Upon learning that sixteen women had committed suicide following the death of her son, Gongfu Wenbo—a high official of the state of Lu—his mother did not shed a single tear.
She said, "My son was not a virtuous man. When Confucius was expelled from Lu, he did not follow him in pursuit of truth. Now that he is dead, sixteen women have killed themselves for him. This clearly shows he treated his elders harshly but was exceedingly lenient towards women. Therefore, I shall no longer consider him my son."
Spoken by a mother, these words demonstrate her virtue. Had they been uttered by a wife, she would have been deemed jealous. The same words, coming from different people, can produce entirely different effects.