Liuxia Hui served as the chief criminal judge, but was dismissed from office three times. Someone said to him, “Can you not leave this state?” He replied, “If I serve others by adhering to the upright way, where could I go without being dismissed three times? If I serve others by abandoning the upright way and acting in a crooked manner, why should I leave the state of my parents?”
Note
This dialogue vividly portrays Liuxia Hui as a model of the Confucian ideal personality who is “harmonious but not yielding” and “steadfast in upholding the righteous path,” demonstrating profound moral fortitude and a deep sense of patriotism:
- Serving Others with the Upright Way (The Solitary Courage of Adhering to Principles):
Liuxia Hui’s “three dismissals” were not due to a lack of ability, but because he refused to go along with corrupt practices. He clearly realized that in an era of collapsing social order, adhering to the “upright way” would inevitably lead to setbacks everywhere. However, he refused to compromise his moral bottom line just to cater to the secular world or preserve his official position. This persistence of “doing what one knows is right even when it seems impossible” is a defense of one’s independent character. - Refusing to Serve with a Crooked Way (Rejecting Moral Compromise):
Liuxia Hui pointed out that if he abandoned his principles to serve others in a “crooked manner” (flattering and yielding), he could easily succeed anywhere, but that would violate his conscience. Since he was unwilling to do things against his conscience, leaving his homeland to eke out an existence elsewhere would lose its meaning. - Deep Affection and Sense of Responsibility for the Homeland:
He did not choose to escape, but chose to stay in the “state of his parents.” This reflects the Confucian deep emotional attachment to one’s homeland. He would rather endure grievances in his own country than leave home to exchange for glory and wealth, demonstrating the composure of “when in humble circumstances, one attends to his own virtue” and an attachment to his homeland and people.
The core of this thought lies in “righteousness is higher than official career.” It teaches people that when facing injustice and setbacks, they should not easily give up their principles to drift with the tide, nor should they cynically escape from reality. Instead, while adhering to inner righteousness, they should maintain warmth and responsibility towards their homeland and people.
Further Reading
The Master said, “Be sincerely devoted to faith and love learning. Hold fast to the good path unto death. Do not enter a tottering state, nor reside in a chaotic state. When the Way prevails in the world, show yourself; when it does not, hide.”
The Master said, “When the state is well-governed, be bold in speech and bold in action. When the state is ill-governed, be bold in action but cautious in speech.”
These chapters collectively construct the Confucian “philosophy of dealing with the world” and “the way of advancing and retreating” in chaotic times or adversity. Whether it is Liuxia Hui adhering to the upright way without leaving his homeland, Confucius advocating “holding fast to the good path unto death” or “hiding when there is no Way” in chaotic times, or emphasizing the need to be “bold in action but cautious in speech” in a poorly governed state, their core logic is highly consistent: Confucianism emphasizes that one must adhere to the inner moral bottom line (the upright way) in any environment, but should make flexible adaptations in external behavior depending on whether the era is clear or chaotic. They jointly prove that a true gentleman neither drifts with the tide and goes along with evil, nor blindly makes futile sacrifices, but finds a wise balance between adhering to principles and preserving oneself.
柳下惠為士師，三黜。人曰：「子未可以去乎？」曰：「直道而事人，焉往而不三黜？枉道而事人，何必去父母之邦。」
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