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Analects 19.21

Original Text:

子贡曰君子之过也如日月之食焉过也人皆见之更也人皆仰之

Translation:

Other Translations:

Zigong said, “A gentleman’s errors are like an eclipse of the sun or the moon: when he errs, everyone notices it, but when he makes amends, everyone looks up to him.”

Confucius, & Slingerland, E. (2003). Analects: With selections from traditional commentaries. Hackett Publishing.

Zigong said, The gentleman’s errors are like eclipses of the sun or moon. His errors can be seen by all, and when he corrects them, all look up in admiration.

Confucius, & Watson, B. (2007). The Analects of Confucius. Columbia University Press.

Analects 16.6

Original Text:

孔子曰侍于君子有三愆言未及之而言谓之躁言及之而不言谓之隐未见颜色而言谓之瞽

Translation:

Other Translations:

Confucius said, “When attending a gentleman, there are three types of errors one may commit. To speak when it is not yet time to speak—this is called being rash. To not speak when it is time to speak—this is called being secretive. To speak without taking into account the countenance of one’s lord—this is called being blind.”

Confucius, & Slingerland, E. (2003). Analects: With selections from traditional commentaries. Hackett Publishing.

Confucius said, In one’s relations with a gentleman, there are three errors to avoid. To speak of something before the time is right—this is called boorishness. To fail to speak when it is time to do so—this is called secretiveness. To speak without first observing the face of the person one is addressing—this is called blindness.

Confucius, & Watson, B. (2007). The Analects of Confucius. Columbia University Press.

Analects 7.31

Original Text:

陈司败问昭公知礼乎孔子曰知礼孔子退揖巫马期而进之曰吾闻君子不党君子亦党乎君取于吴为同姓谓之吴孟子君而知礼孰不知礼巫马期以告子曰丘也幸苟有过人必知之

Translation:

Other Translations:

The Minister of Crime in the state of Chen asked, “Can we say that Duke Zhao [of Lu] understood ritual?”

Confucius answered, “Yes, he understood ritual.”

Confucius then retired. With a bow, the Minister invited Wuma Qi to approach and said to him, “I have heard it said that the gentleman is not partial. Is the gentleman in fact partial after all? His lordship took as his wife a woman from the state of Wu who was of the same clan, and then called her ‘Elder Daughter of Wu.’ If his lordship understood ritual, who does not understand it?”

Later, Wuma Qi reported this conversation to Confucius. Confucius said, “How fortunate I am! If I happen to make a mistake, others are sure to inform me.”

Confucius, & Slingerland, E. (2003). Analects: With selections from traditional commentaries. Hackett Publishing.

The minister of crime of the state of Chen asked whether Duke Zhao of Lu understood ritual. Confucius replied, Yes, he understood ritual.

After Confucius had retired from the scene, the minister of crime signaled to Wuma Qi to step forward and said, I have heard that a gentleman is not partisan, but some gentlemen appear to be partisan indeed! Duke Zhao took a wife from the state of Wu, but because she was of the same surname as Duke Zhao, she was referred to simply as Wu Mengzi. If Duke Zhao understood ritual, then who doesn’t understand ritual?

Wuma Qi reported this to Confucius. The Master said, How fortunate I am! If I make a mistake, someone is certain to let me know.

Confucius, & Watson, B. (2007). The Analects of Confucius. Columbia University Press.