Abstract: “Govern by doing nothing”and“I agree with Dian”are heterogeneous existence in The Analects of Confucius；interpretations vary greatly in history. This paper，from the reference of“doing nothing”，sorts out the thread of Confucius’thinking，tries to understand the real meanings of these two expressions and to find out their logical relations. One may find“govern by doing nothing”really means the Confucian idea and assumption that only exist in Confucius’ideal social structure，and“I agree with Dian”is an emergence of the state of individual’s life in this ideal society. Understanding the relations and functions of these two expressions will be helpful for a better understanding of Confucius’thinking.

Key words: Confucius, benevolence, manners, self-restraint