Qu Boyu sent an envoy to Confucius. Confucius invited him to sit and asked, “What is your master doing these days?”
The envoy replied, “My master wishes to reduce his faults, but feels he has not yet succeeded.”
After the envoy left, Confucius exclaimed, “What an excellent envoy! What an excellent envoy!”
Note
Though brief, this dialogue from the Analects of Confucius profoundly reflects Confucian values of self-cultivation, introspection, and humility.
Qu Boyu was a virtuous minister of Wei, renowned for his moral discipline. His envoy did not boast of his master’s achievements or talents, but truthfully conveyed Qu’s ongoing struggle: “He wishes to reduce his faults but has not yet succeeded.” This perfectly embodies the Confucian spirit of “the noble person seeks within himself” (Analects 15.20) and daily self-examination.
Confucius’s repeated exclamation – “What an excellent envoy!” – praises not only the messenger’s sincerity and propriety, but more importantly the moral depth of Qu Boyu himself: the true junzi (noble man) never rests in self-satisfaction but constantly strives to correct his faults and improve his virtue.
The envoy himself is also commendable: he accurately and modestly expressed his master’s inner state without embellishment, demonstrating the diplomatic integrity of “serving abroad without disgracing one’s lord,” and reflecting the quality of talent nurtured under Qu Boyu’s leadership.
This passage reveals a core trait of the Confucian ideal personality: not seeking external recognition, but focusing on inner moral refinement; not priding oneself on being faultless, but valuing the awareness and correction of one’s errors.
In short, Confucius praises the envoy as a proxy for praising Qu Boyu’s virtue – and reaffirms that the essence of self-cultivation lies in maintaining a constant desire to amend one’s faults.
Further Reading
Zengzi said, “I examine myself three times each day…” Analects 1.4 (Xue Er)
Both emphasize continuous self-reflection as central to moral cultivation – Qu Boyu’s “wishing to reduce faults” is a living example of this practice.
The Master said, “The noble person seeks within himself; the petty person seeks from others.” Analects 15.20 (Wei Ling Gong)
Qu Boyu’s focus on his own shortcomings – not blaming others – exemplifies the junzi’s inward orientation.
The Master said, “My worries are: failing to cultivate virtue, neglecting to discuss learning, hearing righteousness but not following it, and knowing what is wrong but not correcting it.” Analects 7.3 (Shu Er)
Confucius shares Qu Boyu’s concern about the inability to correct faults – both see moral improvement as an urgent, lifelong task.
蘧伯玉使人於孔子。孔子與之坐而問焉，曰：「夫子何為？」對曰：「夫子欲寡其過而未能也。」使者出。子曰：「使乎！使乎！」
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