Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in The Analects, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Self-Restraint
Honesty and Integrity
The Individual vs. The Collective
Self-Mastery, Discipline, and Improvement
Summary
Analysis
Tzu-hsia says that a man can be considered eager to learn if within a day he doesn’t forget what he lacks and if within a month he never forgets what he has mastered.
Tzu-hsia here commends both self-criticism—in not forgetting what he lacks—and acknowledgement of the fruits of one’s efforts. Both are integral to learning.
Themes
Tzu-hsia says that one should learn widely and not stray from one’s purpose—one must always ask questions and reflect on the present moment. If one does this, one does not need to look for benevolence anywhere else. Tzu-hsia says that the small man is sure to ignore all of his mistakes.
Here, Tzu-hsia positions the ability to learn from one’s mistakes as the quality that most often leads to cultivating wisdom. Small men remain ignorant precisely because they ignore their mistakes.
Themes
Tzu-hsia says that when a student finds that he is able to handle all of his studies, he should take office. Similarly, when an official finds that he is comfortable handling all of his official duties, he should return to studying.
The setup Tzu-hsia has created in this moment is one in which people are continuously learning. He suggests that whenever someone becomes to comfortable with their current occupation, they change so that they are newly challenged and may learn again.
Themes
A disciple of the Master says that Confucius “cannot be equaled just as the sky cannot be scaled. Were the Master to become the head of a state or a noble family, he would be like the man described in the saying: he only has to help them stand and they will stand, to guide them and they will walk, to bring peace to them and they will turn to him.”
In this moment, readers recognize the extent to which Confucius’s disciples are dedicated to him. It is clear that they see their teacher as the embodiment of all of the virtues that they themselves seek to cultivate through the Way.
Themes
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