Sharing Critique of the Analects during the Cultural Revolution

[Hughes]

Confucianism思想 of Confucius is a countercurrent that seeks to regress and restore the feudal order. In the society of Zhongxiu, the ruling class also vigorously promotes Confucian思想 in order to maintain their reactionary rule. Today, Zhongxiu has selected some famous sayings from the Analects into textbooks, elevating Confucius as a “sage,” venerating the Analects as a guiding principle, and claiming Confucian思想 as “Chinese excellent traditional culture,” attempting to portray the reactionary hierarchical思想 of Confucianism as a super-class moral norm. They try to dull students’ thinking with Confucian思想, rationalize private ownership and inheritance relations, make students obey the old nine, obey their parents, and when grown up, listen to their bosses, and make women comfortable to be family slaves. However, this reactionary思想 that defends private ownership and oppression will inevitably be opposed by the masses. In our forum’s programmatic document “The Road of Future Revolution in China,” there has been analysis and criticism of Confucian思想. Today, while browsing books, I came across a commentary on the Analects written by workers, peasants, soldiers, and students during the Cultural Revolution. It translated and criticized each sentence of the Analects. I will excerpt some and upload them for everyone’s study.

Here is an evaluation by Zhang Chunqiao as an introduction:
“I read this time’s ‘Analects,’ which is a ‘commentary’ jointly written by workers, peasants, soldiers, and students from Peking University’s Philosophy Department, Class of ’72. This is probably the first commentary by workers, peasants, and soldiers since Confucianism was born. Previously, only scholars had written commentaries. Now, workers, peasants, and soldiers have done so. I greatly admire these young workers, peasants, and soldiers. They are not academic nor like ordinary scholars; they are workers, farmers, and soldiers cultivated by New China, full of revolutionary vigor, unafraid in front of the ‘Great Sage and Teacher.’ Even more valuable is that their annotations are thoughtful and detailed. For example, regarding ‘Xue’er’ (Learning), the commentary says it mainly refers to studying the classics of the Western Zhou slave era, such as ‘Lǐ’ (Rites), ‘Yue’ (Music), ‘Shī’ (Poetry), and ‘Shū’ (Documents). — This specifically analyzes what Confucius taught and what students learned. His educational purpose was not to cultivate an abstract ‘person,’ but to serve the slave-owning class. ‘Person’ at that time did not include slaves; slaves were not considered persons. Similarly, ‘When three people walk together, one must be my teacher,’ these three people could only be members of the ruling class, i.e., the slave-owning class. — I think such annotations are well done. They bring to life those chaotic, dull sermons, as if Confucius himself is speaking, with a modern person acting as his translator. These workers, peasants, soldiers, and students attracted me to read the Analects tirelessly. — It is not Confucius who ‘regrets [teaches] tirelessly,’ but these workers, peasants, soldiers, and students who teach tirelessly. We should truly thank them.”
— From “Zhang Chunqiao’s Prison Letters,” March 28, 1999

[Hughes]

The Book of Learning, Chapter 1
1.1 The Master said: “To learn and to practice it diligently, is that not a pleasure? To have friends come from afar, is that not a joy? When others do not understand me, I do not become angry; is that not a gentleman?”
【Note】 1 The Book of Learning—“Xueer” (Learning) is the title of the first chapter of the Analects. The chapters of the Analects are generally named after two or three characters from the first section.
2 The Master—“Master” (子, Zi) was a respectful title for men of the ruling class in ancient times. In the Analects, “Zi” in “Confucius said” refers to Confucius’s disciples addressing him.
3 Learning—The “learning” referred to here mainly involves studying cultural classics such as rites, music, poetry, and documents from the slave society of the Western Zhou Dynasty. Confucius aimed to cultivate talents to restore Zhou rites (see notes 1.12, 1.15, 2.21).
4 Practice—Refers to rehearsing rites and music, reviewing the “Poetry” and “Documents.”
5 Joy—“Yue” (joy) in the phrase “to learn and to practice it” is combined with “joy” (悦, yuè).
6 Friends—Refers to friends or companions. Here, it indicates like-minded people who follow Confucius.
7 People—In the Analects, “people” generally refers to members of the slave-owning class, sometimes to rulers of the time.
8 Anger—“Yun” (anger, resentment) indicates being annoyed or resentful.
9 Gentleman—In the Analects, “gentleman” (君子, jūnzǐ) generally refers to the ruling class of slave owners. Sometimes it also refers to nobles and their spokespersons who possess the moral qualities of the ruling class.
【Translation】Confucius said: “To learn rites, music, poetry, and documents, and to review them regularly— isn’t that a source of happiness? To have friends come from afar— isn’t that a joy? When others do not understand me, I do not become angry— isn’t that a gentleman?”
【Commentary】 Confucius founded the Confucian school, which was not only a reactionary ideological faction but also a reactionary political group. To restore slavery, scheming to seize power from the emerging landlord class of Lu, Confucius began teaching and recruiting disciples from the early years of Duke Ding of Lu (509 BC). He promoted his reactionary doctrines, incited counter-revolutionary public opinion, assembled counter-revolutionary forces, accumulated strength, observed the situation, and waited for the right moment to act.
“To learn and to practice it diligently, is that not a pleasure?” was meant to have his disciples focus on studying rites, music, poetry, and documents, training themselves as accomplices in the restoration of slavery.
“Having friends come from afar, is that not a joy?” was to encourage them to recruit counter-revolutionaries from distant places and expand the counter-revolutionary organization.
“When others do not understand me, I do not become angry; is that not a gentleman?” meant to advise them not to resent the rulers for not employing them, but to be tactful, patient, and wait for the right opportunity to strike.
The reactionary philosopher Zhu Xi of the Song Dynasty praised “Xueer” as “the gate of humanity and the foundation of virtue.” In fact, Confucius’s “Way” was a reactionary path of restoration, and his “virtue” was the decayed morality of the ruling slave-owning class. The Analects begins with Confucius’s reactionary educational goals, reflecting the stubborn stance of Confucianism in defending the declining slave system.

[Hughes]

Confucius said: “Reviewing the old and learning the new, one can be a teacher.”
【Translation】Confucius said: “Reviewing the teachings of the ancient sages and gaining new knowledge from them, such a person can become a teacher.”
【Critique】 This reveals Confucius’s reactionary stance of revivalism and his idealist viewpoint.
“Reviewing the old to learn the new” is fundamentally wrong. New correct understanding and viewpoints can only come from practice, only from activities that transform the world. Spending all day immersed in the stale teachings of ancient sages is fundamentally impossible to acquire any new correct ideas. The old is always old; no matter how Confucius reviews and rehashes, dressing it up differently, it will not become new. In fact, Confucius was not really aiming to acquire anything new. What he called “old” was merely the laws, regulations, and historical materials of the slave society of the Western Zhou. His so-called “new” was just the rhetoric and tricks used at the time to salvage the slave system. This “new” is nothing more than patching up the Zhou rites, essentially a synonym for restoring the old. Clearly, the slogan “Review the old and learn the new” was a reactionary political slogan advocating the revival of the Western Zhou slave system under the historical conditions of that time.
The Confucian route of revering antiquity and neglecting the present, advocating the revival of the past, is fundamentally opposed to the Legalist route of valuing the present and reforming the future.
Chairman Mao, in his critique of the reactionary film “Wu Xun,” once profoundly pointed out: “In the view of many authors, the development of history is not about replacing old things with new ones, but about efforts to preserve old things and prevent them from dying” (《毛主席关于文学艺术的五个文件》).
Confucius was precisely such a master who tried to preserve old things at all costs to prevent their demise.
Chairman Mao taught us that “destruction is the precondition for establishment,” and that “destruction is at the forefront; establishment is within it.” Only by breaking the old can we establish the new. Only by adhering to Marxist positions, viewpoints, and methods, starting from the reality of class struggle, and critically summarizing the cultural heritage of history can we innovate and move forward.
The reactionary viewpoint of “review the old and learn the new” has been weakly promoted by the Confucian faction throughout history. Lin Biao even actively practiced Confucius’s reactionary slogan, extensively promoting Confucian and Mencian doctrines, teaching children to read classics, attempting to use Confucian and Mencian ideas as ideological weapons to restore capitalism.

[Hughes]

Confucius said: “I examine myself three times a day: Have I been disloyal in offering advice to the upper ruling class? Have I been untrustworthy in my dealings with friends? Have I reviewed the teachings I received?”
【Note】 1. Zengzi (505–435 BC) — A loyal disciple of Confucius, surname Guan, given name Shen, courtesy name Ziyu. He was a descendant of the slave-owning aristocracy of the extinct state of Zheng (near present-day Zaozhuang, Shandong).
2. Examine (xing) — Self-reflection. The three examinations mean reflecting repeatedly.
3. Loyalty — The “loyalty” referred to by Confucius and his disciples means serving the slave-owning aristocracy and the upper ruling class wholeheartedly.
4. Trust — The “trust” in the context of Confucius and his disciples within the slave-owning class refers to mutual faithfulness according to ritual standards to regulate internal contradictions; between opposing classes, it refers to slaves and emerging landlord classes trusting the slave-owning class to consolidate their rule.
5. Transmission (chuán) — Teaching or passing on. Here it refers to the teachings transmitted by Confucius, such as rites, music, poetry, and documents.

【Translation】 Zengzi said: “I reflect on myself three times a day: Are there any disloyalty in giving advice to the upper ruling class? Are there any breaches of trust in my dealings with friends? Have I reviewed the teachings I received?”
【Criticism】 The reactionary political group led by Confucius under the guise of “education” was heavily struck by revolutionary forces, leading to internal division and ideological wavering. Some students were dissatisfied with Confucius’s actions to restore slavery and even participated in reform activities of the emerging landlord class, such as Ran Qiu helping Ji Sun to implement progressive social reforms. Zengzi, a loyal disciple of Confucius, vainly tried to save this situation. He proposed a method of introspective cultivation based on idealism, urging disciples of Confucianism not to participate in the reforms of the emerging landlord class, but to examine their words and deeds according to the decayed and unworthy moral doctrines of the slave-owning class taught by Confucius, and to cultivate themselves into loyal servants of the restoration of slavery.
This “self-reflection inward” idealist cultivation method proposed by Zengzi was inherited by successive reactionary ruling classes and their spokespeople, and was exploited by opportunists within the Party. The great traitor Liu Shaoqi, in his black “Self-Cultivation,” copied Zengzi’s words, advocating seclusion and cultivation: the “revolution from the depths of the soul” promoted by traitor and traitorous spy Lin Biao is a replica of Confucian idealist cultivation. Their malicious purpose is to lure people away from the three revolutionary practices and use Confucian and Mencian doctrines for cultivation, turning them into tools to overthrow the proletarian dictatorship and restore capitalism.

[Hughes]

Confucius said: “A gentleman does not seek to be full from eating, nor to live in comfort; he is quick to do things and cautious in speech; he looks up to those with virtue to correct his own faults, and this can be called a love of learning.”
[Note] 1. Look up to — approach, emulate.
2. Virtue — refers to those of the slave-owning class who ‘create virtue’.

[Translation] Confucius said: “A gentleman does not pursue fullness from eating, nor comfort from living; he is swift in doing things and cautious in speaking; he looks up to virtuous people to correct his own mistakes, and thus can be called a lover of learning.”

[Critique] All reactionary exploitative classes are fond of ease and hate labor, living decadent lives full of wine and pleasure. The so-called “a gentleman does not seek fullness from eating, nor comfort from living” is completely deceptive talk. Confucius himself was a parasite who ‘never tired of fine food and delicacies’, living off the blood of the common people. The reason he promoted “not seeking fullness from eating, nor comfort from living” was, besides deceiving others, to advise the slave-owning ruling class and his followers to temporarily suppress their desire for material enjoyment as the slave system was collapsing, and to prioritize the ‘restoration of rites’ as the ‘top priority’.

[Hughes]

Confucius said: “At fifteen, I set my heart on learning; at thirty, I stood firm; at forty, I had no doubts; at fifty, I understood the decrees of Heaven; at sixty, my ears were obedient; at seventy, I could follow my heart’s desires without overstepping what was right.”
【Note】 1. 有——same as “又”. 2. 立——refers to “standing in rites”, meaning able to practice Zhou rites and stand firm. 3. 天命——the will and commands of Heaven. Confucius’s view of Heaven’s decree is an important part of his reactionary idealist worldview. He believed that “Heaven” (the Supreme Being, the Lord of Heaven, God) has will, and is the supreme ruler of nature and human society; people’s life and death, blessings and misfortunes, as well as the status of rulers and subjects, are arranged by Heaven. The “Heaven’s decree” that Confucius spoke of is essentially the will of the slave-owning class. 4. 耳顺——“耳” (ear) is the same as “尔” (you), combined with “而已” (only). The character “而” might be a typo and extra; “而耳顺” means “only follow Heaven’s decree”, that is, obey Heaven’s will. 5. 逾(yú fish)矩——逾 means to surpass; 矩 (rule, standard) refers to the norms of Zhou rites.

【Translation】 Confucius said: “At fifteen, I dedicated myself to studying [Zhou rites]; at thirty, I could act according to Zhou rites; at forty, I was free from doubts; at fifty, I understood the decrees of Heaven; at sixty, I could obey Heaven’s decree; at seventy, I could do whatever I wanted without overstepping [the norms of Zhou rites].”
【Criticism】 This statement is a summary of Confucius’s lifelong process of counter-revolutionary restoration and self-cultivation. It clearly shows that he closely linked restoring Zhou rites with believing in Heaven’s decree, believing that promoting Zhou rites was acting on behalf of Heaven, and was an action in accordance with Heaven’s will. His thoughts are bestowed by Heaven and conform to Heaven’s decree. This fully demonstrates that Confucius’s idealist view of Heaven’s decree and his apriorism serve his reactionary political line. His philosophy is an ideological weapon to uphold slavery and attack the broad masses of slaves and the emerging landlord class. Traitor, traitor, and labor thief Liu Shaoqi, in his efforts to restore capitalism, repeatedly copied this passage of Confucius into his black “Self-Cultivation” and promoted this idealist cultivation doctrine. The bourgeois ambitious Lin Biao, in his counter-revolutionary activities, inherited Confucius’s “Heaven’s decree” concept, falsely claiming that their “talents” are bestowed by Heaven, “both received from Heaven and from man,” vigorously promoting the reactionary idealist “genius theory,” and creating counter-revolutionary public opinion for his conspiracy to seize power and restore capitalism. It is not hard to see: “All idealists, whether philosophical or religious, whether old or new, believe in inspiration, revelation, and saviors…” (Marx and Engels: “The German Ideology,” Vol. 3, p. 630). No matter how Confucius from over two thousand years ago or Lin Biao of the 1970s wait for spontaneous inspiration, or wave the banner of idealist “Heaven’s decree” and “genius theory,” they cannot escape their inevitable doom.