One day Confucius¹ was asked by one of his students, Zi Lu, "Is it right that I may just go and do it whenever I hear about something of significance²?"

 

Confucius answered, "That is not the case! Because you are needed in your home by your father and brother."

 

Later, another student, Ran Qiu, asked Confucius, "May I just go and do it whenever I hear about something worth doing?" "Yes, it is good for you to do it when you hear about something worth doing."

 

Another student, Gong Xihua, noticing that Confucius' answers to the same question were different from each other, asked why. Confucius replied, "Ran Qiu has a modest³ and gentle disposition（性情，处置）. So I encourage him to be brave and go forward. Zi Lu usually is hot- headed, so he should be taught to scruple⁴（微量，顾虑） before action."

 

孔子的学生子路问老师：“是不是听到有意义的事情就可以去做？”

 

孔子回答说：“不行！因为你家中有父亲和哥哥需要你。”

 

过了一会儿，另一个学生冉问孔子：“听到好事就可以去做吗？”孔子说，“听到好事就去做是很好的。”

 

孔子的另一个学生西华见老师对同一问题的回答完全不同，便问孔子其中的缘故。孔子告诉他说：“冉求性格谦让柔和，所以我就鼓励他勇敢向前；子路平素鲁莽，所以应该让他有所顾虑，不要贸然行动。”

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