Zigong warns hasty words expose ignorance and compares Confucius to unreachable heaven. He depicts Confucius’ unmatched moral governance power: people would thrive, submit and unite under his rule, making him irreplaceable.
Confucius condemns casually picking up roadside gossip and spreading it as forsaking virtue. He advocates rigorous thinking and cautious speech, holding that blind rumor-mongering shows superficiality and disregard for truth, contradicting a gentleman’s earnest self-cultivation.
The Master said, “The noble person is ashamed when his words exceed his actions.”
The Master said, “If a person speaks without any sense of shame, it will be difficult for him to carry out what he says.”
The Master said, “Firmness, resoluteness, simplicity, and cautious speech—these qualities bring one close to benevolence/humaneness.”
Sima Niu asked about humaneness. The Master said, “A humane person speaks with restraint and caution.”Sima Niu asked, “Is speaking with restraint alone enough to be called humane?”The Master replied, “Since practicing humaneness is so difficult, how could one speak about it without caution?”
The people of Lu were planning to rebuild the Changfu (the state treasury or armory). Min Ziqian said, “Why not keep the old structure as it is? Why must we rebuild it?” Confucius remarked, “This man seldom speaks – but when he does, his words always hit the mark.”
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.