Original Text:
宰我问曰仁者虽告之曰井有仁焉其从之也子曰何为其然也君子可逝也不可陷也可欺也不可罔也
Translation:
Other Translations:
Zai Wo asked, “If someone lied to a Good person, saying ‘a man has just fallen into the well!’, would he go ahead and jump in after him [to save the supposed man]?”
The Master replied, “Why would he do that? The gentleman can be enticed, but not trapped; he can be tricked, but not duped.”
Confucius, & Slingerland, E. (2003). Analects: With selections from traditional commentaries. Hackett Publishing.
Zai Wo asked, If you were to tell a humane person that there was a humane person in a well, would he go to the rescue?
The Master said, Why would he do that? The gentleman can be made to go somewhere but not to fall into a trap. He can be deceived but not completely hoodwinked.
Confucius, & Watson, B. (2007). The Analects of Confucius. Columbia University Press.