The Master said, “Is someone praised merely because his words sound sincere and earnest? Is he truly a noble person (junzi), or just someone who puts on a solemn appearance?”
Zigong asked, “Which is more virtuous – Zi Zhang or Zi Xia?” The Master replied, “Zi Zhang goes too far; Zi Xia falls short.” Zigong then asked, “Then is Zi Zhang better?” The Master said, “To go too far is just as bad as not going far enough.”
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.
When getting into a carriage, Confucius always stood upright and firmly grasped the mounting strap. While inside the carriage, he never looked back over his shoulder, did not speak loudly, and never pointed with his finger.
When Confucius entered the Grand Temple (the ancestral temple of the ruler), he asked about every detail of the rites.