The minister of crime of Ch’ǎn asked whether the duke Châo knew propriety, and Confucius said, “He knew propriety.”
Confucius having retired, the minister bowed to Wû-mâ Ch’î to come forward, and said, “I have heard that the superior man is not a partisan. May the superior man be a partisan also? The prince married a daughter of the house of Wû, of the same surname with himself, and called her—‘The elder Tsze of Wû.’ If the prince knew propriety, who does not know it?”
Wû-mâ Ch’î reported these remarks, and the Master said, “I am fortunate! If I have any errors, people are sure to know them.”