Master Zeng said, “Every day I examine myself on these three points: in acting on behalf of others, have I always been loyal to their interests? In intercourse with my friends, have I always been true to my word? Have I failed to repeat the precepts that have been handed down to me?”
曾子曰：「吾日三省吾身：為人謀而不忠乎？與朋友交而不信乎？傳不習乎？」
Notes
This passage from The Analects features Zengzi, a disciple of Confucius, expounding on self-cultivation. It epitomizes the Confucian method of introspection and has profoundly influenced Chinese moral practice for millennia.
The core of these three examinations is ‘seeking within oneself’: refusing to blame others externally while scrutinizing one’s own shortcomings inwardly. Through continuous self-correction, one advances in both virtue and wisdom.
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