Basic Info Chinese Idio: 智子疑邻Pinyin: zhì zǐ yí línLiteral Meaning: Think one’s own son is clever yet suspect the innocent neighbor.Figurative Meaning: Judge things with personal bias instead of objective facts; favor family while unfairly suspecting outsiders facing identical clues.
The Master said, “The noble person does not promote someone solely on the basis of his words, nor does he reject someone’s words solely because of who he is.”
Confucius eliminated four faults: he did not speculate without evidence, did not insist on absolute certainty, did not cling to rigid opinions, and did not prioritize his own self.