, losing his state. The tone is plain and admonitory, relying not on grand argument but on observation and historical example. This Bashu Press edition makes the original text accessible. Its value lies in prompting readers to examine their everyday habits of judgment: we grow dismissive of those familiar to us and overly credulous of distant fame. Whether for self-cultivation or for understanding Yan Zhitui's emphasis on family teaching and choosing one's associates, this passage offers a practical entry point—best read slowly and connected to one's own experience.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers interested in traditional family precepts and self-cultivation
Managers hoping to reflect on their habits of judging and employing people
Students of classical prose and historical commentary
General readers interested in Yan Zhitui's thought

Not a good fit for

Readers seeking systematic historical scholarship or full-length biography
Readers who prefer plot-driven narrative and literary stories
Beginners unwilling to engage with classical Chinese at all

Reading tips

First grasp the eight characters "valuing what is heard over what is seen, prizing the distant over the near," then reread the examples with that judgment in mind.
Retell in your own words the two examples: the man of Lu calling Confucius "the hillbilly from the east," and Duke Yu rejecting Gong Zhiqi.
After reading, recall an occasion when you slighted someone familiar or overrated someone distant on hearsay.
Read alongside the passages on choosing associates and cherishing the worthy in The Family Instructions of Master Yan to grasp the broader concern.

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.

版权信息
慕贤第七

FAQ

What exactly does "valuing what is heard over what is seen, prizing the distant over the near" refer to?

It refers to the tendency to prize hearsay over what one sees for oneself, and to value famous people from afar while slighting those familiar close at hand. The author holds that this habit leads people to treat worthy people nearby with disrespect and to overestimate distant reputations, often misjudging others' strengths and weaknesses.

What does the example of Gong Zhiqi illustrate?

Gong Zhiqi had grown up with Duke Yu and was close to him, yet the duke slighted him and ignored his counsel, which ultimately led to the state's downfall. The author uses this to show that failing to honor worthy people nearby because they are familiar can have serious consequences, and warns readers to take heed.

What is the relationship between this passage and The Family Instructions of Master Yan?

"Muxian" is by Yan Zhitui, and its concerns run in the same vein as The Family Instructions of Master Yan: choosing good associates, honoring the worthy, and family education. This passage can serve as a short entry point into Yan Zhitui's thought; reading the relevant chapters of the family instructions afterward gives a fuller picture.

Comments

Find this book

This site is an index: you start “Search all sources” in your browser, and the entries it lists all point to third-party sites; please judge their availability yourself.

About the author

Yan Zhitui Author · Chinese

Yan Zhitui (531–591), courtesy name Jie, was a native of Linyi in Langya who was born in Jiankang and became a renowned man of letters and educator during the Northern and Southern Dynasties. He served five dynasties in turn—Liang, Western Wei, Northern Qi, Northern Zhou and Sui—and witnessed the fall of three of them, a life of hardship that gave him broad experience. In his later years he wrote the seven-volume, twenty-chapter Admonitions for the Yan Clan, the first dedicated work of family instruction in China. Addressing such themes as teaching children, encouraging learning, admiring worthies and phonology, it sets out in plain and earnest prose how to conduct oneself and manage a household, while also recording northern and southern customs and scholarly strengths and weaknesses; its influence on later family-instruction literature was profound. His other works include The Record of Wronged Souls and The Fu on Observing My Life. Spanning biography, philosophy and folk literature, his writings are important sources for understanding the thought and family culture of medieval scholars.