Yan Hui asked about benevolence (humaneness). The Master said, “To restrain oneself and return to ritual propriety is humaneness. If for just one day everyone could restrain themselves and conform to ritual propriety, the whole world would return to humaneness. Cultivating humaneness depends on oneself—how could it depend on others?”
Yan Hui asked, “May I ask for its practical guidelines?”
The Master replied, “Do not look at anything contrary to ritual; do not listen to anything contrary to ritual; do not speak anything contrary to ritual; do not do anything contrary to ritual.”
Yan Hui said, “Though I am not quick-witted, I will put these words into practice.”
Note
This passage from the Analects of Confucius presents one of his most concise and profound definitions of humaneness—the central virtue in his ethical system. He defines benevolence not as an abstract ideal but as a disciplined practice: “restraining the self and returning to ritual propriety.” Here, ritual propriety is not mere ceremony but the embodiment of moral order, social harmony, and cosmic norms inherited from the sage-kings. “Restraining the self” means curbing selfish desires, impulses, and subjective biases that disrupt relational harmony. The famous “four negatives”—do not see, hear, speak, or act against ritual propriety—outline a total ethical discipline that governs perception, attention, speech, and action. Crucially, Confucius emphasizes agency: benevolence is “by oneself, not by others,” rejecting fatalism or reliance on external forces. Yet this self-cultivation is not individualistic—it has cosmic implications: if even one person fully embodies humaneness, it can inspire transformative change (“the whole world returns to humaneness”). This reflects the Confucian belief in moral contagion: virtue radiates outward through example. Yan Hui’s humble commitment exemplifies the ideal disciple—receptive, earnest, and ready to act. Ultimately, this passage unites inner discipline with social transformation, showing that ethics begins with personal vigilance and culminates in universal harmony.
Further Reading
The Master said, “If a person lacks benevolence, what use is ritual? If a person lacks benevolence, what use is music?” Analects 3.3 (Ba Yi)
Shows that ritual without humaneness is empty form—just as humaneness without ritual lacks structure. The two are interdependent, as in “restrain self and return to ritual.”
The Master said, “I have never seen one who truly loves humaneness or hates non-humaneness… Perhaps such people exist—I just haven’t met them.” Analects 4.6 (Li Ren)
Reinforces that humaneness requires deep personal commitment—echoing “humaneness depends on oneself”—and is rare because it demands constant vigilance.
顏淵問仁。子曰：「克己復禮為仁。一日克己復禮，天下歸仁焉。為仁由己，而由人乎哉？」顏淵曰：「請問其目。」子曰：「非禮勿視，非禮勿聽，非禮勿言，非禮勿動。」顏淵曰：「回雖不敏，請事斯語矣。」
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