(11) "Advanced Chapter"

There are a total of 26 chapters in the "Advanced Chapter", among which the famous sentences are: "How can you serve ghosts if you haven't been able to serve good people"; "How can you know death if you don't know the truth of life"; "Excess and deficiency are the same" and so on. This article includes Confucius's evaluation of his disciples, and uses this as an example to illustrate the idea of moderation of "too much", the relationship between learning various knowledge and becoming an official in the future, and Confucius's attitude towards ghosts and gods, life and death. In the final chapter, Confucius and his students present their own aspirations, reflecting Confucius's political and ideological tendencies.

Those who first learned etiquette and music and then became officials were commoners who did not have a lord; A person who first becomes an official and then learns etiquette and music is a gentleman; If you want to choose talents, then I advocate choosing people who learn etiquette first. The students who followed me from Chen Guo to Cai Guo are no longer taught by my side. (An explanation is needed here.) In 489 BC, Confucius and his students traveled from the state of Chen to the state of Cai. On the way, they were surrounded by Chen Guo's people and starved for seven days, and many students were so hungry that they could not walk. The students who followed him at that time included Zilu, Zigong, Yan Hui and others. In 484 BC, after Confucius returned to the state of Lu, Zilu, Zigong and others left Confucius to serve in other places, and Yan Hui also died. Confucius often missed them, hence this sentiment).

Among the ten philosophers of Confucius, the virtues are good: Yan Hui, Min Ziqian, Ran Boniu, Zhonggong; Those who are good at rhetoric are: Zai me, Zigong; Those who are good at political affairs are: Ran You, Zilu; Those who are proficient in literature knowledge are: Ziyou and Zixia. Confucius said: Yan Hui, this child, cannot be regarded as a helpful person to me, because he has always been happy and sincere in what he said to me, and he has never raised any objections.

Min Ziqian was a filial child, and people had no objection to his parents and brothers praising him. Nanrong repeatedly recited the "Book of Songs" in the "Book of Songs": "If the white jade has a flaw, it can be ground off; If a person has a flaw in his speech, there is no way to remedy it", so Confucius married his niece to him. Ji Kangzi asked Confucius: Who among your students is the best learner? Confucius replied: There was a student named Yan Hui who was very studious, but he died a short life, and now there is no one as studious as him.

When Yan Hui died, his father Yan Lu begged Confucius to sell the car and buy Yan Hui a coffin outside the coffin; After hearing this, Confucius replied: Although Yan Hui and Kong Li are talented and talentless, I regard them as my own flesh and blood; When Kong Carp died, he only had a coffin but not a coffin; I didn't sell my car and buy him a coffin because I was a doctor and couldn't walk.

Yan Hui died, and Confucius shouted: Alas! God really killed me! God really killed me! Confucius cried extremely sadly, and the people who followed Confucius comforted: "Sir, you are too sad! Confucius said: Am I grieving excessively? If I don't grieve too much for this person, who else can I grieve for? Confucius's students wanted to bury Yan Hui ceremoniously, but when Confucius died, Confucius did not bury him ceremoniously, so Confucius did not agree to do so; The students finally buried Yan Hui with a grand funeral; Confucius said: Yan Hui treats me as my own father, but I can't treat him as my own son; It's not my fault, it's the students who did it!

Zilu asked Confucius how to serve ghosts and gods, and Confucius replied: How can you serve ghosts if you haven't even served people well? Zilu asked Confucius: May I ask Master, what is the matter with death? Confucius replied to him: How can you know death if you haven't even figured out the truth of life? When the students stood beside Confucius, Min Ziqian looked kind and docile, Zilu looked strong, Ran You and Zigong looked gentle and happy; When Confucius saw it, he smiled and said: Like Zilu, I'm afraid that I won't be able to die! Lu Guo wants to renovate the treasury, Min Ziqian expressed his opinion on this matter, he said: Isn't it good to go on as before? Why remodel? After hearing this, Confucius said: Min Ziqian, a child, doesn't talk much on weekdays, but as soon as he speaks, he gets to the point.

Zilu played the serpent at Confucius, and when Confucius heard the sound of the serpent, he said: How can this sound of Zilu playing appear here in me? Because of this, the students don't respect Zilu anymore; Later, Confucius said: Zilu is a person, his cultivation has reached the point of ascending to the court, but it has not yet reached the point of entering the house; Just like the sound of his play, he has reached the realm of righteousness and wisdom, but it has still not reached the second of deep subtlety.

Zigong asked Confucius: Who do you think is better, Zizhang or Zixia? Confucius replied: Zizhang is excessive, Zixia is insufficient; After hearing this, Zigong said: Then is Zizhang better? Confucius replied: Excess and deficiency are the same. The Ji clan was richer than the princes of the Zhou Dynasty, and Ran You was still helping the Ji clan loot to increase his wealth; When Confucius found out, he sighed and said: Ran You is no longer my student, you can attack him with great fanfare!

Gao Chai is stupid and straight, Zeng Shen is dull, and the grandson teacher is extreme, and Zilu is reckless. Yan Hui's learning and morality are close to perfection, but he is often poor; Zigong did not obey the arrangement of fate, went to buy and sell, and guessed the market, but he often guessed correctly. Zizhang asked Confucius for advice on how to be a good person, and Confucius replied: If you don't follow the footsteps of your predecessors, you won't reach home with your knowledge and cultivation. Confucius said: When we hear someone speak honestly and sincerely, we should praise him, but we should also see whether he is a true gentleman or a person who pretends to be dignified; Because, a gentleman is consistent with his words and deeds.

Zilu asked Confucius: Master, I can act when I feel that I can, is this okay? Confucius told him: If you have a father and brother, how can you act if you want to? Ran You asked Confucius: Master, I can act when I feel that I can, is this okay? Confucius replied: Yes. Gong Xihua listened on the side, and in the face of the teacher's answer, he asked puzzledly: Master, Zilu and Ran You asked the same question, how can you answer completely differently? I'm confused and want to ask. Confucius replied: Ran You always retreats, so I want to encourage him; Zilu is so brave, so I have to restrain him properly.

When Confucius was in Kuangdi, he was besieged by the locals, and Yan Hui was the last to escape; Confucius saw that Yan Hui had successfully escaped and said happily: You are finally back, I thought you were dead! Yan replied: "The master is still alive, how dare I die?" Ji Ziran asked Confucius: Can Zilu and Ran be ministers? Confucius replied: I thought you were asking someone else, but it turned out that you were asking Zilu and Ran to have the two of them! The so-called minister is a person who can serve the monarch according to the requirements of the way of the Duke of Zhou, and if the way of the Duke of Zhou does not work, he would rather resign than do it; Now Zilu and Ran have these two people, they can only be regarded as full courtiers! Ji Ziran asked again: So, will they follow Ji in everything? Confucius replied: If they kill their father and the monarch, they will definitely not follow suit.