How great is the Way of the sage!
Vast and overflowing – it nurtures all things, soaring up to the utmost heights of Heaven.
Truly abundant and magnificent!
Three hundred rites and three thousand ceremonial details –
yet they await the right person before they can be put into practice.
Thus it is said:
“If one does not possess supreme virtue, the supreme Way cannot be embodied.”
Therefore, the gentleman honors his innate moral nature while pursuing learning through inquiry;
he achieves vastness and breadth while attending to the most minute details;
he aspires to the loftiest wisdom yet remains grounded in the Mean.
He reviews the old to understand the new;
he cultivates sincerity and simplicity while revering ritual propriety.
Thus, when in a high position, he is not arrogant;
when in a low position, he does not betray principle.
When the state follows the Way, his words are sufficient to bring about renewal;
when the state has lost the Way, his silence is sufficient to preserve himself and accommodate the times.
The Book of Odes says:
“Both wise and discerning, thereby preserving his own person.”
Could this not be referring precisely to such a person?
大哉，聖人之道！洋洋乎發育萬物，峻極于天。
優優大哉！禮儀三百，威儀三千，待其人然後行。
故曰：苟不至德，至道不凝焉。
故君子尊德性而道問學，致廣大而盡精微，極高明而中庸。
溫故而知新，敦厚以崇禮。
是故居上不驕，為下不倍；
國有道，其言足以興，國無道，其默足以容。
《詩》曰：「既明且哲，以保其身。」其此之謂與！
Note
This chapter offers a culminating tribute to the practical character of the “Way of the sage” in the Doctrine of the Mean, blending metaphysical idealism with political prudence.
First, “vast and overflowing – it nurtures all things, soaring up to Heaven” elevates the sage’s Way to a cosmological plane – it is not merely ethical code but a life-generating force participating in cosmic creativity. Yet immediately it stresses that this Way “awaits the right person before it can be put into practice,” highlighting a core Confucian tenet: the Way cannot actualize itself; it requires a person of “supreme virtue” to embody it. This echoes earlier claims like “only the supremely sincere can transform (Chapter 26)” and affirms Confucius’s view that “humans can extend the Way; the Way does not extend humans” (Analects 15.29).
The pivotal statement – “If one does not possess supreme virtue, the supreme Way cannot be embodied” – uses the word ‘ning ’embody’ (“to condense” or “to actualize”) to convey that the highest truth remains abstract without a corresponding moral personality to realize it. From this arises the sixfold path of the gentleman’s cultivation:
- Honor innate moral nature while pursuing learning: inner conscience and external study in balance;
- Achieve vastness while attending to minutiae: macro vision and micro practice unified;
- Aspire to lofty wisdom yet remain in the Mean: transcendence and everyday conduct inseparable.
These three dialectical pairs form a complete framework for Confucian “inner sageliness and outer kingliness.” As Zhu Xi notes in his Commentary, this is precisely “the method by which learners should exert effort” – a practical guide for self-cultivation.
The phrases “review the old to understand the new” and “cultivate sincerity while revering ritual” further concretize this path: true innovation springs from deep engagement with tradition; authentic ritual arises from genuine virtue. And “not arrogant in high position, not disloyal in low position” demonstrates the gentleman’s unwavering moral composure in all circumstances.
Most profound is the response to political reality: “When the state follows the Way, his words renew it; when it loses the Way, his silence preserves it.” This is not passive withdrawal but strategic silence to safeguard the Way – preserving cultural continuity in troubled times, reflecting Confucius’s teaching: “When employed, act; when set aside, withdraw” (Analects 7.11).
The closing quote from the Book of Odes (Book of Poetry) – “Both wise and discerning, thereby preserving his own person” – reveals the essence: true wisdom is not self-serving cunning, but discerning the times while holding fast to principle, thus harmonizing personal integrity with the Heavenly Way. Such “self-preservation” is actually “preserving the Way” – a perfect synthesis of Confucian engagement and existential prudence.
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