Trying to curry favour with individual is not as good as promoting public morality.
Making new friends is not as good as consolidating old friendships. Creating a vainglorious reputation for oneself is not as good as quietly cultivating virtues. Advocating flamboyant behaviour and extraordinary deeds is not as good as acting cautiously in everyday life.
市私恩，不如扶公议；结新知，不如敦旧好；立荣名，不如种隐德；尚奇节，不如谨庸行。
Notes
Short-term transactional goodwill fades — only steadfast justice earns enduring respect.
Depth of companionship outweighs breadth of connections — time-forged understanding is irreplaceable.
Virtue performed for applause is theater; virtue accumulated in silence is essence.
Moral character manifests in ordinary details, not grand gestures.
Abandon superficial pursuits; cling to essential values. Thus, in life’s chaos, one lives grounded, serene, and weighty.
Leave a Reply