This sentence was said by Confucius to teach his son Kong Li.

Original text

(子) tastes independence, and carps tend to cross the court. He said: "Have you studied poetry?" He replied: "Weiye". He said to him, "If you don't learn poetry, you won't be able to express it." Li retreated and studied poetry. In the future, he will be independent again, and the carps will flock to the court. He said: "Do you want to learn etiquette?" He replied: "Not yet". He said to him, "If you don't learn etiquette, you can't stand up." Li retreated and learned etiquette.

Translation

Once Confucius was standing alone in the hall, and Kong Li walked respectfully through the court. Confucius asked: "Have you studied the Book of Songs?" Kong Li replied: "No." Confucius said: "If you don't study the Book of Songs, you won't know what to say." Kong Li went back to study the Book of Songs. Another day, Confucius was standing alone in the hall again, and Kong Li happened to be walking quickly through the court. Confucius asked, "Have you studied the Book of Rites?" Kong Li replied, "No." Confucius said, "If you don't study the Book of Rites, you won't know how to stand in society." Kong Li went back to study the Book of Rites. "Remember".

Confucius (551 BC - 479 BC) was named Qiu and given the courtesy name Zhongni. A great thinker and educator in the late Spring and Autumn Period, and the founder of Confucianism. A native of Lu. He was the founder of the Confucian school and put forward the idea of ??"benevolence". He was a famous thinker and educator in ancient China. Through Confucius' lifelong advocacy and the development of Confucianism in the past dynasties, Chinese Confucianism has become the mainstream of Chinese culture and has been the guiding ideology of the Chinese people for more than two thousand years.