Rays of Hope - Stories & Parables

Be Humble, and Never Hesitate to Ask

During the time known in the Chinese history as 'Spring and Autumn' , there lived an aristocrat by the name of Kung Yu. He as a learned and humble man. After his death, the Duke of Wei awarded him the honorific title of 'Wen'. Thus he became known as Kung WenZi.

  ZiGong , a student of Confucius who also came from Wei, didn't think Kung Yu was worthy of such high honor. One day, he asked Confucius, "Why was he given the title of 'Wen'?"

Confucius replied, "Kung Yu was diligent in learning and very smart. Yet he was humble and not afraid to ask questions of people who are not as smart or learned as he was. That is why he deserved the title of 'Wen'."

~ Lun Yun, 1-15