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Who Was You Zi in the Analects? Roots Before Branches
You Zi keeps roots before branches — filial-fraternal conduct as where ren begins to stand. In the Analects he is 有子 (also 有若, You Ruo; Legge: Yu, Yu Zo). Xue Er opens with his sayings on filial-fraternal conduct, ritual ease held by form, and trustworthiness near rightness; Yen Yuan records his answer to Duke Ai on scarcity. This Note is not a rewrite of the Zeng Zi Notes, not a rewrite of the filial-conduct or li-ritual or ren Notes, and not a retell of the index editorial. It is also not the Zi You Note — 子游 (Legge: Tsze-yu) is a different disciple. The index already gathers the cluster; here you deepen four passage doors.
Roots before branches — 孝弟 and 君子务本
Start with The Analects · Hsio R. 1.2. The source: 有子曰，其为人也孝弟，而好犯上者鲜矣，不好犯上，而好作乱者，未之有也。君子务本，本立，而道生，孝弟也者，其为仁之本与。
The modern guide on that page: 有子说：一个人孝顺父母、敬爱兄长，却喜欢冒犯上级，这样的人很少；不喜欢冒犯上级，却喜欢作乱的人，是没有的。君子专心抓住根本，根本立住了，道就自然生发出来。孝顺父母、敬爱兄长，大概就是仁的根本吧。
Legge on the same page: 1. The philosopher Yu said, "They are few who, being filial and fraternal, are fond of offending against their superiors. There have been none, who, not liking to offend against their superiors, have been fond of stirring up confusion. 2. "The superior man bends his attention to what is radical.That being established, all practical courses naturally grow up. Filial piety and fraternal submission!—are they not the root of all benevolent actions?"
Take the hinge carefully. You Zi sets 孝弟 before rebellion talk, then names 君子务本 — when the root stands, the Way grows — and asks whether filial-fraternal conduct is where 仁 begins to stand. You are given roots before branches, not a disciple biography novel, and not a rewrite of the filial-conduct Note or the ren Note. Open this lead door; do not expand it into those essays.
Ritual ease — held by form
Open The Analects · Hsio R. 1.12. The source: 有子曰，礼之用，和为贵，先王之道，斯为美，小大由之。有所不行，知和而和，不以礼节之，亦不可行也。
The guide: 有子说：礼的作用，以和谐为可贵。古代圣王的治道，美好之处正在这里；大小事情都由此而行。不过只知道和谐而为和谐，不用礼来节制，也是不行的。
Legge: 1. The philosopher Yu said, "In practising the rules of propriety, a natural ease is to be prized. In the ways prescribed by the ancient kings, this is the excellent quality, and in things small and great we follow them. 2. "Yet it is not to be observed in all cases. If one, knowing how such ease should be prized, manifests it, without regulating it by the rules of propriety, this likewise is not to be done."
Read the edge only. 和为贵 prizes natural ease in practising the rules of propriety; yet ease without being regulated by 礼 is likewise not to be done. This Note opens one door into ease held by form. It does not retell the li-ritual Note.
Trust near rightness — speech you can make good
In The Analects · Hsio R. 1.13 You Zi measures trust and respect. The source: 有子曰，信近于义，言可复也，恭近于礼，远耻辱也，因不失其亲，亦可宗也。
The guide: 有子说：信用接近义，说出的话才可以兑现；恭敬接近礼，才可以远离羞辱；所依靠的人不失为可亲近的人，也就可以以他为宗主。
Legge: The philosopher Yu said, "When agreements are made according to what is right, what is spoken can be made good. When respect is shown according to what is proper, one keeps far from shame and disgrace. When the parties upon whom a man leans are proper persons to be intimate with, he can make them his guides and masters."
You get one door into 信近于义 — agreements near what is right, so that what is spoken can be made good — and respect near propriety so shame stays far. Stay on this measured hinge. Do not expand this Note into a xin essay.
Scarcity — if the people have plenty
The Analects · Yen Yuan 12.9 returns you to You Ruo answering Duke Ai. The source: 哀公问于有若曰年饥，用不足，如之何。有若对曰，盍彻乎。曰，二，吾犹不足，如之何其彻也。对曰，百姓足，君孰与不足，百姓不足，君孰与足。
The guide: 鲁哀公问有若说：遇上饥荒年成，国家用度不足，怎么办呢？有若回答说：为什么不实行十分抽一的田税呢？哀公说：抽十分之二，我尚且不够用，怎么能实行十分抽一呢？有若回答说：百姓富足了，国君怎么会不富足呢？百姓不富足，国君又怎么能富足呢？
Legge: 1. The Duke Ai inquired of Yu Zo, saying, "The year is one of scarcity, and the returns for expenditure are not sufficient;—what is to be done?" 2. Yu Zo replied to him, "Why not simply tithe the people?" 3. "With two tenths, said the duke, "I find it not enough;—how could I do with that system of one tenth?" 4. Yu Zo answered, "If the people have plenty, their prince will not be left to want alone. If the people are in want, their prince cannot enjoy plenty alone."
The year is scarce; the duke finds even two tenths not enough. You Ruo answers with 百姓足，君孰与不足 — if the people have plenty, their prince will not be left to want alone. You are given that hinge under scarcity, not a Duke Ai biography rewrite.
What the four doors add up to
Put them together and you have: roots before branches, where filial-fraternal conduct is named as where ren begins to stand (1.2); ritual ease prized yet held by form (1.12); trust near rightness so speech can be made good (1.13); and You Ruo answering scarcity without abandoning the people (12.9). The Note deepens those doors; it does not retell the index line that already calls him a disciple whose sayings frame filial conduct, roots, and ritual harmony.
This is also not a rewrite of the Zeng Zi Notes (a soft peer light at most if you later meet「吾友」elsewhere — stay off that as a main door here), not a rewrite of the Zi You Note (子游 / Tsze-yu ≠ 有子 / Yu Zo), and not a rewrite of the filial, li-ritual, or ren Notes. False friends — inventing later tradition stories about resemblance to Confucius or succession debates as main doors, or stacking keywords around Youzi / Yu Ruo — are not this Note's work.
As your own reflection — not as Confucius's words — you may chase branches while the root is still unset. The Analects can place You Zi's voice at the opening of Xue Er and still ask whether ease is held by form, whether speech can be made good, and whether the people are left with plenty. The harder edge in these doors is roots before branches — and a ruler who cannot enjoy plenty alone when the people are in want.
FAQ
Who was You Zi in the Analects?
He is a disciple of Confucius, named 有子 and 有若 (You Ruo; Legge: Yu, Yu Zo). Live passages show his opening sayings in Xue Er on filial-fraternal conduct and roots (1.2), ritual ease held by form (1.12), and trust near rightness (1.13), and his answer to Duke Ai on scarcity (12.9). He is not Zi You (子游; Legge: Tsze-yu). Check each quote on its passage page and say whether you used the source, the guide, or Legge.
What does 君子务本 mean in 1.2?
You Zi says the superior man bends attention to what is radical — 君子务本，本立，而道生. Legge: "The superior man bends his attention to what is radical. That being established, all practical courses naturally grow up." This Note reads that as roots before branches; it does not rewrite the ren Note around 其为仁之本与.
Why is 和为贵 not free-floating harmony?
In 1.12 ease (和) is prized in practising the rules of propriety, yet if one manifests that ease without regulating it by 礼, that likewise is not to be done. Open the door; do not expand this Note into the full li-ritual essay.
What is the edge in 1.13?
信近于义，言可复也 — when agreements are near what is right, what is spoken can be made good; respect near propriety keeps shame far. Measured speech and trust, not a xin monograph.
What does 12.9 show about scarcity?
Duke Ai asks what to do in a year of scarcity when returns are not sufficient. You Ruo answers with the tithe and then with 百姓足，君孰与不足. If the people have plenty, their prince will not be left to want alone. Stay on that hinge; do not rewrite a Duke Ai biography.
After FAQ — open the You Zi index
When you want the passages that name him gathered on one screen, open You Zi. The index marks a disciple whose sayings frame filial conduct, roots, and ritual harmony and selects doors; this Note followed roots before branches, ease held by form, trust near rightness, and plenty for the people under scarcity. Read the doors again there in context, and when you quote any of them, give the passage URL and say whether you used the source, the guide, or Legge.