《论语·宪问》第十六、第十七章记载了孔子师徒对管仲是否为仁的争论,师肯定之,徒否定之。这一争论一直贯穿于《论语》的解读历史。对仁本身的内涵的理解不同,导致对管仲是否为仁这个问题的不同答案。事实上,仁在先秦时具有鲜明的事功性内涵。从这种内涵出发,管仲为仁是肯定无疑的。不脱离这种内涵去理解儒学,会得出很多新的看法。

The sixteenth and seventeenth chapters of “The Analects · Xian Asked” describe the controversy about whether Guan Zhong is the benevolent between Confucius and his students. The teacher approves it, and the students deny it. The controversy runs through the history of the interpretation of “the Analects”. The different interpretations on the connotation of benevolence itself led to all kinds of different points of view. In fact, the connotation of benevolence has a distinctive utilitarian definition in the pre-Qin period. Based on the utilitarian connotation of benevolence, Guan Zhong is the benevolent. We will draw a lot of new ideas, not divorced from this kind of meaning to understand Confucianism.