Three armies can seize the commander, but an ordinary man cannot seize the will. This is also a famous saying from "The Analects of Confucius·Zihan". It means that the commander of the army can be changed, but the aspirations of ordinary people cannot be changed.

"The three armies seize the commander" is an extremely difficult thing, but what is more difficult than this is the ambition to seize the man. The reason why Confucius said this is because "winning the commander-in-chief" can be achieved by external forces, but "the ambition to win the husband" cannot be achieved by external forces.

Here, Confucius cleverly used the technique of contrast to affirm human dignity, elaborate on the meaning and role of firm ambition in life, and at the same time warn people that the dignity of personality is better than Life is more precious.

Interpretation of this sentence

"Three armies can seize the commander, but one man cannot seize the will." This is a famous saying that has been passed down through the ages. This sentence emphasizes the nobility of personality and the dignity of ambition. At the same time, this is also an indirect affirmation of human value by Confucius’ affirmation of human inner integrity.

Different from the Western religious culture where God is the dominant figure, Confucianism recognizes people’s subjective initiative from the beginning, emphasizes the value of people, and advocates that people can ultimately achieve a fulfilling and magnificent life through moral cultivation and ability improvement. life. This kind of thinking is a typical humanism. It was not until the Renaissance that European culture entered the humanistic stage.