Confucius on the Paradox of Wisdom: When Erudition Masks Folly

Confucius asked critically: Zang Wen built an ornate house for a tortoise; what sort of wisdom was this?

Zang Wen kept a large tortoise in a house, on the capitals of the pillars of which he had hills made, and with representations of duckweed on the small pillars above the beams supporting the rafters. Of what sort was his wisdom?

臧文仲居蔡,山节藻梲,何如其知也?

Source: The Analects, Gong Ye Chang V, Chapter 18

Author: Confucius

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