The Master said, 'If, because a man's discourse appears solid and sincere, we allow him to be a good man, is he really a superior man? or is his gravity only in appearance?'
The Master said, 'If, because a man's discourse appears solid and sincere, we allow him to be a good man, is he really a superior man? or is his gravity only in appearance?'
- Source
- The Analects of Confucius (James Legge English translation)
Book XI, complete printed chapter XX; James Legge translation; Undated digitized James Legge English edition; printed publication year/publisher not supplied in this cached text
Read the original context ↗ - Attribution confidence
- attributed · historical anthology
Preserved as printed; independently unverified. - Historical coordinate
- c. 515 BC · ancient
traditional author lifetime midpoint (551–479 BCE), Stanford Encyclopedia; not quotation composition date; not composition date. - Rights & edition
- Public domain (United States)
Translations and rights may differ elsewhere.
Provenance and licences ↗
The voice behind the words.
The Analects transmit collected sayings and representations of Master Kong, rather than an independently authenticated author manuscript. Traditional lifetime551–479BCE follows Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy; the Gutenberg catalogue uses552–480BCE. Only complete Master-speech chapters are represented here; other speakers and dialogue remain held.
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