The Master in Two Worlds: Reticent at Home, Eloquent at Court

The Compilers described Confucius: respectful and reticent among villagers; detailed yet cautious in temple and court.

Confucius, in his village, looked simple and sincere, and as if he were not able to speak. When he was in the prince’s ancestral temple, or in the court, he spoke minutely on every point, but cautiously.

孔子于乡党,恂恂如也,似不能言者。其在宗庙朝廷,便便言,唯谨尔。

Source: The Analects, Xiang Dang X, Chapter 1

Author: The Compilers

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