5.24
The Master said, “How can we call even Weisheng Gao upright? When someone asked him for vinegar he went and begged it from the people next door, and then gave it as though it were his own gift.”
子曰：「孰謂微生高直？或乞醯焉，乞諸其鄰而與之。」
Notes
Weisheng Gao, a native of Lu during the Spring and Autumn Period and a disciple of Confucius, was widely regarded by contemporaries as candid and forthright. Yet Confucius countered that such praise was excessive, arguing:
“He did not truly embody such cultivation.”
This statement from the Analects implied that Weisheng Gao’s apparent straightforwardness was actually considerate artifice — performing uprightness to please others, rather than expressing innate integrity.
Confucius questioned Weisheng Gao’s claim of “uprightness” for a reason:
Outwardly, borrowing vinegar to lend to others seemed “helpful.”
But Confucius declared it unworthy of “uprightness” because:
- Weisheng Gao lacked vinegar yet hid the truth;
- He borrowed from a neighbor to create the illusion he possessed it;
- This was calculated flattery—masking reality to appear generous.
Though not evil, it violated sincerity. His act was social theater to polish his “helpful” image, not genuine virtue.
“The hypocritical goody-goody is a thief of virtue.”(Analects 17·13)
The hypocritical goody-goody is characterized by “catering to vulgar conventions and conforming to a corrupt world”. They seek nothing but superficial harmony and obsequious compliance in everything, ignoring principles and distinctions between right and wrong. Wei Shenggao’s act of “borrowing vinegar from his neighbor to give to the requester” is exactly the embryonic form of such hypocritical behavior – fearing to offend others, he did not hesitate to conceal the truth and reluctantly obliged. Though seemingly “kind and friendly”, this act actually undermines the moral quality of integrity.
Leave a Reply