A gentleman should be careful in his solitude, which is a kind of value and code of conduct. It means that when alone, he should be cautious and self-disciplined, not indulge himself, and maintain good moral character and behavior.

This word comes from a sentence in a chapter of "The Analects of Confucius: Wei Linggong": "A gentleman is independent without fear, walks alone without being lost. Be careful of being alone." It means that a true gentleman You are not afraid of being alone and can act independently, but you must be careful with your actions and words to avoid making inappropriate moves or saying inappropriate words. Therefore, "A gentleman beware of independence" has become a famous saying that reminds people to have self-discipline, self-reflection, and self-improvement.

The story of Yang Zhen in the Eastern Han Dynasty who was "cautious about independence" is a good example of being strict with oneself.

When Yang Zhen was serving as the governor of Jingzhou, he discovered that the scholar Wang Mi was a talented person, so he recommended Wang Mi as the magistrate of Changyi County. Later, Yang Zhen was appointed as the governor of Donglai. When he passed through Changyi, Wang Mi took good care of him.

In the evening, Wang Mi quietly came to Yang Zhen's residence. Seeing that there was no one in the room, he took out 10 kilograms of gold and gave it to Yang Zhen. Yang Zhen waved his hand quickly and refused and said: "I recommended you before because I know you. You do this because you don't understand me too well!"

Wang Mi then whispered: "Now It's dark, no one knows." Yang Zhen said sternly: "Heaven knows, earth knows, you know, I know, how can I say no one knows!" After hearing this, Wang Mi retreated in shame.

Yang Zhen is honest and upright and never accepts private gifts. His descendants also lived a simple vegetarian and walking life. Some old friends once advised him to buy some property for his descendants. He said: "For future generations to be called 'descendants of innocent officials', wouldn't it be very rich to use such a good reputation as an inheritance?"

It can be seen that a cautious and independent person is often also a noble person.