Not Eating to the Full

You say you love learning. Where's the evidence?

Original

子曰：「君子食無求飽，居無求安，敏於事而慎於言，就有道而正焉，可謂好學也已。」

In plain words

Confucius said: “A junzi does not eat to the full or look for comfort in his home. He is quick in action and careful in speech. He goes to those who have the Way and has himself set right. Such a person can truly be called fond of learning.”

Key words

敏mǐnQuick and diligent: doing what needs doing without delay.
有道yǒu dàoThose who have the Way: wise, upright, further along the road.
好學hào xuéFond of learning. Confucius' example: Yan Hui, who “never vented anger on others and never repeated a mistake.”

Reading it step by step

On the last page we saw that joy doesn't follow the menu. Today Confucius puts eating and housing inside a bigger question: what does it mean to be fond of learning?

His answer is surprising. He says nothing about how many books you've read. He lists a few things about how you live.

First: not eating to the full, not seeking comfort. Don't make ease the goal. Confucius is not telling anyone to go hungry or sleep on the floor. He said elsewhere that having a body means having drives: in youth, watch out for lust; in your prime, for picking fights; in old age, for grasping. One danger per age is, if anything, optimistic: a person can have all three at once. King Xuan of Qi once confessed to Mencius that he had a sickness, three in fact: a weakness for women, for a fight, and for wealth. A full stomach and a good home are needs. But once they become the purpose of life, the body is steering. “Not seeking” means taking the wheel back.

Second: quick to act, careful to speak. Many of us do the reverse: we announce our plans loudly and put off the work. Words, once spoken, are promises to other people, so be careful with them. When the task is in front of you, stop waiting. Confucius made “speech” one of the four subjects he taught, which shows how seriously he took it.

Third: go to those who have the Way, and be set right. This is the hardest one. We like praise and dislike having our faults pointed out. But Confucius said the kind of mistakes a person makes shows what kind of person they are. Hidden mistakes never get fixed; mistakes laid open for correction give you a direction. When Confucius praised Yan Hui as fond of learning, he used just six characters: he never vented his anger on the wrong person, and never made the same mistake twice. Misplaced anger travels. You argue with a taxi driver in the morning and snap at a colleague; the colleague goes home and scolds a child; the child kicks the cat. Round it goes, and not one of them deserved it.

not eating to the full, not seeking comfortease doesn't steer

quick to act, careful to speakdo fast, talk slow

go to the wise to be set rightseek correction

fond of learninga way of living

Put the three together and you see that “fond of learning” is not a diploma. It is a way of living. Many people read; few are changed by what they read. If you read the Analects and stay exactly as you were, you might as well not have read it.

So ask something concrete today: who around me is willing to tell me the truth? When did I last go and ask them?

One line to carry

Loving to learn isn't a diploma. It's a way of living.

Today's question

Name one person who will tell you the truth. What will you ask them to correct for you this month?

Quick check

In this passage, what does Confucius look at to judge whether someone is fond of learning?

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