The meaning of this sentence is: A gentleman can still stick to the right path when he is in trouble, but a villain will act recklessly when he is in trouble.

Source: "The Analects of Confucius·Wei Linggong"

Original text:

When Chen is out of food, the followers are sick and unable to thrive. Zi Lu was shocked and asked, "Is it true that a gentleman is poor?" Confucius said, "A gentleman is indeed poor, but a villain is poor."

Translation:

Confucius was in the state of Chen Without food, those who followed became sick from hunger and lay unable to get up. Zilu came to Confucius angrily and said, "Is there a time when a gentleman is in trouble and has no solution?" Confucius said, "A gentleman can still stick to the right path when he is in trouble, but a villain will act recklessly when he is in trouble."

Extended information :

This is a famous quote from Confucius telling people how to overcome difficulties. There are always times of embarrassment in life. Faced with difficult situations, Confucius believed that the most important thing is to adhere to ideals and ethics.

Zilu’s anger is not unreasonable. He wholeheartedly upholds virtue and integrity, but falls into a difficult situation and has no clue. However, people who do evil things live a wealthy life, so he begins to question himself. A belief that has always been adhered to. Confucius answered him that although a gentleman may be in embarrassment sometimes, he can still handle himself according to the Tao, unlike a villain who loses his mind and behaves randomly when he is in embarrassment.