XXXV. Why the Achievement of the Worthy Is Measured by "Greatness"

The greatness of achievement is not how much personal renown one occupies, but how broad the scope of things completed and how deep their influence. If an undertaking accomplishes something only for its own founder, it cannot be called the achievement of the worthy; only when it lets the multitude each find their proper place, and continues to grow even after its founder has departed, does it approach greatness. Qian initiates without claiming possession, and Kun completes things without contending -- both attribute their achievement to ceaseless generation itself.

That the Master taught without discrimination of social class opened learning to people of every background; the greatness of his achievement lies in his having opened a path by which anyone could advance in virtue through learning. The Master did not rely on his own single intelligence to handle everything for his disciples, but through question and answer let each disciple attain understanding for himself. When Zilu asked about the same matter as another disciple, the Master's answer differed according to each one's temperament -- this kind of completion does not manufacture identical disciples, but lets each fulfill his own talent.

Master Meng, traveling among the feudal lords to advocate the kingly Way and benevolent governance for the sake of the whole world, did not take his own official salary and position as his final aim. Though his counsel was sometimes not adopted, and its immediate effect limited, it still preserved and elaborated a Way that could grow great. The "greatness" of an achievement looks not only at success or failure at the time, but also at whether the principles it establishes can pass through changing circumstances to provide judgment for those who come after. The capacity for greatness is an inner measure, not entirely the same as already being great.

Master Xun's teaching and writing, and his disciples each achieving something of their own, brought his theory of ritual propriety, righteousness, and the grouping and dividing of people into pre-Qin political thought as well. If a school of thought serves only a handful of people's own appreciation, it cannot be great; only when it can explain why human groups need distinction, how desire should be regulated, and how learning should be accumulated, and can serve as a reference for actual governance, does it have the function of completing things. The greatness of learning does not lie in obscure and difficult language, but in its ability to let people know and let people follow.

Mozi's disciples went to the aid of besieged cities and put the doctrine of "against aggression" into concrete action, showing that the achievement of a doctrine lies not only in words. Though his teachings on frugality and against elaborate music were much disputed by the Confucian tradition, the practical spirit of stopping aggression and aiding the weak, for the sake of the whole world, can still be seen as achievement. That the various pre-Qin masters came to form distinct schools was not only because each had his own doctrine, but because each attempted to bring about his own vision of order for the world.

Greatness of achievement also requires the capacity to accommodate those who come after and let them carry it on. If an undertaking can rely only on the personal prestige of its founder, and collapses the moment he is gone, it has not yet truly completed anything. Good ritual propriety, teaching method, and political institution should let those who inherit them know the root, while also leaving room to adjust according to the time. This is precisely ease and simplicity: the root is clear, and so it is not lost; the path is simple, and so it can be transmitted; room is left open, and so it can change.