Summary
This chapter reveals the complex dynamics between students and teachers through conversations between Confucius's disciples. Tsze-chang and Tsze-hsia debate fundamental questions about character and learning. Tsze-chang argues for inclusivity—honoring the talented while bearing with everyone, rather than only associating with those who can advantage you. Tsze-hsia focuses on the mechanics of learning: recognizing what you don't know, remembering what you've learned, and understanding that even small skills have value within their proper scope. The chapter's most powerful moments come when Tsze-kung defends his master against critics who claim he's overrated. Using the metaphor of walls around houses, Tsze-kung explains that while his own knowledge might be easily seen over a shoulder-high wall, Confucius's wisdom is like a compound with walls several fathoms high—most people can't even find the door to enter and see the treasures inside. He compares Confucius to the sun and moon, impossible to step over or diminish through criticism. The chapter illustrates how true learning requires both technical skill and wisdom about human nature. It shows the difference between surface-level accomplishments and deep understanding, and how genuine students protect and honor their teachers not through blind loyalty, but through recognition of authentic greatness. The discussions reveal how learning is both personal development and relationship building.
Coming Up in Chapter 20
The final book opens with the legendary Emperor Yao's words about leadership and the mandate of heaven. We'll see how Confucius's teachings connect to the ancient foundations of Chinese civilization and what this means for understanding legitimate authority in any era.
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An excerpt from the original text.(~500 words)
BOOK XIX. TSZE-CHANG. CHAP. I. Tsze-chang said, 'The scholar, trained for public duty, seeing threatening danger, is prepared to sacrifice his life. When the opportunity of gain is presented to him, he thinks of righteousness. In sacrificing, his thoughts are reverential. In mourning, his thoughts are about the grief which he should feel. Such a man commands our approbation indeed.' CHAP. II. Tsze-chang said, 'When a man holds fast to virtue, but without seeking to enlarge it, and believes right principles, but without firm sincerity, what account can be made of his existence or non-existence?' CHAP. III. The disciples of Tsze-hsia asked Tsze-chang about the principles that should characterize mutual intercourse. Tsze- chang asked, 'What does Tsze-hsia say on the subject?' They replied, 'Tsze-hsia says:-- "Associate with those who can advantage you. Put away from you those who cannot do so."' Tsze-chang observed, 'This is different from what I have learned. The superior man honours the talented and virtuous, and bears with all. He praises the good, and pities the incompetent. Am I possessed of great talents and virtue?-- who is there among men whom I will not bear with? Am I devoid of talents and virtue?-- men will put me away from them. What have we to do with the putting away of others?' CHAP. IV. Tsze-hsia said, 'Even in inferior studies and employments there is something worth being looked at; but if it be attempted to carry them out to what is remote, there is a danger of their proving inapplicable. Therefore, the superior man does not practise them.' CHAP. V. Tsze-hsia said, 'He, who from day to day recognises what he has not yet, and from month to month does not forget what he has attained to, may be said indeed to love to learn.' CHAP. VI. Tsze-hsia said, 'There are learning extensively, and having a firm and sincere aim; inquiring with earnestness, and reflecting with self-application:-- virtue is in such a course.' CHAP. VII. Tsze-hsia said, 'Mechanics have their shops to dwell in, in order to accomplish their works. The superior man learns, in order to reach to the utmost of his principles.' CHAP. VIII. Tsze-hsia said, 'The mean man is sure to gloss his faults.' CHAP. IX. Tsze-hsia said, 'The superior man undergoes three changes. Looked at from a distance, he appears stern; when approached, he is mild; when he is heard to speak, his language is firm and decided.' CHAP. X. Tsze-hsia said, 'The superior man, having obtained their confidence, may then impose labours on his people. If he have not gained their confidence, they will think that he is oppressing them. Having obtained the confidence of his prince, one may then remonstrate with him. If he have not gained his confidence, the prince will think that he is vilifying him.' CHAP. XI. Tsze-hsia said, 'When a person does not transgress the boundary line in the great virtues, he may pass and repass it in the small virtues.' CHAP. XII. 1. Tsze-yu said, 'The...
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Intelligence Amplifier™ Analysis
The Road of True Recognition - Why Real Excellence Gets Misunderstood
The deeper someone's expertise becomes, the harder it is for others to recognize and appreciate its true value.
Why This Matters
Connect literature to life
This chapter teaches how to recognize valuable knowledge that operates below the surface of immediate visibility.
Practice This Today
This week, notice when the quiet person in your workplace prevents problems rather than solving dramatic ones—that's often where the real expertise lives.
Now let's explore the literary elements.
Terms to Know
Superior man (junzi)
Confucius's ideal person who has developed both moral character and practical wisdom. Not about social class or birth, but about how you treat others and handle responsibility.
Modern Usage:
We see this in leaders who take accountability, mentors who lift others up, or anyone who does the right thing even when no one's watching.
Virtue without enlargement
Having good qualities but never working to develop them further. Like being naturally kind but never learning to be more patient or understanding.
Modern Usage:
This shows up when people coast on their natural talents instead of growing, or when someone stays in their comfort zone instead of challenging themselves.
Mutual intercourse
The principles and rules that should guide how people interact with each other in daily life. About building healthy relationships and community.
Modern Usage:
We debate this constantly - whether to network only with people who can help us, or to be genuine with everyone regardless of what they can do for us.
Bearing with all
Having patience and tolerance for people of different abilities and backgrounds, rather than only spending time with those who benefit you.
Modern Usage:
This appears in workplace dynamics, friend groups, and family relationships where some people only invest in relationships that advance their goals.
Wall metaphor
Tsze-kung's comparison of knowledge levels to walls of different heights around houses. Shallow knowledge has low walls anyone can see over, while deep wisdom has high walls most people can't even find the entrance to.
Modern Usage:
We see this when people judge experts based on surface impressions, or when social media makes everyone think they understand complex topics after reading headlines.
Sun and moon comparison
The idea that truly great people are like celestial bodies - permanent, essential, and impossible to diminish through criticism or competition.
Modern Usage:
This shows up when people try to tear down genuinely accomplished individuals, not realizing that real excellence speaks for itself and outlasts petty attacks.
Characters in This Chapter
Tsze-chang
Inclusive philosopher
Argues for treating all people with respect and patience, regardless of their abilities or what they can do for you. Represents the compassionate approach to human relationships.
Modern Equivalent:
The coworker who mentors everyone, not just the high performers
Tsze-hsia
Practical strategist
Focuses on selective relationships and understanding the limits of knowledge. Advocates for associating with people who can help you grow, while recognizing that every skill has value within its proper scope.
Modern Equivalent:
The networking professional who's strategic about relationships
Tsze-kung
Loyal defender
Defends Confucius against critics using powerful metaphors about walls and celestial bodies. Shows how true students recognize and protect genuine wisdom.
Modern Equivalent:
The employee who stands up for a great boss when others complain
Confucius
Revered teacher
Though not directly speaking much in this chapter, he's the subject of debate and defense. Represents the standard of true wisdom that transcends ordinary criticism.
Modern Equivalent:
The mentor whose influence outlasts their critics
Key Quotes & Analysis
"The superior man honours the talented and virtuous, and bears with all. He praises the good, and pities the incompetent."
Context: Responding to Tsze-hsia's advice about only associating with advantageous people
This quote captures the heart of inclusive leadership - recognizing excellence while showing patience with everyone else. It's about building people up rather than using them.
In Today's Words:
Good leaders celebrate the stars on their team but don't write off the struggling players.
"Associate with those who can advantage you. Put away from you those who cannot do so."
Context: His advice about choosing relationships strategically
This represents the transactional approach to relationships that many people take. While practical, it reveals a calculating mindset about human connections.
In Today's Words:
Only hang out with people who can help your career or goals.
"The wall about my master's courtyard is several fathoms high. Unless you find the door and enter, you cannot see the beauty of the ancestral temple and the richness of its apartments."
Context: Defending Confucius against people who claim he's overrated
This powerful metaphor explains why shallow people can't recognize deep wisdom. True expertise isn't obvious from the outside - you have to invest time and effort to understand it.
In Today's Words:
You can't judge my boss from the outside - you'd have to actually work with him to see how brilliant he really is.
Thematic Threads
Recognition
In This Chapter
Tsze-kung defends Confucius against critics who can't perceive his true greatness, comparing it to walls too high to see over
Development
Builds on earlier themes about the gap between appearance and reality in human judgment
In Your Life:
You might work with someone whose real contributions go unnoticed because they operate at a deeper level than surface performance.
Learning
In This Chapter
Tsze-hsia emphasizes knowing the limits of your knowledge and remembering what you've learned
Development
Continues the focus on practical learning methods and intellectual humility from previous chapters
In Your Life:
You face daily decisions about when to admit you don't know something versus when to trust your accumulated knowledge.
Social Judgment
In This Chapter
The chapter explores how people evaluate teachers and leaders, often missing the most important qualities
Development
Extends earlier discussions about how society misreads character and competence
In Your Life:
You regularly make decisions about who to trust and follow based on limited information about their true capabilities.
Loyalty
In This Chapter
Tsze-kung's defense of Confucius shows how genuine students protect their teachers through understanding, not blind devotion
Development
Develops the theme of appropriate relationships between students and mentors
In Your Life:
You navigate when to defend people you respect and how to do it in ways that actually serve them.
Inclusivity
In This Chapter
Tsze-chang argues for honoring talent while bearing with everyone, rather than only associating with useful people
Development
Introduces a new dimension to earlier discussions about social relationships and character judgment
In Your Life:
You face choices about whether to network strategically or build genuine relationships with people regardless of what they can do for you.
You now have the context. Time to form your own thoughts.
Discussion Questions
- 1
Why does Tsze-kung use the metaphor of walls around houses to defend Confucius against his critics?
analysis • surface - 2
What makes deep expertise harder to recognize than surface-level skills, according to this chapter's examples?
analysis • medium - 3
Where have you seen the 'wall height' pattern in your workplace—someone with deep knowledge being overlooked while flashier skills get noticed?
application • medium - 4
How would you help a genuinely skilled colleague get recognition when their expertise operates 'behind high walls' that others can't see over?
application • deep - 5
What does this chapter reveal about the relationship between true value and visible recognition in human relationships?
reflection • deep
Critical Thinking Exercise
Map Your Recognition Blind Spots
Think of three people in your life whose contributions often go unnoticed. For each person, identify what makes their value hard to see and write one specific way you could help others recognize their expertise. Then flip it: identify one area where your own deep knowledge might be invisible to others.
Consider:
- •Look for people who prevent problems rather than solve dramatic crises
- •Consider expertise that requires background knowledge to appreciate
- •Think about skills that create long-term value rather than immediate results
Journaling Prompt
Write about a time when someone recognized and defended your expertise when others couldn't see its value. How did that recognition change your relationship with that person and your confidence in your abilities?
Coming Up Next...
Chapter 20: The Art of Good Leadership
In the next chapter, you'll discover to lead without burning out your resources or people, and learn the difference between being respected and being feared. These insights reveal timeless patterns that resonate in our own lives and relationships.