In the 9th year of the reign of Duke AI of Lu state, Confucius was seriously ill in Chen state. After he recovered, several disciples accompanied him to take a walk in the countryside. When they were resting under the pines and cypresses, Confucius said, "I would like to hear about your ambitions." Zilu said, "I would like to wave my long gun, rush towards the enemy and advance like a flood loong to save the people in misery." Confucius replied, "You are a warrior!" Zigong said, "If two states become enemies and are going to fight, I'll go persuade and try to eliminate the war." Confucius said, "You are a good debater!" Yan Hui didn't say anything, and Confucius asked why. Yan Hui said, "Zilu wanted to use his strength and Zigong wanted to use his eloquence, so I don't dare to talk about my own ambition." Confucius said, "People have different ideas and ambitions, you might as well talk about it with us!" Yan Hui said, "I would like to be the prime minister of a small state, assist the monarch with morality, unite the monarch and the people, and be friendly with other states, so that the people can live in peace and the officials can work in harmony." Confucius said with satisfaction, "This is the ambition of a sage!"