The Original Quote:
柳下惠为士师，三黜。人曰：“子未可以去乎？”曰：“直道而事人，焉往而不三黜？枉道而事人，何必去父母之邦？”
Liǔ Xiàhuì wéi shìshī, sān chù. Rén yuē: “Zǐ wèi kěyǐ qù hū?” Yuē: “Zhí dào ér shì rén, yān wǎng ér bù sān chù? Wǎng dào ér shì rén, hé bì qù fùmǔ zhī bāng?”
English Translation:
When Liǔ Xiàhuì served as chief judge, he was thrice dismissed. Someone asked, “Can you not leave this state?” He replied, “If I serve others by the straight path, where can I go without being thrice dismissed? But if I serve by crooked ways, why must I leave the land of my parents?”
Key Concepts Explained:
- 直道 (Zhí Dào): The straight or upright path, denoting moral integrity and adherence to righteousness (义, Yì) in conduct, especially in official service.
- 枉道 (Wǎng Dào): The crooked or deviant path, representing compromise of principle for personal gain, a violation of 仁 (Rén, benevolence) and 礼 (Lǐ, ritual propriety).
- 父母之邦 (Fùmǔ zhī Bāng): The land of one’s parents, evoking the Confucian virtue of 孝 (Xiào, filial piety) and deep attachment to one’s native state, a core of 命 (Mìng, moral destiny).
Cultural Context:
This passage from *The Analects* (Book 18, Chapter 2) reflects Confucius’s lament over the pervasive corruption of the Spring and Autumn period. Liǔ Xiàhuì, a historical paragon of integrity, is praised for steadfastness despite repeated dismissal. Confucius uses this anecdote to teach that moral uprightness often brings worldly failure, yet leaving one’s homeland—a sacred duty of filial piety—is unnecessary if the same corruption exists everywhere. It underscores the tension between personal ethics and political reality, a enduring theme in Confucian philosophy.