Confucius was in danger during the incident at Kuang, and Yan Hui lagged behind. When Yan Hui finally caught up, Confucius said, “I thought you had died.” Yan Hui replied, “As long as you, Master, are still alive, how could I dare to die?”
Note
This brief yet deeply moving exchange from the Analects of Confucius captures the profound bond between Confucius and his most devoted disciple, Yan Hui, and reflects core Confucian values: loyalty, filial-like reverence for the teacher, and the moral imperative of preserving life for a higher purpose. Yan Hui’s response is not merely emotional – it is ethically grounded. In Confucian thought, a disciple’s life is not solely his own; it is entrusted to the service of the Way (Dao) and the transmission of moral truth through the master-disciple relationship. To die before fulfilling one’s duty to learn from and support the teacher would be a failure of responsibility. Yan Hui’s words also imply that as long as the embodiment of the Way (Confucius) lives, disciples must stay alive to continue learning and carrying it forward. This passage thus elevates the teacher-student relationship to a quasi-filial, sacred covenant – where loyalty transcends personal survival, and life is preserved not out of fear, but out of moral commitment. It also subtly affirms the Confucian view that death should not come prematurely or recklessly; one must live as long as one has a role to play in the moral order.
Further Reading
The Master said, “How virtuous Hui is! With a single bamboo bowl of rice and a gourd dipper of water in a humble alley – others could not bear such hardship, yet Hui never lost his joy. How virtuous Hui is!” Analects 6.11 (Yong Ye)
Both highlight Yan Hui’s unwavering devotion to the Way and his deep reverence for Confucius, even amid suffering or danger.
When Confucius was in danger at Kuang, he said, “King Wen is gone – but is not culture now here in me? If Heaven intends to destroy this culture, those born after will not have access to it. But if Heaven does not intend to destroy it, what can the men of Kuang do to me?” Analects 9.5 (Zi Han)
Shows Confucius’s belief in his divine mission to preserve wen (moral-cultural tradition) – Yan Hui’s refusal to die aligns with this mission, seeing himself as part of its continuity.
子畏於匡，顏淵後。子曰：「吾以女為死矣。」曰：「子在，回何敢死？」
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