To be honest and clean oneself and yet have patience and tolerance towards others; to have a benevolent heart, and yet show discernment at the same time ; to have clear insight, and yet have the forbearance to refrain from over-harsh judgements; to be upright and outspoken, and yet have the self-control not to exceed the proper limits – all these add up to proper conduct.
Just as candied fruit should not be too sweet and seafood should not be too salty, a person’s conduct should be pleasing but just right.
清能有容，仁能善断，明不伤察，直不过矫，是谓蜜饯不甜，海味不咸，才是懿德。
Notes
Virtue as an art of dynamic equilibrium
True virtue transcends binary opposition. Qualities like purity and tolerance, benevolence and decisiveness, clarity and leniency, integrity and flexibility—seemingly contradictory—are in fact two sides of the same virtue. Like yin and yang in Taiji, they coexist and transform interdependently.
Guard against extremism in virtue
Infusing traits with their counterbalancing force preserves their nobility—just as honeyed fruit avoids sickly sweetness, and sea delicacies retain subtlety beyond mere saltiness.
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