Chapter 7 Part VI Yan Hui

Yan Hui, named Ziyuan, was the son of Yan Lu, a disciple of Confucius, thirty years younger than Confucius.Yan Hui's personality is completely different from his father's. He is calm, studious and doesn't compete with others.Every time Confucius was in class, Yan Hui would not raise his hand to ask questions, but he was very able to use the knowledge he learned in get out of class when he talked with his classmates after class.So Confucius thought he was dull at first, but later found that he was very smart. Confucius believed that Yan Hui was more virtuous than himself. Why did the always proud Confucius think highly of Yan Hui?Because Confucius was an idealist, Yan Hui was even more idealistic than him.Confucius wanted to impose his idealism on the world, but Yan Hui was willing to first practice this idealism himself.Sometimes Confucius doubted his own words, but Yan Hui firmly believed them.

It can be said that Yan Hui is the perfect version of Confucius.In other words, what Confucius advertised is what Yan Hui practiced. Confucius' favorite student was Yan Hui, far more than his own son. Although he appears to be content with poverty, in his heart, Yan Hui still desires to become an official.Yan Hui should be of the same family as Confucius' mother, with a low status and a poor family. The reason why he came to study, of course, was to get ahead.It is a pity that Yan Hui's thinking is more conservative than that of Confucius, and his personality is pedantic, so he never got the opportunity to become an official.For this reason, Yan Hui was very anxious, and his hair was full of gray hair before he was thirty.In the end, he died of poverty and illness at the age of forty.

Somewhat strangely, why didn't Yan Hui work in Confucius' school?Many of Confucius' students stayed with Confucius as teaching assistants and teaching affairs, and their income was not bad.So, why did Confucius' most admired student not stay?Confucius didn't keep him?Or is Yan Hui unwilling to stay? Yan Hui is a typical image of bookworms in later generations. The Master said: "I and Hui have been talking all day long, and I will not violate it. It is like a fool. It is enough to retreat and reflect on my own selfishness. It is enough to send it back. It is not foolish to return."

Confucius said: "I lectured to Yan Hui all day long, and he never raised any objections or questions, like a fool. After he retired, I checked his private remarks and found that he had developed what I taught. It can be seen that Yan Hui is not really stupid." Confucius thought Yan Hui was stupid at first, but later found out that was not the case. Yan Hui was the son of Yan Lu, a disciple of Confucius. Speaking of which, he should be of the same family as Confucius' mother.Yan Hui has a relatively flat personality and few words. He doesn't like to participate in discussions in class, but he listens very seriously and never slacks off.After a long time, Confucius wondered if there was something wrong with the boy's brain.After a private investigation, I found that Yan Hui actually understood his class very well and was able to make use of it. Only then did I know that Yan Hui was actually very smart.

Therefore, this passage should have been said by Yan Hui when he was not in school for a long time. Some people are boring, good at thinking, not good at communicating.Although he is good at thinking, he can't do without expressing it.This passage of Confucius is reminiscent of what Pan Jinlian said about Wu Dalang in the middle school: "Don't look back when you call it, and then call it fit and turn."Speaking of which, Wu Dalang is also a thoughtful person. Yan Yuan and Ji Lu waited.Zi said: "Everyone speaks of your ambitions?" Zilu said: "May the chariots, horses, and clothes be light and fur with friends, and we will have no regrets." Yan Yuan said: "May there be no evil, no labor." Zilu said: I would like to hear about your ambitions." The Master said: "The old are at peace, friends are trusting, and the young are cherishing it."

Yan Yuan and Zilu stood beside Confucius.Confucius said: "Why don't you each talk about your ambitions?" Zilu said: "I would like to share my chariots, horses, clothes, and leather robes with my friends, and don't complain when they are worn out." Yan Yuan said: " I am willing not to boast of my strengths, nor to show off my achievements." Zilu said to Confucius, "I would like to hear about your ambition." Confucius said, "(My ambition) is to make the old feel at ease and make friends trust me. , so that young people can be cared for.” From here, we can see the different ambitions of several people.Zilu said first, because Zilu is a senior brother, he is old, and he doesn't know how to be modest.Yan Hui later said, but what he was talking about was not ambition, but moral character, which was very empty, which showed that Yan Hui had no specific goals in life, and only knew how to concentrate on learning.

Naturally, this was before Confucius became an official. At this time, most of Confucius' outstanding students had not yet enrolled.Confucius did not have many conversations with Yan Hui, because Yan Hui was introverted.Yan Hui's ambition is actually to be a hermit, but Zilu's ambition has changed. In the past, his ambition was to kill his friends, but now he is happy with his friends.Therefore, Confucius' teachings to Zilu finally had an effect, and Zilu's worldview has changed.And Confucius' ambition is obvious, that is, to be an official, to display his talents, and to benefit the society.

People like Zilu have many friends and live a happy life; people like Yan Hui have few friends and live a relatively boring life; people like Confucius have too high ambitions and live a relatively tiring life. The son is afraid of Kuang, the queen of Yan Yuan.The Master said: "I regard women as dead!" Said: "My son is here, why dare to die?" Confucius was besieged by the locals in Kuang, and Yan Yuan finally escaped.Confucius said, "I thought you were dead." Yan Yuan said, "Master is still alive, how dare I die?" This is the most humorous sentence in Yan Hui's life.

Confucius saw no future in Wei, so he decided to go to Chen.But when passing through Kuangdi in the Song Dynasty, because he looked like Yanghu, and Yanghu led the Lu army to capture Kuangdi, he was very cruel to the local people, so the Kuangdi people surrounded Confucius and his party.In the end, although the Kuang people knew that Confucius was not Yanghu, they still did not allow them to pass.So, Confucius and his disciples hurried back to Weiguo.After returning to Weiguo, he found that Yan Hui was missing.Why was Yan Hui lost and no one found out?Because of his relatively withdrawn personality, he does not attract attention.When he was away from home, Confucius relied more on Zilu, Zigong and Ranyou.

When he found that Yan Hui was missing, Confucius was very anxious, thinking that Yan Hui had been killed by the people of Song.So when Yan Hui came back, Confucius was overjoyed and blurted out "I thought you were dead".As a result, Yan Hui was relatively calm, and blurted out an "atypical Yan Hui statement", making a joke with the teacher. People in later generations often say, "How dare the minister die when the king is alive", which has become a standard flattering sentence.For example, "The boss is not drunk, how dare we get drunk?" The Master said: "Hui Ye, his heart does not violate benevolence for three months, and the rest is just as long as the sun and the moon are at their peak."

Confucius said: "Yan Hui, his heart can not leave benevolence for a long time, while the rest of the students can only achieve benevolence for a short time." Yan Hui is indeed a good student, he does what the teacher says, and he is able to persist. Confucius’ students were of all kinds, good and evil mixed together, therefore, it is necessary to set a good example of a good student for everyone, Yan Hui is the natural candidate, the teacher praises him every now and then, which means that everyone can learn from him. I don't know if Yan Hui will violate his benevolence after the third month. In fact, a good student like Yan Hui can often be seen. He listened to his teacher since he was a child, never did bad things, always studied seriously, and basically never joked with others, and no one laughed when he joked. The Master said: "If you speak without being lazy, what will your response be?" Confucius said: "Yan Hui is the only one who listens to me and never slacks off!" A good student is a good student. It is not easy to listen without getting tired.It is even more difficult to go to a meeting without sleeping. Yan Yuan sighed and said: "If you look up, you will be taller, if you are drilled, you will be stronger. Look ahead, and suddenly you will be behind. The master is good at seducing people, he is good at me, and I am polite. I can't stop. I have exhausted my talents. If there is something established, Zall, even if he wants to follow it, there is no way." Yan Yuan sighed and said: "(for the teacher's knowledge and morality) I look up, the more I look, the higher I feel; I study hard, the more I study, the more I feel inexhaustible. It seems to be in the front, and suddenly it seems to be behind. The teacher is good at Induce me step by step, use various classics to enrich my knowledge, and use various etiquette to restrain my words and deeds, making it impossible for me to stop learning until I exhaust my strength. It seems that there is a very tall There is something standing in front of me, and although I want to follow it, there is no way forward." Yan Hui's flattery is considered outstanding.In the whole book, this is the most brilliant flattering article.However, Yan Hui really admired his teacher. Always be praised, and of course give something back.Judging from this passage alone, Yan Hui is really a good student, he has learned very solidly, and his words are brilliant, and he is already very knowledgeable. Be persuasive and tempting, you can't stop, anyway, Yan Hui contributed two idioms. Flattering is a science, whether it is good or not is one thing, but whether it is good or not is another.Some are shot from a high position, and some are thoughtfully shot.However, as long as it is filming, the leaders like it. The Master said: "It's good to come back! A sack of food and a ladle to drink, in the alleys, people can't bear their worries, and they don't change their joy when they go back. Good, come back!" Confucius said: "Yan Hui's quality is so noble! A sack of rice, a ladle of water, living in a simple hut, others can't bear this kind of poverty, but Yan Hui has not changed his love of learning. Yan Hui's What a noble quality!" These words of Confucius are a bit intriguing, how much helplessness is contained in them? Let’s look back at 3.4 (9.27). The same thing, if you put it in Zilu’s place, it means you don’t want to make progress, but if you put it in Yanhui’s place, it means you have a high moral character?In fact, Confucius also wanted Yan Hui to be an official, and he promoted Yan Hui through many channels, and Yan Hui also participated in many interviews, but none of them succeeded.His most proud disciple and the most exemplary student could not find a job. Could Confucius be helpless?However, he was embarrassed to say that Yan Hui couldn't find a job, so he had no choice but to praise him for living in poverty. So, why are such excellent students unable to find jobs?Next, let's talk about this problem. The whole thing is poor and happy, the kind of secretly having fun.Isn't it a shame to be poor?There is a saying today: there is nothing wrong with birds during the day, and nothing wrong with birds at night.Are you talking about people like Yan Hui? Yan Yuan asked Ren.The Master said: "Restraining oneself and returning to the rites is benevolence. If one day renounces oneself and returns to the rites, the world will return to benevolence. Is benevolence left to oneself, but to others?" Yan Yuan said: "May I ask its purpose." Don't listen, don't speak anything out of courtesy, don't move if it's out of courtesy." Yan Yuan said, "Although Hui is not sensitive, please speak like this." Yan Yuan asked how to be benevolent.Confucius said: "Restrain yourself and do everything according to the requirements of propriety. This is benevolence. Once you do this, everything in the world will be attributed to benevolence. The practice of benevolence depends entirely on yourself, does it also depend on others?" Yan Yuan said: "May I ask you the method of practicing benevolence." Confucius said: "Don't look at what is not in line with propriety, don't listen to what is not in line with propriety, don't talk about what is not in line with propriety, and don't do what is not in line with propriety." Yan Yuan said: "Although I You are stupid, and you have to do what you say." Confucius instilled all his ideals in Yan Hui, and the bad thing is that Yan Hui accepted them all. Yan Hui believed in what Confucius said, thinking that it was universally applicable.Later, Confucius recommended Yan Hui to be a housekeeper in a doctor's house. Before he took office, he had to have an interview.So he asked him, "How do you plan to manage this family?" Yan Hui then replied, "Don't see wrongdoing, don't listen wrongly, don't speak wrongly, don't move wrongly." What is it?Needless to say, he declined politely. Confucius' teaching is to teach students according to their aptitude, so they would never say such words to Zi Gong, Ran You, etc., because it is useless to say, only Yan Hui will follow suit.In fact, Confucius himself could not fulfill such a request, so it is no wonder that Confucius admitted that Yan Hui was more virtuous than himself. "See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil, and do no action." The realistic explanation is: If you don't give gifts, you won't look at you at all; if you don't give gifts, you won't listen to you at all; if you don't give gifts, you won't talk to you at all; No gifts, no work for you at all.Yan Hui said: "Although I am stupid, I still know how to give gifts." Yan Yuan asked Wei Bang.The Master said: "When traveling in summer, take advantage of Yin's scorpion, serve Zhou's crown, and dance with music. Let Zheng's voice stay away from sycophants. Zheng's voice is promiscuous, and sycophants are dangerous." Yan Yuan asked how to govern the country.Confucius said: "Use the calendar of the Xia Dynasty, ride in the chariot of the Yin Dynasty, wear the top hat of the Zhou Dynasty, play the music of "Shao", ban the music of Zheng Guo, alienate eloquent people, the music of Zheng Guo is not decent, A sycophant is too dangerous." Confucius also had no choice. This kind of theory and this kind of dream can only be talked about with Yan Hui.Let's not talk about whether the content of this passage is correct or not, but in terms of enforceability, it is simply a dream.It's like asking about the happiest life in the world. You said marrying a Japanese wife, hiring a Chinese chef, watching American movies, finding a French lover, etc. It sounds perfect, but there is no way to achieve it. This time, Confucius introduced Yan to go back to be a doctor of the state of Wei, and the king of the state of Wei personally interviewed him. "Mr. Yan Yuan, may I ask how to govern the country?" Yan Hui replied: "Use the calendar of the Xia Dynasty, ride in the chariot of the Yin Dynasty, wear the top hat of the Zhou Dynasty, play the music of "Shao", and ban the music of the State of Zheng. People of the state of Zheng, the music of the state of Zheng is not decent, and the sycophant is too dangerous." When the king of the state of Wei heard this, his brain was kicked by a donkey, right?Needless to say, there is no play. Confucius instilled such things in Yan Hui, isn't this delaying others? Yan Hui's hair turned gray at a young age. The old saying was that he studied too hard.In fact, it is not, because I am worried about not being able to find a job. The eunuch Jin Yiwei in the Ming Dynasty, the servant Lafayette in the Qing Dynasty, and the poll tax for the strong men in the Republic of China.Looking at it for a few days, it seems that there is really nothing worth keeping. The Master said: "Going back is not the one who helps me, and I can say everything in my words." Confucius said: "Yan Hui is not a person who is helpful to me. He is not dissatisfied with what he says to me." Confucius' evaluation of Yan Hui changed.Yes, Yan Hui can't even help himself, how can he help the teacher? Seeing that the model student Yan Hui couldn't find a job and turned gray with worry, and a few students who were always criticized by him, such as Ran You and Zi Gong, who were so successful that they were like dogs, Confucius had to reflect.Later, in the process of compiling, Confucius found that students like Zixia who always argue with him are the most inspiring to him and the ones who can really help him.So he suddenly realized: Yan Hui is a good student, but it doesn't help him. Isn't the standard of a good student just to be obedient? When Yan Yuan died, the Master said: "Hey! Heaven mourns you! Heaven mourns you!" When Yan Yuan died, Confucius said, "Alas! It is God who wants my life! It is God who wants my life!" Confucius was really sad, but he still had mixed feelings. Yan Hui died in poverty, only to live to be forty years old, which deprived Confucius of the opportunity to justify his name.The death of the model student made Confucius disappointed, sad and guilty.Yan Hui died so early and lost face, Confucius knew he was very responsible.Yan Hui has always lived in his ideal country, which is seriously out of touch with reality, and this is the result of the teachings of Confucius.So Confucius must have said in his heart: Hui, it is the teacher who harmed you. Tian Sangyu: Oh, it’s from Maiga. When Yan Yuan died, the son wept bitterly.The follower said: "My son is mourning!" Said: "Is there any mourning? Who is not madam's mourning?" When Yan Yuan died, Confucius wept bitterly.Those who followed Confucius said: "You are too sad!" Confucius said: "Is it too sad? If I don't feel too sad for this person, who is it for?" The saddest cry in the world is not crying for others, but crying for yourself.The same is true of Confucius crying for Yan Hui, because Yan Hui carried Confucius' ideals and the highest realm, and Yan Hui's miserable death symbolized the ruthless disillusionment of his ideals.Therefore, instead of saying that Confucius cried for Yan Hui, it is better to say that Confucius cried for himself. The disillusionment of ideals is the most desperate thing, so if the ideals are so lofty that they will never be realized, they will never be disillusioned.Therefore, we have always been educated to set up lofty ideals from an early age, which is right. When Yan Yuan died, Yan Lu invited his son's car to think of it as his coffin.The Master said: "If you are talented or not, you should talk about your own son. The carp also dies, and there is a coffin but no outer coffin. I will not walk in vain to think of it as a coffin. After I become a doctor, I can't do it in vain." When Yan Yuan died, his father Yan Lu asked Confucius to sell his car and buy Yan Yuan a coffin.Confucius said: "(Although Yan Yuan and Kong Li) are talented and the other is not, they are each their own sons. When Kong Li died, he had a coffin but not an outer one. I didn't sell my car but bought him an outer one. .I'm a doctor now, and I can't walk when I go out." Confucius didn't like Yan Lu. Yan Lu was one of Confucius' earliest students. To these students, Confucius often praised Ran Geng, Zeng Xi, Zi Lu and others, but never mentioned Yan Lu.Yan Lu also has a lot of opinions on the teacher, especially after his son Yan Hui followed the teacher, it sounds like he is often praised, but in fact it is of no use, and instead he gnaws at home.Yan Hui's death made Yan Lu very sad. At the same time, he was annoyed and resented the teacher, thinking that the teacher had delayed his child.Therefore, with resentment, Yan Lu came to Confucius and made a very unreasonable request. According to Zhou rituals, when people of different ranks died, they were buried in different coffins.The so-called coffin is the innermost layer, and the coffin is the outer layer.Usually, the coffin is relatively thin and made of wood; the coffin is relatively thick and made of wood or stone. "Xunzi Rituals" records that "the emperor's coffin has seven layers, princes have five layers, doctors have three layers, and scholars have another layer." Kong Li, the son of Confucius, should belong to the class of scholars, and he should be buried in one coffin and one outer coffin.Generally speaking, Confucius was more frugal later on, and of course he didn't like this son at the same time. Therefore, when he was buried, there was a coffin but no outer shell.Yan Hui's status should not even be a scholar. According to Zhou etiquette, after death, he can be buried in a mass grave, and at most there will be a coffin.Therefore, Yan Lu's proposal to use an outer coffin for his son was indeed too much.Moreover, I have no money, so asking the teacher to sell the car is obviously making things difficult for the teacher.Regarding Yan Lu's unreasonable request, Confucius still gave him face, he didn't hit him with a stick, and he didn't say that he took a picture of himself after urinating, but said that he needed a car. At this time, Confucius was in his later years, and Yan Hui's death dealt a great blow to him.He could have ignored Yan Hui's funeral, but the guilt in his heart forced him to.In fact, with the financial resources of Confucius and those of Zi Gong, Ran You and others, there is no problem in burying the face generously.If Yan Lu hadn't made such an unreasonable request, Confucius might have used the coffin to bury Yan Hui.It is a pity that when Yan Lu made such a request, Confucius rejected him on the spot. Character determines destiny, you can't rely on the teacher for everything, and the teacher is not doing well. When Yan Yuan died, the disciples wanted to bury him generously, but the Master said, "No." The disciples buried him generously.The Master said: "Hui also regards Yuyu as his father, but I do not regard Yuyu as his son. It is not me, but my husband's two or three sons." Yan Yuan died, and Confucius' students wanted to bury him solemnly.Confucius said: "This cannot be done." The students still buried him solemnly.Confucius said: "Yan Hui treats me like a father, but I can't treat him like my own son. It's not my fault, it's the students who did it." Everyone knows that Yan Hui is a model student set up by Confucius, and everyone has a good impression of Yan Hui, and everyone knows that Yan Lu deliberately made things difficult for the teacher.At this time, Zigong knew the teacher's heart best. The teacher liked Yan Hui the most, and he definitely wanted to bury him generously. At this time Confucius was seventy years old, and he would not personally take care of such matters, and most of them were handled by Zi Gong and Ran You.Therefore, Zi Gong, who was rich, and Ran You, who was powerful, decided to bury him honorably. No matter what, they had to make a coffin and a coffin to bury him in a cemetery with better geomantic omen.The teacher objected, but the objection was invalid. In this way, everyone refused to listen to Confucius and buried Yan Hui with the standards of a scholar. One coffin and one outer coffin are sure.Confucius was happy in his heart, but on the surface he still insisted on principles and pretended to complain that the students were disobedient, so he said the above words. Confucius is like this, he takes face very seriously.Fortunately, Zigong was super smart, he understood the teacher's heart very well, and arranged everything properly. It is no wonder that Confucius relied on Zigong in his later years.With Zigong's emotional intelligence, if he does not go into business and become an official, he must be very successful. Of course you have to listen to what the boss says, but sometimes the boss's words are obviously insincere, and you can figure out the boss's true intentions. Even if you are scolded by the boss for doing something, the boss is still appreciating you in his heart. The Master said: "Hui also means that the concubine is repeatedly empty, and the goods are multiplied if the gift is not ordered, and the billions are repeatedly won." Is Yan Hui destined to be only a commoner?His career as an official always failed; Zigong didn't follow his teacher's wish to become an official, but chose to do business, and he always made a lot of money. The previous explanation of the above passage is: Confucius said: "Yan Hui's knowledge and morals are close to perfection, but he is often poor. Duanmuci does not listen to the arrangement of fate, does business, guesses the market, and often guesses right. "Such an interpretation is obviously wrong. Shu means common people.Repeatedly empty, the full term is "repeatedly tried and repeatedly empty", which means that Yan Hui tried to become an official many times but failed. If Yan Hui never tried to become an official, how could it be "repeatedly" empty?In order to make Yan Hui perfect, later generations deliberately misinterpreted this passage. This is a reflection and comparison made by Confucius after the death of Yan Hui.Yan Hui, who listened to his own words the most, was the least promising, while Zi Gong, who didn't listen to his own words, always made a fortune. Why?Confucius reflected.If Yan Hui came to be his student again, would he still teach him like that? Historically, between obedient students and disobedient students, disobedient students are often more promising. Duke Ai asked, "Which of the disciples is eager to learn?" Confucius said to him, "There is Yan Hui who is eager to learn. He does not vent his anger and does not make mistakes. Unfortunately, he died short-lived. Now he is dying. I have never heard of a good scholar." Duke Ai of Lu asked Confucius: "Among your students, who is the best learner?" Confucius replied: "There was a student named Yan Hui who was eager to learn. He never blamed others and never made the same mistakes again. Unfortunately, he was short-lived. Dead. There are no such people now, and I have never heard of anyone who is eager to learn." Confucius still misses Yan Hui very much. Such a good student is hard to find any more. This is a conversation between Duke Ai of Lu and Confucius after the death of Yan Hui.In fact, this is Confucius' most accurate description of Yan Hui's advantages, and it can be seen from this that Yan Hui's character is indeed very good.Compared with Yan Hui, although some of the younger disciples of Confucius were well-educated, even Zixia was better learned than Yan Hui, but in the two points of "don't blame, don't blame", no one can compare with him. It's up to Yan Hui. But from another perspective, Yan Hui never vented his anger on others, never shifted the responsibility to others, so how much inner pressure did he have to bear?That's really "everything is carried by one person", coupled with the hopelessness of the future, the inner depression, isn't it inevitable to grow old and die early? If you have any dissatisfaction, just vent it, don't be bored in your heart.What's the use of getting praise if you're depressed to death? Ji Kangzi asked: "Which of the disciples is eager to learn?" Confucius said to him: "There was Yan Hui who was eager to learn. Unfortunately, he died short-lived, and he will die now." Ji Kangzi asked Confucius: "Among your students, who is studious?" Confucius replied, "There was a student named Yan Hui who was studious. Unfortunately, he died short-lived. Now there is no one like him." Ditto. slightly Zi said to Yan Yuan, "It's a pity! I have seen it advance, but I have not seen it stop." Confucius said about Yan Yuan: "It's a pity! I only see him moving forward, but I have never seen him stop." Yan Hui studies very hard and is always learning new knowledge.But the question is, learn and learn and learn again, what do you learn to do?Where is it used?Can it be used?These were all things that Yan Hui didn't consider.Learning is useless, which is also a tragedy, or a bigger tragedy. If the direction is wrong, the farther you go, the worse it will be; if it is useless knowledge, the harder it is to learn, the more useless it will be.This is the problem of Yan Hui, but also the problem of Confucius.Simply put: it's a question of education. Yan Hui, who was later considered by history to be Confucius' most admired and favorite student, probably was.In fact, Confucius even considered himself inferior to Yan Hui. There is such a record in "Xunzi". One day, Confucius asked Zilu, "What about the wise? What about the benevolent?" Zilu's answer is: "The wise let others understand themselves, and the benevolent let others love themselves." "Well, you are considered a scholar." Confucius said, although Zilu's taste is not high, but at least he still has ideas. Ask Zigong the same question. Zi Gong's answer was: "A wise man sees others; a benevolent man loves others." "Well, you are considered a gentleman in Shili." Confucius said, Zigong is obviously better than Zilu. Ask Yan Hui the same question. Yan Hui's answer was: "The wise know themselves, the benevolent love themselves." "Well, you are a brilliant gentleman." Confucius said, and Yan Hui's answer exceeded Confucius' best answer. According to "Xunzi".Zilu entered, and the Master said: "What is the knower? Zigong said to him: "He who knows knows others, and a man who is benevolent loves others." The Master said, "It can be called a gentleman." When Yan Yuan entered, the Master asked again, and Yan Yuan said to him: "A man who knows knows himself, and a man who is benevolent loves himself." The Master said: "It can be called a gentleman." Ming Junzi." Let's analyze the answers of several people. Zilu's answer shows that he hopes to be appreciated by others, and his purpose is naturally to be an official. Zigong's answer shows that he hopes to understand the world, find out the rules to adapt and use it, and naturally, his goal is to do business, understand others and the market, and win in the business war. Yan Hui's answer shows that he does not pay attention to the outside world, but only cares about his own thoughts.Therefore, Yan Hui is an idealist. He only cares about what the world should be, but he doesn't care about what the world is now and how to change it. Ideally, of course, Yan Hui is the highest and Zilu is the lowest. Zilu does not pursue freedom, Zigong pursues freedom of body, and Yan Hui pursues freedom of thought. From another point of view, Zilu is a layman, Zigong is a sage, and Yan Hui is a sage. How, then, did Confucius himself answer the same question? When Confucius answered Fan Chi's question, he once said, "He who knows knows others, and the benevolent loves others."In addition, Confucius also said, "Don't worry about what others don't know, and worry about people who don't know." From this point of view, the realm of Confucius is basically equivalent to that of Zi Gong.In other words, it is true that he cannot reach Yan Hui's realm. However, even Yan Hui, a person whose realm was higher than that of Confucius, did not make much contribution to Confucius' theories. Basically, Yan Hui is a three-good student, a three-good student who always listens to the teacher.In other words, he is a nerd, or a rotten Confucian.Xian is Xian, but it is really useless.He always speaks on the spiritual level, always lives in his dreams, and can't find a balance between ideals and reality. In fact, Confucius was very aware of Yan Hui's weakness. Once, Confucius chatted with Zixia and talked about Zixia's brothers. "Teacher, how is Senior Brother Yan Hui?" Zixia asked. "He insists on principles, which is better than me." Confucius said. "What about Senior Brother Zigong?" "He's sharper than I am." "What about Senior Brother Zilu?" "He's braver than me." "What about Zi Zhang?" "He's more serious than I am." "Then since they are all better than the teacher, why do they all learn from the teacher?" Zixia asked. "Let me tell you, Yan Hui sticks to principles but doesn't know how to adapt; Zigong is sharp but too strong; Zilu is brave but doesn't know how to give in; Zizhang is dignified but doesn't know how to compromise. Putting the advantages of the four of them together, I absolutely don't like them." I will do it. A truly wise person must know how to advance, retreat, flex, and stretch." Confucius replied. What is the difference between a sage and a rotten Confucian?work around.