Analects · Chapter
XLI explained
Tsze-lû spends the night at Shih-mǎn, where the gatekeeper questions him about his master, Confucius, and remarks on Confucius's awareness of the impracticality of the times yet his persistence in trying to reform them.
What happens
Tsze-lû spends the night at Shih-mǎn, where the gatekeeper questions him about his master, Confucius, and remarks on Confucius's awareness of the impracticality of the times yet his persistence in trying to reform them.
Free preview opens on this chapter — companions, themes, and character notes appear beside the text.
Narrative arc
Story tension across the book.
- Setup
- Escalation
- Breaking point
- Aftermath
- Closing
The emotional peak occurs when Confucius directly confronts Yû with a list of six virtues—benevolence, knowled…
Full beat labels and climax notes unlock in the reader.
Follow the arc while readingThemes in this chapter
- Virtuous Governance
Confucius's persistence in attempting to govern rightly despite the impracticality of the times.
Characters to notice
Key passages
“Whom do you come from?”
From whom have you come?
The gatekeeper asks Tsze-lû about his origin.
“It is he—is it not?—who knows the impracticable nature of the times and yet will be doing in them.”
Is he not the one who knows the times are hopeless but still tries to act?
The gatekeeper characterizes Confucius as a man who persists despite knowing the futility.
