Anecdotes about Confucius: Many of the dialogues with Zilu in the Analects can be called cross talk

Confucius said: "The way is not good, and it floats in the sea on a raft. How can you follow me?" Zilu was delighted when he heard this. Confucius said: "You are braver than me, and you have nothing to draw from." - "The Analects of Confucius Gongye Chang"

This chapter is rich in information, vivid in characters, and interesting in language. They are rare in the Analects of Confucius.

Let’s talk about information first. The main information is as follows: Confucius lamented that his talents (Tao) were not met, there is a place worth moving to on the sea, Confucius believed that Zilu had a loyal and brave character, Zilu was happy after hearing Teacher Kong's praise, Confucius deliberately hit Zilu to prevent him from being proud. . These pieces of information are strung together in a very dramatic way.

Let’s talk about the characters. There are not many characters, just Confucius and Zilu, master and disciple. However, these two people, one praises, one suppresses, one is happy, and the other is disappointed (not written out, but it is reasonable), they are cause and effect for each other, ups and downs; they interact with each other in tacit understanding, solemn and harmonious, and each has his own temperament, lifelike. Confucius' narrowness and Zilu's frankness make people feel extremely real and cordial.

Finally, speak the language. It starts with a big scene, a big emotion, and a big sadness, and then moves to the explanation of the relationship between the characters, then to the description of the characters' emotions, and finally it comes down to the character Zang Fou's jokes. There is great tension between the sentences, and the use of words is precise and expressive. Mr. Qian Mu called it "a humorous and tactful piece of writing that is extremely interesting", and that's true.

There are several textual issues in this chapter that require a little discussion.

One is the character 桴. Ma Rong said, "Weaving bamboo and wood, the big ones are called rafts, and the small ones are called 桴". It can be seen that 桴 is a small bamboo raft or a small wooden raft.

One is the word "海". The original meaning of sea is of course the sea. According to the geographical location of the state of Lu where Confucius lived, the sea where he was most likely to float was the Yellow Sea to the east. The Bohai Sea in the north needs to pass through the State of Qi; the East China Sea in the south is separated by the State of Wu.

Confucius rode out of the sea on a small raft or bamboo raft. Where did he want to go? There are roughly three theories.

The first theory is today’s Korean Peninsula. "Shuowen" quotes Confucius under the character "Qiang" as saying: "If the Tao is not good, the nine barbarians of desire will float in the sea on rafts." It is possible that the ancient version of The Analects of Confucius contains the sentence "the nine barbarians of desire". Later, in the process of transmission and copying, Lost. So, what kind of place is Jiuyi? Where is it? "Shuowen" believes that Jiuyi has "a country where gentlemen are immortal". According to the records in "Hanshu Geography", Jiuyi refers to today's Korean Peninsula. At the end of the Shang Dynasty, Jizi fled to North Korea to avoid chaos, and spread cultural techniques such as monarch-civilian etiquette, field cultivation, silkworm rearing and weaving, which established good order and customs there. "People will never steal from each other. There is no closed door, and a woman is chaste and faithful and does not engage in sexual misconduct.” In ancient documents such as "The Classic of Mountains and Seas", the Korean peninsula is called "the country of the gentleman in the East" (the Qing Dynasty novel "Flowers in the Mirror" also regards Korea as the prototype of the country of gentlemen). The ancient annotation of Yan Shi said: "If you want to ride on a raft and adapt to the Eastern Yi, you can practice Tao with the state's benevolent and virtuous people."

The second theory is that Wu Yue at that time. There are two main arguments: one is that Zhen cannot really sail on the vast ocean; the other is that Wuyue is very close to the state of Lu. It can be reached by going south to Rizhao and passing through Andong and Ganyu.

The third statement refers to the whole world. In today's terms, it means reclusiveness and wandering around the world.

Which statement is more reasonable? I think the combination of the first and third is more reasonable. From a geographical point of view, Confucius should have said that he crossed the Yellow Sea and arrived at the Korean Peninsula where Jizi taught him; however, from the perspective of Confucius's state of mind and emotions at the time, it actually refers to the four seas and wandering around the world. Confucius said this probably after he returned to the state of Lu after completing his travels around the world. According to Cheng Yi and Zhu Xi, Confucius was "hurting the world's lack of virtuous kings", which showed that he was desperate for politics. Confucius knew clearly that it was impossible for a man to float in the sea, but he still said this. It was obviously to express his feelings and vent his emotions, not to express his life plan in his later years.

Qian Mu said that this chapter "readers should read it as a prose poem." My feeling is different from Mr. Qian's. I think it should be read as a cross talk work. Confucius was the one who made fun of others, and Zilu was the one who admired him. Confucius often used Zilu to criticize him. Although Zilu was brave and impulsive, Confucius often criticized him for this. However, after all, Zilu was one of Confucius' most effective disciples, and Confucius still relied on and admired Zilu very much.

"Historical Records: Biographies of Zhongni's Disciples" records that Confucius once said with emotion: "Those who wear dirty robes and fox raccoon dogs stand without shame, the reason is the same!" Ji Kangzi asked: "Is Zhongyou benevolent?" Confucius replied : "A country of thousands of chariots can be governed by its talents, but it does not know its benevolence." Zilu was killed during the civil war in Wei. When the news came, Confucius said: "I am free, and I will not hear evil words." It can be seen that, "There is nothing to draw from" is just a joke. This is Confucius's fault. "Mencius Gongsun Chou": "Zi Lu, when people tell him that he has made a mistake, he is happy." He is happy when he hears that he has made a mistake. He has a strong ability to resist being hit. At the same time, he dares to directly criticize and contradict Teacher Kong. Zi Lu is a very outstanding person. Praise. In "The Analects of Confucius", there are many jokes in which two people talk like each other. In addition to this chapter, the paragraph "Zi meets Nanzi" is also a famous paragraph. Confucius and Zilu are golden partners for cross talk.