The Ji family (a powerful ministerial clan in Lu) planned to attack Zhuanyu, a small state subordinate to Lu. Ran You and Zilu went to see Confucius and said, “The Ji family is about to take military action against Zhuanyu.”
Confucius immediately rebuked Ran You: “Qiu! Is this not your fault? Zhuanyu was appointed by ancient kings as the chief sacrificer to Mount Dongmeng, and it lies within the borders of our state – it is a ministerial dependency of the realm. Why attack it?”
Ran You defended himself: “It is our master who wants it; we two ministers do not wish for it.”
Confucius sternly replied: “Qiu! The historian Zhou Ren once said, ‘If you can exert your strength, take your post; if not, step down.’ When your lord is in danger and you do not support him, when he stumbles and you do not help him up – what use are you as his assistants? Moreover, your words are wrong! If tigers and rhinos escape from their cages, and tortoise shells and jade are ruined inside their cases, whose fault is that?”
Ran You offered another excuse: “Now Zhuanyu has strong fortifications and is close to Fei (the Ji family’s fief). If we do not seize it now, it will surely become a threat to our descendants.”
Confucius criticized him further: “Qiu! The noble person detests those who conceal their true desires and invent excuses to justify them. I have heard that rulers of states and heads of families do not fear fewness of people but inequality of wealth; they do not fear poverty but instability. For when wealth is fairly distributed, there is no real poverty; when harmony prevails, population size does not matter; when society is stable, there is no collapse. Thus, if distant peoples are not submissive, one should cultivate cultural virtue and moral influence to attract them. Once they come, one must ensure their peace and security. Yet you two, serving as ministers to your master, fail to attract those who are distant, cannot preserve unity as the state falls apart, and instead plot to wage war within the realm! I fear the Ji family’s real worry lies not in Zhuanyu – but within the inner walls of their own court.”
Note
This dialogue from the Analects of Confucius – Lunyu encapsulates the core of his political philosophy: govern through virtue, oppose unjust war, uphold ministerial responsibility, and prioritize social equity and internal harmony.
Opposition to aggression and commitment to righteousness: Zhuanyu was a vassal state enfeoffed by ancient kings and located within Lu’s territory. Attacking it violated ritual propriety and lacked just cause. Confucius firmly rejected expansionism disguised as “preemptive defense,” seeing it as an abuse of power, not the way of the noble person.
Ministers must fulfill their duty, not evade responsibility: As a minister to the Ji family, Ran You should have dissuaded his lord from wrongdoing, yet he shifted blame with “It is our master who wants it.” Confucius cited “If you can exert your strength, take your post; if not, step down” to stress that if one cannot correct a ruler’s errors, one should resign – never collude in injustice. Ministerial service is not ceremonial; it is a moral obligation.
Condemnation of hypocritical pretexts: “Concealing one’s desire while fabricating excuses” directly targets self-deceptive political rhetoric. Confucius despised using lofty justifications to mask selfish ambition – a form of “clever words and ingratiating expressions” he consistently criticized.
Three principles of governance: “Do not fear fewness but inequality; do not fear poverty but instability” does not advocate absolute egalitarianism, but emphasizes that fair distribution and social stability matter more than aggregate wealth. “Equality” means just allocation; “stability” means public peace. On this basis, “cultivating cultural virtue to attract others” reflects Confucian diplomacy – winning hearts through moral example, not force.
Insight into internal power struggles: The closing line – “I fear the Ji family’s real worry lies not in Zhuanyu – but within the inner walls” – became a famous idiom (“trouble behind the screen”). Confucius astutely observed that the Ji clan’s true anxiety was internal – likely factional strife or legitimacy crises – and attacking Zhuanyu was merely a diversion.
This chapter not only displays Confucius’ political acumen but also sets a standard for scholar-officials: maintain independent judgment before power, uphold the Way against authority, and choose loss of position over loss of principle.
Further Reading
Zilu asked about serving a ruler. The Master said, “Do not deceive him; dare to remonstrate with him.” Analects 14.22 (Xian Wen)
Both stress that loyal service includes moral courage to challenge superiors – not passive obedience.
The Master said, “Be steadfast in faith, love learning, and hold fast to the good Way unto death. Do not enter a perilous state; do not reside in a chaotic one. When the world is governed by the Way, appear; when not, withdraw.” Analects 8.13 (Tai Bo)
Reinforces the idea that officials should not serve corrupt regimes; if unable to correct them, withdrawal is preferable to complicity.
季氏將伐顓臾。冉有、季路見於孔子曰：「季氏將有事於顓臾。」孔子曰：「求！無乃爾是過與？夫顓臾，昔者先王以為東蒙主，且在邦域之中矣，是社稷之臣也。何以伐為？」冉有曰：「夫子欲之，吾二臣者皆不欲也。」孔子曰：「求！周任有言曰：『陳力就列，不能者止。』危而不持，顛而不扶，則將焉用彼相矣？且爾言過矣。虎兕出於柙，龜玉毀於櫝中，是誰之過與？」冉有曰：「今夫顓臾，固而近於費。今不取，後世必為子孫憂。」孔子曰：「求！君子疾夫舍曰欲之，而必為之辭。丘也聞有國有家者，不患寡而患不均，不患貧而患不安。蓋均無貧，和無寡，安無傾。夫如是，故遠人不服，則修文德以來之。既來之，則安之。今由與求也，相夫子，遠人不服而不能來也；邦分崩離析而不能守也。而謀動干戈於邦內。吾恐季孫之憂，不在顓臾，而在蕭牆之內也。」
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