Zilu asked Confucius, “What makes a noble person (junzi)?”
The Master said, “Cultivate yourself with reverence.”
Zilu asked, “Is that all?”
The Master replied, “Cultivate yourself so as to bring peace to others.”
Zilu asked again, “Is that all?”
The Master said, “Cultivate yourself so as to bring peace to all the people. Even Yao and Shun would have found this difficult!”
Note
This dialogue from The Analects (Lunyu) progressively reveals three levels of the Confucian ideal of the junzi (noble person), embodying the path from inner moral cultivation to outward social transformation – often summarized as “sageliness within, kingliness without.”
- First level: “Cultivate yourself with reverence” – the foundation of self-cultivation. It emphasizes inner discipline, seriousness, and a sense of awe toward Heaven, human relationships, and one’s duties. Only by rectifying oneself can one influence others.
- Second level: “Cultivate yourself so as to bring peace to others” – extending virtue to those nearby (family, friends, colleagues). Through personal integrity, one creates trust, harmony, and reassurance, reflecting the Confucian principle: “Wishing to establish yourself, help others establish themselves; wishing to succeed, help others succeed” (Analects 6.30).
- Third level: “Cultivate yourself so as to bring peace to all the people” (Great Learning Chapter 2) – expanding moral influence to the entire society, ensuring the well-being of the common people. This is the work of sage-kings, so Confucius remarks that even Yao and Shun “would have found this difficult,” expressing both deep respect for this ideal and awareness of its immense challenge.
The structure of Confucius’s response is masterful: moving from self to community to the world, with clear logic and ascending responsibility. He does not discard earlier stages but integrates them into a broader ethical vision culminating in “bringing peace to the world.”
The final remark also reflects Confucian humility and realism: even the greatest sages felt inadequate before the task of universal peace. This reminds later generations that self-cultivation is a lifelong journey, never to be taken lightly or assumed complete.
In short, Confucius teaches: the Way of the noble person begins with reverent self-cultivation and culminates in benefiting all people; even sages dared not claim perfection – only ceaseless effort.
Further Reading
Zigong said, “What if someone widely benefits the people and rescues the masses – what do you think? Can he be called humane?” The Master said, “This goes beyond ren! He must be a sage! Even Yao and Shun would have found this difficult!” Analects 6.30 (Yong Ye)
Both use “Yao and Shun would have found this difficult” to describe the highest moral achievement – universal care for the people.
Yan Hui asked about benevolence. The Master said, “To restrain oneself and return to ritual is benevolence. If for one day one could do this, the whole world would turn to benevolence.” Analects 12.1 (Yan Yuan)
Links self-cultivation (“restrain oneself”) directly to transformative social impact (“the world turns to benevolence”), echoing “cultivate self > bring peace to people.”
The Master said, “If one can rectify oneself, what difficulty could there be in governing? If one cannot rectify oneself, how can one rectify others?” Analects 13.13 (Zi Lu)
Emphasizes that governance begins with self-correction – parallel to “cultivate yourself to bring peace to others.”
Zengzi said, “The scholar cannot lack breadth of mind and strength of will, for his burden is heavy and his road long. To take ren as one’s personal responsibility – is that not weighty? To continue until death – is that not distant?” Analects 8.7 (Tai Bo)
Reflects the same spirit of lifelong commitment to moral responsibility for the sake of others, consistent with “cultivate self to bring peace to all.”
子路問君子。子曰：「脩己以敬。」曰：「如斯而已乎？」曰：「脩己以安人。」曰：「如斯而已乎？」曰：「脩己以安百姓。脩己以安百姓，堯舜其猶病諸！」
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