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When Yan Hui died, Confucius cried out in grief: “Alas! Heaven is destroying me! Heaven is destroying me!”
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Ji Kangzi asked, “Which of your disciples is most eager to learn?” Confucius replied, “There was Yan Hui, who was truly eager to learn – but unfortunately, he died young! Now there is no one like him.”
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Nan Rong repeatedly recited the lines from the Book of Odes: “A flaw in a white jade tablet can still be polished away; but a flaw in one’s speech can never be undone.” Because of this, Confucius gave his elder brother’s daughter to Nan Rong in marriage.
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The Master said, “Hui is not the one who helps me advance – there is nothing in my words that he does not accept with delight.”
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Among Confucius’s disciples, each excelled in different areas: Yan Yuan, Min Ziqian, Ran Boniu, and Zhong Gong stood out in moral character; Zai Wo and Zi Gong were gifted in speech (diplomatic eloquence and debate); Ran You and Ji Lu (Zilu) were skilled in state affairs; and Zi You and Zi Xia excelled in…
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The Master said, “Those who followed me during my hardships in Chen and Cai are now no longer at my gate.”