Zizhang said, “If one practices virtue without broad-mindedness, and believes in the Way without steadfastness, what difference does it make whether he exists or not?”
Note
This passage is a severe warning issued by Zizhang against the “mediocrity” and “wavering” that scholars often fall into during self-cultivation, emphasizing the importance of “vision” and “steadfastness” in moral cultivation:
- Practicing Virtue Without Broad-mindedness (Vision and Magnanimity):
“Practice” means to uphold, and “broad-mindedness” means expansiveness. Zizhang points out that if a person is merely content with maintaining personal virtue, or lacks a grand vision to embrace the world when doing good, their moral cultivation cannot produce widespread social impact. True morality should be broad enough to benefit others. - Believing in the Way Without Steadfastness (Resolve and Conviction):
“Steadfastness” means firmness and purity. If one is fickle and easily swayed by external environments or the words of others on the path of pursuing truth and faith, then such belief is superficial. - What Difference Does It Make? (The Value of Existence):
This is the soul of the passage. With a sharp rhetorical question, Zizhang points out the “worthlessness” in both social and spiritual dimensions of those who lack “broad-mindedness” and “steadfastness.” They can neither become pillars of society nor moral role models. Such an expendable existence is a great waste of life and the years spent learning.
The core of this thought lies in “a grand vision” and “steadfast conviction.” It teaches people that when cultivating themselves and seeking knowledge, they must never settle for mediocrity. They must set lofty aspirations and practice them with unshakable resolve to realize the true value of life.
Further Reading
Zengzi said, “A scholar cannot be without breadth of mind and vigorous endurance, for his burden is heavy and his course is long.”
— The Analects, Chapter 8.7
The Master said, “The commander of the forces of a large state may be carried off, but the will of even a common man cannot be taken from him.”
— The Analects, Chapter 9.26
The Master said, “The ‘village worthy’ (the hypocrite who tries to please everyone and lacks true principles) is the thief of virtue.”
— The Analects, Chapter 17.13
These chapters collectively construct the extremely high requirements of Confucianism for the “spiritual backbone” of scholars. Whether it is the “breadth of mind and vigorous endurance” emphasized by Zengzi, the “unshakable will” praised by Confucius, or the “practicing virtue without broad-mindedness and believing in the Way without steadfastness” criticized by Zizhang, their core logic is highly consistent: Confucianism strongly despises mediocrity, narrow-mindedness, and drifting with the tide in morality and faith. They jointly prove that a true gentleman must possess a grand vision and rock-solid conviction, and must absolutely not be a “village worthy” or a mediocre person without principles or significance.
子張曰：「執德不弘，信道不篤，焉能為有？焉能為亡？」
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