5.9
The Master in discussing Zigong said to him, “Which do you yourself think is the better, you or Hui?”
He answered saying, “I dare not so much as look at Hui. For Hui has but to hear one part in ten, in order to understand the whole ten. Whereas if I hear one part, I understand no more than two parts.”
The Master said, “Not equal to him — you and I are not equal to him!”
子谓子贡曰：“女与回也孰愈？”对曰：“赐也何敢望回？回也闻一以知十，赐也闻一以知二。”子曰：“弗如也，吾与女弗如也！”
Notes
This dialogue between Confucius and his disciple Zigong (Duanmu Ci) from the Analects centers on Yan Hui (Yan Yuan). Through Zigong’s self-effacing admission and Confucius’ resonant agreement, it reveals Confucian ideals: reverence for intellectual depth, affirmation of humility, and a pedagogical atmosphere of mutual candor and collective refinement.
Zigong confessed, “Master, how do I compare to Yan Hui? When he learns one principle, he grasps ten implications; I, hearing one, grasp but two.”
Confucius replied, “Indeed, you cannot equal him. Neither you nor I can equal him.”
While superficially comparing disciples, this exchange illuminates Confucian insights on learning transcendence, humility as virtue, and teacher-student dynamics — particularly highlighting Yan Hui as the ideal learner and Confucius’ wisdom in “never obscuring others’ excellence.”
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