The Original Quote:
子张学干禄。子曰：“多闻阙疑，慎言其余，则寡尤；多见阙殆，慎行其余，则寡悔。言寡尤，行寡悔，禄在其中矣。”
Zǐ Zhāng xué gàn lù. Zǐ yuē: “Duō wén quē yí, shèn yán qí yú, zé guǎ yóu; duō jiàn quē dài, shèn xíng qí yú, zé guǎ huǐ. Yán guǎ yóu, xíng guǎ huǐ, lù zài qí zhōng yǐ.”
English Translation:
Zi Zhang sought instruction on how to obtain an official post and its emolument. The Master said: "Listen widely, set aside what is doubtful, and speak cautiously of the rest—then you will incur few errors. Observe broadly, keep from what is perilous, and act cautiously on the rest—then you will have few regrets. If your words incur few errors and your deeds few regrets, emolument and office will be found therein."
Key Concepts Explained:
- 禄 (Lù): Official salary or emolument, symbolizing not merely material reward but the rightful fruits of virtuous service in governance.
- 慎 (Shèn): Prudence or caution, a cardinal virtue in Confucian ethics denoting careful deliberation before speech and action, reflecting inner moral cultivation.
- 尤 (Yóu): Faults or errors, particularly in speech; their minimization is central to maintaining social harmony and personal integrity.
- 悔 (Huǐ): Regret arising from improper conduct; Confucius teaches that foresight and restraint prevent such remorse, aligning conduct with moral rectitude.
Cultural Context:
This passage from the Analects (Book 2, Chapter 18) captures Confucius’s pragmatic yet principled advice to his youthful disciple Zi Zhang, who sought direct counsel on career advancement. Rather than condemning ambition, Confucius reframes it: official position (禄) is not sought by cunning but earned through disciplined conduct—by cultivating epistemic humility (acknowledging doubt) and moral caution in both word and deed. This reflects the Confucian ideal that self-cultivation (修身) is the foundation for social order and governance (治平). Historically, this teaching was revered by generations of scholar-officials, who saw in it a guide to responsible leadership: the ruler’s authority is legitimized not by power but by exemplary conduct that minimizes error and regret. It also underscores Confucius’s view of knowledge and action as inseparable—true wisdom manifests in measured practice, not empty theorizing.