Book 12: 《顏淵》 Yan Yuan
《顏淵》 Passage 12.8
棘子成曰：「君子質而已矣，何以文為？」子貢曰：「惜乎！夫子之說，君子也。駟不及舌。文猶質也，質猶文也。虎豹之鞟，猶犬羊之鞟。」
Legge Translation (1861)
Ji Zichang said: "In a superior man it is only the substantial qualities which are wanted; — why should we seek for ornamental accomplishments?"Zigong said: "Alas! Your words, sir, show you to be a superior man, but four horses cannot overtake the tongue. Ornament is as substance; substance is as ornament. The hide of a tiger or a leopard stripped of its hair, is like the hide of a dog or a goat stripped of its hair."
Discussion
No one has started on this passage yet.
Start the discussion in r/analects