A Deep Exploration of the Way of Sovereign and Minister in 'The Analects: Xian Wen' and the Contingency of Benevolence and Righteousness
This paper focuses on the core political discourse passages in 'The Analects: Xian Wen' concerning figures like Zang Wuzhong, Guan Zhong, and Duke Ling of Wei. It analyzes Confucius's profound insights into the sovereign-minister relationship, the distinction between hegemony and true kingship, and the calibration of benevolence (Ren) and righteousness (Yi), particularly investigating the gap between 'the difficulty of action' and 'the essence of Ren'.
Section 5: The Spiritual Root of "Knowing it is Impossible Yet Acting"
Why did the Master insist on "knowing it is impossible yet acting"$1
From a utilitarian perspective, this is irrational—why act if success is impossible$2
But from the Master’s perspective, the "act" itself is the purpose; it does not require "success" to validate the value of the act.
Analects, Chapter 7, records the Master saying: "Heaven gave virtue to me. What can Huan Tui do to me$3" (天生德于予，桓魋其如予何？) The Master believed he bore the Mandate of Heaven—to transmit and safeguard the ritual and music traditions of Huaxia. This Mandate was meaningful not because it could be realized, but because it ought to be realized.
Yijing, Qian (Heaven) Gua, Xiang Zhuan states: "The movement of Heaven is vigorous; the superior man makes himself strong and untiring" (天行健，君子以自强不息). The movement of Heaven is ceaseless—the sun rises daily, regardless of whether people on Earth are watching. The superior man should do the same—unceasingly cultivate himself and practice the Great Dao, regardless of external recognition or success.
"Knowing it is impossible yet acting" is the application of the spirit of "unflagging self-strengthening" (Zi Qiang Bu Xi) in the political realm. The Master requested punishment for Chen Chengzi not because he believed it would succeed, but because he believed it was right—in the face of regicide, all lords had an obligation to unite in punishment. Whether they could win was another matter.
This spirit is akin to the passage in Analects, Chapter 18, where Changju and Jieni asked the Master for directions. Jieni said to Zilu: "The world is an overwhelming flood, and who can change it$4 Rather than follow a man who shuns others, why not follow men who shun the world$5" (滔滔者天下皆是也，而谁以易之？且而与其从辟人之士也，岂若从辟世之士哉？)
The Master, upon hearing this, sadly remarked: "Birds and beasts cannot be grouped with me. If I do not associate with the men of this age, with whom shall I associate$6 If the world had the Dao, I would not seek to change it" (鸟兽不可与同群。吾非斯人之徒与而谁与？天下有道，丘不与易也). This passage is the most heartfelt declaration of the Master’s spirit of "knowing it is impossible yet acting"—he chooses to remain in the human world, not because he has illusions about it, but because he has an undeniable responsibility toward it.
"The superior man strives upward" (Junzi Shang Da)—whether the world has the Dao or not, the superior man must climb upward. This is the Master’s final teaching in this sequence, and the ultimate purpose of these passages.