Who is Yan Yuan 颜渊?

Yan Yuan (521 - 481 BC) was one of the representatives of the Confucian school during the Spring and Autumn Period and a student of Confucius. His style name was Ziyuan, and he was also known as Yan Hui. He was from the State of Lu.

He was regarded as a model among Confucius' disciples for his morality, beliefs, and character, and was honored as "Second Sage" by feudal rulers.

He was renowned for his eagerness to learn, embodying the Confucian spirit of studiousness. "Duke Ai asked, 'Which of your disciples is fond of learning?' Confucius replied, 'There is Yan Hui who is fond of learning.'" ( *The Analects of Confucius · Yongye*, hereafter only the chapter name is noted). He listened attentively and was fully concentrated: "The one who never gets tired when I talk to him is probably Hui." ( *Zihan* ). He made continuous progress and was never complacent: "Confucius said of Yan Hui, 'What a pity! I saw his progress, but never saw him stop.'" (Ibid.). He used his brains and paid attention to methods, being able to "infer ten from one" ( *Gongyechang* ). Regarded by Confucius as a typical example of excellent character and scholarship, he once expressed that he would not boast about his own goodness or flaunt his own merits: "I wish not to boast of my goodness and not to publicize my labors." (Ibid.). He was able to recognize and correct his mistakes in a timely manner and not repeat them: "He did not transfer his anger; he did not repeat a fault." ( *Yongye* ), "Whenever he had any fault, he was sure to be aware of it, and having been aware of it, he never committed it again." ( *I Ching · Xici Xia* ).

He was even more outstanding in terms of benevolence and virtue: "Hui could for three months together not transgress against benevolence. The others could attain to this merely for days or months at a time." ( *Yongye* ), so he was ranked first among Confucius' disciples in terms of virtue ( *Xianjin* ). He was also a practitioner of the Doctrine of the Mean: "Confucius said, 'In the case of Hui, his character was in harmony with the Mean. Having discovered one good thing, he would firmly hold it fast, and never lose it.'" ( *The Book of Rites · Zhongyong* ).

He also had the thoughts of being content in poverty and adhering to the Way, and being free from worldly strife: "How exemplary was Hui! A single bamboo basket of rice, a single gourd ladle of drink, living in a mean alley. Others could not have endured the distress, but Hui did not change his joyousness." ( *Yongye* ), "Hui's virtue is almost perfect, yet he is often in want." ( *Xianjin* ).

He paid no attention to his personal circumstances: "If employed, he would carry out his principles; if laid aside, he would hide them." ( *Shuer* ).

He also did not raise objections to others. Confucius said, "I have talked with Hui all day long, and he has not disagreed with me, just like a dull man." ( *Weizheng* ), "Hui is not one who helps me. He is pleased with everything I say." ( *Xianjin* ). His thoughts of being content in poverty and adhering to the Way, and being free from worldly strife were related to Taoist thoughts. Therefore, the book *Zhuangzi* has a particularly large amount of information about Yan Hui, mentioning him ten times throughout the book. It talks about "mental fasting" and "sitting in oblivion". These may not be Yan Hui's original thoughts, but his tendency to transcend the mundane world did exist.