Yu the Great and Hou Ji lived in times of peace. Yu passed by his own home three times while controlling floods but never entered; Hou Ji tirelessly taught farming to feed the people. Confucius praised them.
Yan Hui lived in chaotic times, dwelling in a shabby alley with only a small basket of rice and a gourd of water each day. Others couldn’t bear such hardship, yet Yan Hui never lost his inner joy. Confucius also praised him.
Mencius said:
“In truth, Yu, Hou Ji, and Yan Hui followed the same Way – they all embodied benevolence. Yu felt that if anyone in the world drowned, it was as if he had drowned them himself; Hou Ji felt that if anyone starved, it was as if he had starved them. That’s why they acted with such urgency.
If their circumstances were swapped, they would all act accordingly: place Yu and Hou Ji in Yan Hui’s chaotic age, and they too would find joy in poverty; place Yan Hui in their age of order, and he too would rush to save the people.
It’s like this: if people fighting are in your own household, you should rush out to stop them – even with hair unbound and cap askew. But if villagers from a distant neighborhood are fighting, and you dash over in disarray, that’s foolish. In that case, it’s perfectly acceptable to simply close your door.”
禹、稷當平世，三過其門而不入，孔子賢之。顏子當亂世，居於陋巷。一簞食，一瓢飲。人不堪其憂，顏子不改其樂，孔子賢之。孟子曰：「禹、稷、顏回同道。禹思天下有溺者，由己溺之也；稷思天下有飢者，由己飢之也，是以如是其急也。禹、稷、顏子易地則皆然。今有同室之人鬬者，救之，雖被髮纓冠而救之，可也。鄉鄰有鬬者，被髮纓冠而往救之，則惑也，雖閉戶可也。」
Note
This passage from Mencius: Li Lou II masterfully articulates the Confucian principle that:
“The Dao is one, though its manifestations differ; times change, but the moral heart remains the same.”
The sage’s path isn’t defined by outward actions, but by an unwavering heart that takes the world’s suffering as its own. Conduct adapts to the times, but benevolence remains constant.
Benevolence as the common core
Despite vastly different lives – Yu and Hou Ji serving actively, Yan Hui in quiet poverty – their inner spirit is identical: they identify completely with the suffering of others. “If anyone drowns, I drown them” – this expresses the Confucian ideal of “one body with all things,” later crystallized by Cheng Hao as “the humane person forms one body with Heaven and Earth.”
Moral universality and Contextual adaptation
Mencius proposes a thought experiment: given changed circumstances, each would naturally adopt the other’s conduct. This affirms that true virtue is both universal and situationally responsive.
Yan Hui wasn’t passive – he preserved the Way (Dao) in dark times through personal integrity, embodying Confucius’s teaching:
Moral action requires discernment
The metaphor of intervening in a fight distinguishes between direct responsibility (“same household”) and indirect concern (“distant neighbors”).
Immediate intervention is right for the former; rushing in for the latter is “confused”. This isn’t indifference but ethical prudence – recognizing boundaries of role, capacity, and propriety, consistent with the Book of Rites:
“In duty to ruler, give your life; in duty to father, exert your strength.”
Countering Warring States utilitarianism
In an era obsessed with visible achievement, Mencius defends Yan Hui’s quiet virtue, asserting that moral worth isn’t measured by external impact alone. Yet he equally honors Yu and Hou Ji, showing Confucianism embraces both inner cultivation and outer service, unified by benevolence.
Continuity with Confucius
Confucius praised Yu for selfless public service (Analects 8.21):
And Yan Hui for joyful simplicity (Analects 6.11).
Mencius reveals the unity behind these praises: both exemplify perfect alignment with Dao, adapted to their times.
Legacy in later Confucianism
Neo-Confucians revered this passage.
- Cheng Yi wrote: “Yan Hui’s joy wasn’t in poverty – it was joy in the Dao itself.”
- Wang Yangming saw both Yan Hui’s contentment and Yu’s urgency as expressions of “innate knowing” responding authentically to context.
Boundaries of moral responsibility
In our hyper-connected age, we’re bombarded with global crises, often feeling guilty for not “doing enough.”
Mencius offers wisdom: true compassion begins where you have real connection and capacity – your family, community, vocation. Moreover, maintaining inner integrity and joy amid chaos is itself a profound contribution to humanity.
In essence:
Serve when the world is ordered; preserve Dao when it’s broken. Forms may differ, but the heart of benevolence never changes. To help those near you is duty; to chase distant chaos is folly. To rejoice in Dao – not in success – is the mark of true virtue.
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