Translated Text
[4:10] The Master said: “When the noble man deals with the world he is not prejudiced for or against anything. He does what is Right.
[4:11] The Master said: “The superior man thinks of virtue; the inferior man thinks of possessions. The superior man seeks discipline; the inferior man seeks favors.”
[14:22] Zi Lu asked how to deal with a ruler. Confucius said, “Do not impose on him, and, moreover, withstand him to his face.”
Analysis
In passage 4:11, Confucius draws a clear distinction between a superior man and an inferior man. Confucius says, “The superior man thinks of virtue; the inferior man thinks of possessions. The superior man seeks discipline; the inferior man seeks favors.” From a general reading of the passage, it can be seen that a superior man is a morally exemplary person who possesses virtue and acts in accordance with moral principles, whereas an inferior man disregards virtues and focuses on petty affairs such as benefits and reputations. However, at a deeper level, it is crucial to understand how such a distinction is established.
A close reading of the passage 4:11 would require an examination of the verbs’ think’ and ‘seek.’ Both verbs, though appear to mean differently, are translated from the same Chinese character ‘Huai 怀.’ In common usage, ‘Huai’ means having an attitude or an emotion toward something or someone. For example, one may possess (Huai) a sense of respect toward her teacher. ‘Huai’ also implies that attitude can influence action, just as a person who is respectful to his teacher would go to class on time, participate in class, etc. In the context of Passage 4:11, what Confucius implies by ‘Huai’ is that a person habituates moral concerns with which she would carry out her moral judgments and act accordingly. In Great Learning, this idea is described as “What truly is within will be manifested without.” While the common conception of ‘think’ may allow assorted considerations, ‘Huai’ demands one’s devotion to a particular moral position. Perhaps, it would be better to say, “The superior man [cherishes] virtue.”
Passage 14:22 could serve as a further illustration of the idea of ‘Huai’ or ‘cherish.’ When Confucius’ student Zi Lu asks how a ruler should be served, Confucius replies, “Do not impose on him, and, moreover, withstand him to his face.” An explanation of this passage would be that an inferior man would avoid criticizing and upsetting the ruler. Instead, he flatters the ruler to gain favors and rewards for himself. On the other hand, a superior man who cherishes virtue would restrain himself from personal desires and preferences when dealing with public affairs as he is solely devoted to Confucius’s moral principles. He will be honest with the ruler and will stand up against the ruler’s wrong deeds.
Moreover, in passage 4:10, Confucius says, “A superior man in dealing with the world is not for anything or against anything. He follows righteousness as the standard.” One could treat this passage as a restatement of the arguments outlined in passage 4:11. The interpretation goes: a superior man in dealing with the (public) world is not for or against anyone’s personal benefits and preferences. He only makes moral judgments against the principle of righteousness (or virtue). In the context of this passage, righteousness carries a very similar meaning as ‘virtue’. This could be shown by passage 4:16, which is almost identical to passage 4:11, where Confucius says, “The superior man is versed in what is righteous. The inferior man is versed in what is profitable.”
To sum up, an inferior man would take personal benefits and preferences as his priority. His judgments are not morally guided, and his actions do not incorporate virtue. Conversely, a superior man would take virtues as his standard. He bases his moral judgments solely on moral principles and restrains himself from personal desires. Therefore, his actions are always appropriate to the Way.
Original Text
[4:10] 子曰：「君子之於天下也，無適也，無莫也，義之與比。」
[4:11] 子曰：「君子懷德，小人懷土；君子懷刑，小人懷惠。」
[14:22] 子路問事君。子曰：「勿欺也，而犯之。」