English Original
One day, Confucius was asked by his student Zi Lu, "Should I act immediately whenever I hear of a matter of significance?"
Confucius replied, "No. You have a father and elder brother at home who need you."
Later, another student, Ran Qiu, asked, "May I act immediately when I hear of something worth doing?" Confucius answered, "Yes, you should act when you hear of something worth doing."
A third student, Gong Xihua, noticed the contradictory answers and asked for an explanation. Confucius said, "Ran Qiu is modest and cautious by nature, so I encourage him to be bold and advance. Zi Lu is often impulsive and hot-headed, so he should be taught to hesitate and consider before acting."
中文翻译
一天，孔子的学生子路问老师：“听到一件有意义的事，就应该立刻去做吗？”
孔子回答说：“不行。你家里还有父亲和兄长需要你照顾。”
后来，另一个学生冉求问：“听到一件值得做的事，可以立刻去做吗？”孔子说：“是的，听到值得做的事就应该去做。”
第三个学生公西华注意到老师对同一问题的回答截然不同，便询问原因。孔子解释道：“冉求生性谦逊谨慎，所以我鼓励他要勇敢进取。子路常常冲动鲁莽，因此应该教导他行动前要有所犹豫和考虑。”