Confucian Analects · Analects 13.24
Tsze-kung asked, saying, 'What do you say of a man who is loved by all the people of his neighborhood?' The Master replied, 'We may not for that accord our approval of him.' 'And what do you say of him who is hated by all the people of his neighborhood?' The Master said, 'We may not for that conclude that he is bad. It is better than either of these cases that the good in the neighborhood love him, and the bad hate him.'
Chinese · source text【廿四章】子貢問曰、鄉人皆好之、何如。子曰、未可也。鄉人皆惡之、何如。子曰、未可也。不如鄉人之善者好之、其不善者惡之。
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Confucius · English translation by James Legge · bilingual transcription
James Legge, The Chinese Classics, Volume 1: Confucian Analects · Project Gutenberg #4094
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