Confucius said: quality is better than literature, which is wild, and literature is better than quality, which is history, gentle and gentle, and then a gentleman.

from: The Analects of Confucius Yong Ye

Original text: Confucius said: "Quality is better than literature, and literature is better than history. Gentle, then a gentleman. "

Confucius said: "If simplicity exceeds literary talent, it will be rude; Literary talent is flashy when it exceeds simplicity. Literary talent and simplicity complement each other and cooperate properly. This is the gentleman. "

Allusion:

One day, when Confucius was sitting at home, he sighed to his son Kong Li, "A gentleman can't help learning. When meeting people, he can't help but be unkempt. If he doesn't modify his appearance, he will look untidy. If he doesn't respect people, he will be rude. If he doesn't respect people, he will not be able to stand in the world."

He went on to say, "Those who look radiant when standing at a distance are those who are well groomed, those who are close to others and make people understand, and those who are knowledgeable in their chests. Just like a low-lying place, when rain gathers there, water plants will grow. From a height, who will know that this is not a spring water spewing from the ground? "

after hearing this, Kong Li asked, "So what father means is that a gentleman must be good at grooming himself. But don't you often teach me that a gentleman just needs to keep his essence and doesn't need to pay attention to literary talent? "

Confucius said, "carp, you haven't understood what I mean. Literary talent is as important as essence. Only by being gentle can you become a gentleman."

"If a person is too simple and lacks literary talent, he will appear rude and vulgar, but he should not pay too much attention to literary talent. If a person pursues literary talent too much, he will become hypocritical and grandiose."

"There is little benevolence in such people who are sweet-talking and pretending to be kind. Only when simplicity and literary talent are properly matched, this is a gentleman. "

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