Gongshan Furao rebelled at Bi and summoned Confucius. The Master wanted to go. Zilu was displeased and said, “There is nowhere else to go, but why must you go to Gongshan?” The Master said, “The one who summoned me surely did not do so in vain. If there is anyone who would employ me, I could perhaps recreate the Eastern Zhou in the east!”
Note
This passage from the Analects vividly demonstrates Confucius’s urgent desire to promote the “Kingly Way” in a chaotic world, as well as the profound contradiction between “practicing the Way” and “choosing the right person to serve.”
Gongshan Furao was a rebellious minister who usurped state power, and morally, Confucius should have rejected him. However, his desire to go was not to aid a tyrant, but rather because he saw an opportunity to realize his political ambitions and implement the ritual and musical institutions of the Zhou Dynasty.
Confucius’ remark, “I could perhaps recreate the Eastern Zhou in the east,” reveals his lifelong political ideal: to rebuild the peaceful and prosperous era of Kings Wen and Wu and the Duke of Zhou in the east (the State of Lu).
Zilu’s opposition represents the secular moral bottom line and the stance of self-preservation, while Confucius’ reply embodies the Confucian spirit of active engagement in the world by “doing what one knows is impossible.” It also highlights the great compassion and sense of responsibility of a sage willing to find opportunities to save the world amidst the cracks of reality for the sake of all people.
Although Confucius was tempted to go, he ultimately did not, due to Zilu’s persuasion and his own practical considerations.
Further Reading
When the Way prevails in the world, show yourself; when it does not, hide yourself.
— The Analects, Chapter 8.13
Bixi summoned Confucius, and the Master wanted to go. Zilu said, “I have heard you say, Master, ‘A gentleman does not enter the court of one who is personally engaged in evil.’ Bixi has rebelled at Zhongmou; if you go to him, what about your previous words?” The Master said, “Yes, I did say that. But is it not said that what is truly hard cannot be ground thin? Is it not said that what is truly white cannot be stained black? Am I a bitter gourd? How can I be hung up and not eaten?”
— The Analects, Chapter 17.7
Changju and Jieni were plowing together… The Master sighed and said, “One cannot associate with birds and beasts. If I do not associate with these people, with whom should I associate? If the Way prevailed in the world, I would not be trying to change it.”
— The Analects, Chapter 18.6
These chapters collectively portray Confucius’ political dilemmas and his passion for saving the world when “the Way does not prevail.” Whether facing the summons of rebellious ministers (Gongshan Furao, Bixi) or the mockery of hermits, Confucius did not choose to completely withdraw from the world like the hermits. Although “show yourself when the Way prevails, hide yourself when it does not” is a common principle, Confucius often chose to “do what one knows is impossible” in reality. He firmly believed in his own moral fortitude of “cannot be ground thin, cannot be stained black,” and longed to use every possible opportunity (even the power of a rebel) to promote the Great Way and save the people. This contradiction of “being unable to hide, yet unwilling to serve” is precisely the tragic yet heroic embodiment of the Confucian active engagement in the world and taking the responsibility for all under heaven.
公山弗擾以費畔，召，子欲往。子路不說，曰：「末之也已，何必公山氏之之也。」子曰：「夫召我者而豈徒哉？如有用我者，吾其為東周乎？」
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