A Deep Exploration of the Way of Sovereign and Minister in 'The Analects: Xian Wen' and the Contingency of Benevolence and Righteousness

Section 8: Guan Zhong’s Choice in the Context of Ancient Heroic Tradition

In ancient mythological and heroic traditions, the motif of "acting without dying" is recurrent.

The prime example is Master Yu the Great (Da Yu). Shangshu, Gao Yao Mo records Yu’s words: "I took a wife at Tu Shan; for four days, Xin, Ren, Gui, Jia, my son Qi cried out as soon as he was born. I did not stay with him; I was only devoted to controlling the floods." (予娶于涂山，辛壬癸甲，启呱呱而泣。予弗子，惟荒度土功。) —He left his new wife after only four days to devote himself to flood control. His son Qi cried at home, but he could not attend to him, focusing solely on controlling the waters.

To control the floods, Yu passed his home three times without entering. Between "family affection" and "responsibility to the world," he chose the latter. This is structurally analogous to Guan Zhong choosing "responsibility to the world" over "personal loyalty" in the conflict between the two.

Another example is that of Elder Bo Yi and his brother Shu Qi. Analects, Chapter 5, records the Master saying: "Bo Yi and Shu Qi did not bear old grudges; therefore, resentment rarely fell upon them." (Bo Yi, Shu Qi bu nian jiu e, yuan yong yi xi). And Analects, Chapter 7: "If one seeks Ren and achieves Ren, what grievance is there$16" (求仁而得仁，又何怨？). Bo Yi and Shu Qi chose to die rather than eat the grain of the Zhou Dynasty, and the Master affirmed their "achieving Ren by seeking Ren." Does this contradict the Master’s affirmation of Guan Zhong’s Ren achieved by "not dying"$17

It does not. Bo Yi and Shu Qi’s choice to die occurred when they could no longer make a greater contribution—the overthrow of the Shang by King Wu of Zhou was accomplished fact; they could change nothing by living. Under those circumstances, dying to uphold their principles was the only moral expression available to them.

Guan Zhong’s situation was different—he could rectify the world by living; his death would have merely been "hanging himself in a ditch and canal, unknown to anyone." When one can make a greater contribution, choosing "not to die" becomes the higher moral choice.

This demonstrates that the Master’s ethical judgment is not dogmatic but contingent upon specific circumstances. Similarly, when Master Bo Yi and Shu Qi died, it was "achieving Ren by seeking Ren"; when Guan Zhong did not die, it was "like Ren." The key is not "death" versus "not death," but whether the choice maximizes the goal of "Ren."

This flexibility resonates with the concept of "Shi" (时, Timing) in the Yijing. Yijing, Tuan Zhuan repeatedly emphasizes: "The significance of timing is immense!" (时义大矣哉). Different times demand different responses. There are no eternally unchanging behavioral rules, only the eternally unchanging core value—"Ren." The specific behavior must be adjusted according to the "timing."