– By Han Yu (Tang Dynasty)
In ancient times, those who pursued learning always had teachers.
A teacher is one who transmits the Way (Dao), imparts knowledge of the classics, and resolves doubts.
No one is born with innate understanding – so who can be without confusion?
If one is confused yet refuses to seek a teacher, that confusion will never be resolved.
If someone was born before me and has understood the Way earlier than I have, I take him as my teacher.
If someone was born after me but has also understood the Way before I have, I likewise take him as my teacher.
I follow the Way – why should I care whether he was born before or after me?
Thus, there is no distinction of noble or humble, old or young:
Wherever the Way resides, there resides the teacher.
Alas! The tradition of respecting teachers has long been lost!
It is difficult to expect people to be free of confusion!
The sages of antiquity were far superior to others, yet they still sought teachers and asked questions.
Today’s common people are far inferior to sages, yet they are ashamed to learn from teachers.
Therefore, the wise grow wiser, and the foolish grow more foolish.
Might this not be precisely why sages become sages and fools remain fools?
People love their children and carefully choose teachers to instruct them –
but when it comes to themselves, they are ashamed to take teachers! How perplexing!
Those “teachers” of young children merely teach them texts and drill them in punctuation –
they are not the kind of teachers I mean, who transmit the Way and resolve deep doubts.
To seek a teacher for minor matters like sentence parsing, yet refuse one for major issues like fundamental confusion –
this is focusing on trivial learning while neglecting what truly matters. I see no wisdom in it.
Healers, shamans, musicians, artisans – they are not ashamed to learn from one another.
But among the scholar-official class, if anyone mentions “teacher” or “disciple,”
the whole group gathers to laugh at him.
When asked why, they say:
“He is about the same age as I am, and his understanding of the Way is similar.
If his status is lower, it’s shameful to learn from him; if his rank is higher, it seems like flattery.”
Ah! From this, we can see why the true way of the teacher will not be restored!
Those healers, shamans, musicians, and craftsmen – whom the so-called “gentlemen” disdain –
now actually surpass them in wisdom! Is this not strange indeed?
The sage has no fixed teacher.
Confucius learned from Tanzi, Chang Hong, Shi Xiang, and Lao Dan (Laozi).
None of these men were as virtuous as Confucius himself.
Yet Confucius said:”When three people walk together, one of them will surely be my teacher.”
Thus, a disciple need not be inferior to his teacher,
nor must a teacher be wiser than his disciple.
Understanding of the Way comes at different times;
expertise lies in specialized fields.
That is all there is to it.
There is a young man of the Li family, Pan, aged seventeen,
who loves classical prose and has thoroughly studied the Six Arts and their commentaries.
Unbound by current fashions, he came to study with me.
I admire his dedication to the ancient path –
and so I wrote this “On Teachers” to present to him.
Note
Han Yu (768–824 CE) was a leading literary figure, philosopher, and statesman of the Tang Dynasty, widely regarded as the founder of the Classical Prose Movement (Ancient Prose Movement). He fiercely opposed the ornate, parallel-prose style (pianwen) dominant in his time and advocated a return to the clear, direct, and morally purposeful prose of the pre-Qin and Han periods.
He wrote “On Teachers” around 803 CE, during a period when Confucian values were in decline amid the rising influence of Buddhism and Daoism. At the time, it was socially unacceptable for educated adults – especially officials – to openly acknowledge having teachers, as it implied intellectual inferiority. This taboo particularly affected the elite scholar-official class, who prided themselves on self-sufficiency.
Han Yu composed this essay both as a defense of Confucian pedagogy and as a personal tribute to his young student Li Pan, who defied social norms by seeking instruction in classical learning. The essay boldly reasserts the Confucian ideal that learning requires humility, openness, and respect for teachers – regardless of age or status.
Confucius (Kongzi)
– Central figure in Confucianism. Han Yu cites him as the model learner who sought wisdom from many teachers, proving that even the greatest sage needed guidance.
Tanzi (Tan Zi)
– A minor official from the state of Tan during the Spring and Autumn period, known for his knowledge of ancient rites. Confucius consulted him on ritual matters.
Chang Hong
– A Zhou dynasty court official and music master, famed for his expertise in music and cosmology. Later legends claim he was unjustly executed, and his blood turned green – a symbol of loyalty.
Shi Xiang
– A blind court musician who taught Confucius the lute and musical interpretation.
Lao Dan (Laozi)
– Traditionally regarded as the founder of Daoism and author of the Dao De Jing (Tao Te Ching). Historical records suggest Confucius may have met an elder named Lao Dan, though this is debated. Han Yu includes him to show Confucius’s openness – even to philosophical rivals.
“Three people walking” quote
– From the Analects (Book 7, Chapter 22): “When three are walking together, I am sure to find a teacher among them.” Emphasizes lifelong learning and intellectual humility.
Six Arts
– The core curriculum of classical Confucian education: rites, music, archery, charioteering, calligraphy, and mathematics. Mastery of these defined a cultivated person.
Classical Prose Movement (Guwen)
– Han Yu’s literary campaign to revive pre-Buddhist, morally grounded Chinese writing. “On Teachers” itself is a prime example of this clear, argumentative style.
Social stigma against “having a teacher”
– In mid-Tang society, adult scholars claiming a teacher risked ridicule, seen as lacking independence. Han Yu attacks this hypocrisy, especially among elites who send their children to tutors but refuse to learn themselves.
师说
（唐・韩愈）
古之学者必有师。师者，所以传道受业解惑也。人非生而知之者，孰能无惑？惑而不从师，其为惑也，终不解矣。生乎吾前，其闻道也固先乎吾，吾从而师之；生乎吾后，其闻道也亦先乎吾，吾从而师之。吾师道也，夫庸知其年之先后生于吾乎？是故无贵无贱，无长无少，道之所存，师之所存也。
嗟乎！师道之不传也久矣！欲人之无惑也难矣！古之圣人，其出人也远矣，犹且从师而问焉；今之众人，其下圣人也亦远矣，而耻学于师。是故圣益圣，愚益愚。圣人之所以为圣，愚人之所以为愚，其皆出于此乎？爱其子，择师而教之；于其身也，则耻师焉，惑矣。彼童子之师，授之书而习其句读者，非吾所谓传其道解其惑者也。句读之不知，惑之不解，或师焉，或不焉，小学而大遗，吾未见其明也。巫医乐师百工之人，不耻相师。士大夫之族，曰师曰弟子云者，则群聚而笑之。问之，则曰：“彼与彼年相若也，道相似也，位卑则足羞，官盛则近谀。” 呜呼！师道之不复，可知矣。巫医乐师百工之人，君子不齿，今其智乃反不能及，其可怪也欤！
圣人无常师。孔子师郯子、苌弘、师襄、老聃。郯子之徒，其贤不及孔子。孔子曰：三人行，则必有我师。是故弟子不必不如师，师不必贤于弟子，闻道有先后，术业有专攻，如是而已。
李氏子蟠，年十七，好古文，六艺经传皆通习之，不拘于时，学于余。余嘉其能行古道，作《师说》以贻之。
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