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Why did Confucius say that giving is beyond your power?
Zi Gong said: "I don't want others to add me, I want to add others." Confucius said, "Giving is beyond your power." This means that Zigong said, "I don't want others to impose anything on me, and I won't impose anything on others." Confucius said to him, "Zi Gong, you can't do this."

Why not? Because people are collective animals, no one can live without the human collective. However, people are selfish and always want to occupy the greatest interests and advantages in this collective. For example, everyone wants the world to be fair and just-this is the thinking habit formed by collective survival; At the same time, when encountering specific problems, everyone wants the government to take care of themselves and benefit themselves-this is a thinking habit that individuals need to form.

In this way, collective and individual, individual and others often have various conflicts and contradictions of interest. Such contradictions and conflicts are independent of human will. So Confucius told Zigong, "Giving is beyond your power."

Duanmu Ci (520 BC-456 BC): Duanmu Ci with compound surname, word Zigong, and later word line. Han nationality, a native of Weiguo (now Xun County, Hebi City, Henan Province) in the late Spring and Autumn Period. Confucius' favorite pupil, one of Confucius' top ten philosophers, and one of his disciples who were "proficient in business ethics", Confucius once called it "the instrument of Hu Lian".

Zi Gong is famous for his words among the ten philosophers of Confucius. He is eloquent, eloquent, brilliant and knowledgeable. He used to be the phase of Lu and Wei. He is also good at business. He once did business between Cao and Lu and became the richest man among Confucius' disciples. "Duanmu Legacy" refers to the ethos of honesty and business left by Zigong, and it has become the god of wealth believed by Han people. Zi Gong was very kind to Huo Zhi, and it was the wind that "a gentleman loves money and takes it wisely", which was highly praised by the business community later.

There are many records of his words and deeds in The Analects of Confucius, and the Historical Records also give him a high evaluation. Zi Gong died in Qi State. In the 27th year of Tang Kaiyuan, it was named "Hou Li"; In the second year of Song Dazhong Xiangfu, he was named "Gong Li"; In the ninth year of Jiajing in Ming Dynasty, it was renamed "Saint Duanmuzi".