Yan Yuan: Humaneness without Humanity

Yan Yuan is a reoccurring character in The Analects. He is described as Confucius’s best student who if not for dying prematurely, would have reached the level of sage hood. The characteristic most ascribed to Yan Yuan is his studiousness and love of learning. Although this is a quality highly praised in Confucianism, I believe it is also what was holding him back from becoming a sage.     

Both The Great Learning and The Analects can be read as defining a love of learning as the starting point of the Way. The Great Learning states the investigation of things to be the base of the way; the investigation of things refers to growth through observation of the natural world. To investigate things is to learn, therefore in order to become a gentleman one must first love to learn. This message is also found in the The Analects. Passage 2.4 states

“”The Master said, At fifteen I set my mind to learning; by thirty I had found my footing; at forty I was free of perplexities; by fifty I understood the will of Heaven; by sixty I learned to give ear to others; by seventy I could follow my hearts desire without overstepping the line.”

Zhu Xi reads this passage not as a personal biography, but as a guide for future generations in finding the way (Gardener 2003: 45). If we read it in this light, the first step to finding the way is identical to The Great Learning. The master began his journey by setting his mind to learning. From these two examples it would seem that Confucianism is an ideology that highly emphasizes the importance of knowledge. However, besides promoting a love of learning, The Analects is also highly critical of “the wise” and makes a clear distinction between the wise and the humane (Analects 4.2; 6.23; 17.3). While there is no definition of the wise in The Analects, being wise is a quality attributed to the obtainment of some type of knowledge. Therefore, the wise should be viewed as also having a love of learning. I will use passage 4.2 to further define what it means to be “wise.”

In 4.2 the Master states “the humane person rests in humanness, the wise person profits from humanness.” I do not think Master is talking about pecuniary reward but the ability to turn the ideology of humanness into individual power. The individual ego naturally desires some level of individual power/autonomy. Some people obtain this through physical development; others do so through intellectual development. The wise, refers to people who take the intellectual route, and thus should be thought of as people who love learning because of what it does for themselves. Using this definition of wise, I will now argue that Yan Yuan’s (Hui) love of learning should be categorized with the wise not the humane, even though the ideology he drew his power from was Confucian Humanism. 

The wise are those who develop knowledge to feel autonomy/ indivudal power. I believe that what made Hui unique was that the ideology he operationalized was Confucius’s Way. The way of Confucianism links individual happiness to the cultivation of benevolent behavior. While this is a very humane prespective, it also provides incredible individual autonomy. As seen in passage 6.11 of The Analects, Hui was able to control his happiness, desires, and actions based on this ideology. When asked what he desires by the Master, Hui’s response was “to never boast of what good points I have and never cause trouble to others. (5.26)” Though his desire is in line with humaneness it is entirely about self-control; whereas  Zilu’s desire that “[he] and all his friends could share the same carriages and horses, robes and furs, and never worry if [they] wore them out” misses the core of humaneness, but is still in some way more human than Hui. Zilu though wrong in his definition of “success” wants success for his extended community, while Hui wants complete self-mastery. Following Zhu Xi’s interpretation of 2.4 I would say that Hui was at the level of “being free of perplexities,” but because of this overemphasis of self, he still did not understand the will of heaven.

Zhu Xi describes “being free of perplexities” as understanding perfectly clear with respect to affairs and things. I interpret this as understanding the Human Truth that empathy, compassion, and benevolence are essential to human existence. The difference between this and “the will of heaven” is the understanding that these things cannot be accomplished through individual logic alone. As stated earlier, Hui was a unique type of wise person. Passage 6.23 of the Analects states “the wise delight in water, the humane delight in mountains;” If the wise delight in water and the humane delight in mountains, then Hui delights in icebergs. As implied by passage 9.11, Hui was desperately trying to figure out how to turn Confucianism into a higher form of Truth. To put it another way, he was trying to rationalize himself into a sage. This however is a paradox. Rationalization is a process that relies solely on the individual’s cognitive apparatus; whereas humaneness implies an existence larger then the atomized individual. The Will of Heaven is not the mastery of self; it is the extension of self. Hui used the way as a means of power not intimacy, and so although he was humane, he lacked a sense of humanity (connection to others). This point is well made by passage 3.18

“The Master said, in serving the ritual, if you carry out all the acts prescribed by ritual people think you are toadying.”

A person who had found their standing in Confucianism and was no longer in doubt (Confucius at age 40) could understand the necessity of ritual and painstakingly work to serve the rituals without flaw. They would feel incredible individual satisfaction and power from this (a profit), but there inhumane pursuit of ritual perfection would also distance them from those around them. Thus, even though what they are attempting to emulate is humaneness, they lose their humanity in the process. The love of learning, even if it leads to individual humaneness is worthless if it does not bring you closer to other people. In passage 9.21 the Master says

“Speaking of Yan Yuan… What a pity! I saw him move forward. I never saw him come to a stop.”

If you do not stop you will leave others behind. Like water you will flow endlessly. If you stop, over time you will become the support for others, and together will forge mountains.