Analects 6:23 - Interpretation and Analysis

Today I shall be attempting to make interpretations and further analysis into the selected verses from the Analects. The verse that I shall be going over today will be Analects 6:23. It is stated as follows:

“The Master said, ‘The wise find joy in water; the benevolent find joy in the mountains. The wise are active; the benevolent are still. The wise are joyful; the benevolent are long-lived.” ¹

Firstly, let us acknowledge the chapter wherein this verse is taken. It is taken from the sixth chapter of the Analects, entitled “Yung Yey”. Knowing the chapters in the Analects is important for one to understand the verses in it. An example of which is the first chapter of the Analects. Going through all the verses, one can observe that all the aphorisms found in this chapter of the Analects have a primary theme: filial and brotherly love. The same pattern can be observed as one proceeds to one chapter after another. This is because the chapters of the Analects represent themes, rather than mere divisions. The sixth chapter of the Analects, as I have observed, has the dominant themes of benevolence, and being a noble man. These themes I shall try to show as I break down the verses per sentence in my next point.

In this second point, I will break down and scrutinize every detail that is in the aphorism mentioned above. First, let us observe the grammatical structure of the verse. It can be seen that there are three pairs of sentences. These three pairs have an identical structure of having metaphors that are complimentary to each other (e.g. water and mountains, active and still, joyful and long-lived). I see this structure as very significant in strengthening the idea that Confucius wishes to convey. This is because the usage of complimentary metaphors and consistent grammatical structure depicts balance and consistency. Balance and consistency, therefore, makes an idea or message clear. In terms of language, this notion is important. Imbalance and inconsistency brings causes confusion. Misunderstanding, in turn, brings negative results. It can bring confusion and disunity. An example would be necessary. Let us take into consideration the concept of sentence construction in English grammar, which is parallelism.  For example, the sentence:

 ‘It was both a long ceremony and very tedious.’

In terms of structure, the sentence is imbalanced and inconsistent. The message it conveys is vague and confusing. If we are to imagine this answer in a casual conversation, surely the one whom the speaker is talking to will be very confused in figuring out what the speaker is talking about. The listener might even wonder whether the speaker is still talking about the ceremony or something else. There is a possibility of disunity because they misunderstood each other. On the other hand, if the said sentence has balance and consistency in structure, it would be as follows:

‘The ceremony was both long and tedious.’ 

In this sentence, the message is clearly stated. The listener is assured that the speaker is still talking about the ceremony; we can even predict that this conversation will go on. No misunderstanding can occur because the idea is clearly conveyed. There is a sense of harmony and unity between the two. The point is that the two understood each other because of the balance and consistency of the sentence.  Applying this realization into the structure depicted by the verse, I say that even in the construction of sentences, Confucius remained faithful in his dictum of unity and harmony. Whether he did this consciously or unconsciously, the balance and harmony shown by the structure greatly helped in the conveying of his message.

Now we move on to the first pair of sentences in the verse. It is stated as follows:

“The wise find joy in water; the benevolent find joy in the mountains.”

Let us take the symbolism of  “water” and “mountains”. These two are used variously in the course of literature, but I shall limit the usage of these two in terms of Chinese literature. Water, in the Chinese Taoist thought, is said to be representative of intelligence, stillness, flexibility. It is also said that all great innovations and ideas are birthed in water ².  

Moreover, the water is associated with the sea.  The sea symbolizes busyness, a state of being active. The water rises and becomes still again and so on and so forth. Despite its being unstable, the water and/or sea represent countless possibilities.  One cannot scoop the water in the sea to empty it. The wise person faces all forms of possibilities with positive attitude.  So whether the water is still or not, a wise man can go living undisturbed by anything. 

 The mountains, on the other hand, were depicted by the Chinese imagination as being imbued with sacred power as manifestations of nature’s energy ³. It also depicts fortitude.  The mountains depict tranquility.  Looking into the physical characteristics of the mountain, it has a wider base and a peak.  It is like a cone. The wider base represents all the numerous contradictions of positives and negatives. But at the end, the positives prevail.  The prevalence of the positives is represented by the tip or peak of the mountain.  Tranquility, then, just like the mountain, is the result of the triumph of a wise man over all the challenges of life.  Whatever happens, a wise man cannot be overtaken by all these challenges.  Instead, he wins over them.

Considering these two meanings in the aphorism, I interpret the verses in two ways: 

‘The wise are the ones who find joy in stillness or intelligence; the benevolent find joy in the nature.’

‘The wise are the ones who find joy in great ideas or innovation; the benevolent find joy in fortitude.’

In the first interpretation, I see this as Confucius trying to say that the wise find joy in intelligence or stillness. This is to emphasize the contentment being felt in searching for the truth in things and being enlightened. The wise find happiness in knowing what is proper to do for this breeds unity and harmony. On the other hand, I interpret the second sentence as this: Confucius is trying to say that the benevolent people find happiness in harmony. Nature is a symbol of balance and peace. Since the mountains are manifestations of this balance and peace, the benevolent people are the ones who find happiness and contentment in being attune not only to himself, but to everything around him. In the second interpretation, it stresses the idea of the wise finding happiness or contentment in intellectual growth. It also speaks of the benevolent finding happiness in being firm. In other words, the wise is happy in learning from his mistakes because it helps him to grow. This shows the Confucian concept of self-cultivation. The benevolent is happy because he is firm, and with this firmness he achieves unity with himself and to everything; it is through this that he is joyful.

Now we move on to the next pair of sentences:

“The wise are active; the benevolent are still.”

The symbolism of “active” and “still” are interpreted as applications of the concepts presented by the previous metaphors of the first pair of sentences. It goes this way: “The wise and benevolent gain joy or contentment in knowing what is proper, being in harmony, etc. What now?” 

The next step to this is “application”.  Its “application” lies in the second verse above. Concepts are nothing but mere words without application, and Confucius agrees with this notion.  Confucius teaches that only by strenuous moral effort can one apply the concepts of being proper, being in harmony, and many other ethical concepts. And such strenuous moral effort involves self-cultivation, love towards others, and continued practice of goodness. This, I call, being “active”. One cannot say he is patient unless he endures waiting for hours for a certain friend without being cranky.  To be wise is to apply what one learns to his life.

All men act according to their nature. This nature of man is still raw, as Confucius puts it. It may be too aggressive or too unyielding, or easily exalted by joy or cast down by sorrow. With the negative results that these extremes may carry, striking a balance is only foremost. It is not right to be too “active”. One must learn to temper his nature to prevent disharmony. This I call being “still”.  Being too inclined to scientific theories to the point that one denies the existence of a supreme being is not good. To be benevolent is to learn how to maintain the balance in the “active” aspects of one’s life. 

Now, to the final pair of sentences in the verse:

“The wise are joyful; the benevolent are long-lived.”

Joy is an element of happiness.  A happy person lives longer than those who are miserable.   A happy person sees more possibilities.  Those who are unhappy see narrow gates of possibilities and find nothing new in all things. I interpret these sentences as the completion of the process that is initiated by the first pair of sentences. If the first pair of sentences presents “concepts”, the second pair presents “application” of these concepts, then, this final pair represents the “effect” of the application.  These “effects” are “joy” and being “long-lived”.  Naturally, when one gives the time and effort to learn something, eventually he will be rewarded in the end. This concept is the same as being wise and benevolent. It is not an easy task to be wise or benevolent, but if one gives a considerable amount of time and effort into being one, not only that he feels joyful or becomes joyful in his outlook of life; he lives longer, for he is strengthened by unity and harmony; since unity and harmony is inherent in him, nothing against these will occur. Disunity and disharmony will never happen when nothing initiates it.

In conclusion, the verse 6:23 in the Analects represents the Confucian way of  a fully lived life through the practice of three-fold qualities, namely, busyness or activeness, joy and tranquility.    Tranquility is realized through hurdling with the busy streets of human experiences and find joy and peace along with them. Life offers numerous possibilities which a person has a chance to discover (active/busy) in order to realize balance through those possibilities. Possibilities in life are tests of patience and fortitude. A wise man passed all these tests and lived his life to the fullest. This proves my premise that the themes of “benevolence” and being a “noble man” are inherent in the verse. This is depicted by the structure of the sentences and the metaphors and symbolism found in these sentences. It shows that although the requirements in being wise and benevolent are too demanding, it does not mean that one cannot attain it. As Confucius states in Analects 6:12: “Those whose strength is not enough give up half-way. You are now limiting yourself ⁴.” One cannot attain something without exerting effort and doing sacrifices along the way. Man is given the potential to grow in different aspects, may it be physical, emotional, etc. The possibility of such is limitless. Man is not limited by his environment; it is man who limits himself from the environment. I strongly believe this principle.  As a student, I find it hard coping up with the high expectations imposed on me by my family, my professors, and the university. Even so, this does not mean I cannot reach those expectations. All I need is a considerable amount of effort, time, and sacrifice. To be an excellent student or to be a wise person is to be responsible; and to be responsible is to stand tall over all the things of life without losing the good values.

Sources:

1.       Lau, D.C. "Yung Yey." In Analects of Confucius: The Sayings of Confucius.

2.       Schiesser, Michael. "The Five Elements: An Introduction to the Five Elements." Inner Journey Seminars. Accessed November 12, 2014. http://www.innerjourneyseminars.com/the-five-elements.htmlN.

3.       "Nature in Chinese Culture." The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Accessed November 12, 2014.

4.       Muller, A. Charles. Accessed November 12, 2014. http://www.acmuller.net/condao/ analects.html.