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While in Wei, Confucius was playing the qing (a stone chime). A reclusive passerby carrying a straw basket happened to walk by Confucius’s gate and said upon hearing the sound, “Ah! There is intention behind this chime!”After a moment, he added, “How narrow-minded! So obstinately persistent! If no one understands you, just let it…
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The Master said, “If I cannot find someone who follows the middle way to associate with, I would surely choose the bold or the principled! The bold are eager to advance; the principled refuse to do certain things.”
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Confucius said, “The phoenix no longer appears; the Yellow River no longer reveals its chart. Alas, my cause is finished!”
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3.22 The Master said, “Guan Zhong was in reality a man of very narrow capacities.”