jù拒rén人yú于qiān千lǐ里zhī之wài外
To keep people at a distance; to be unapproachable or aloof; to reject people firmly without room for discussion.
Era:
Ancient
Frequency:
Synonym:
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Story:
During the Warring States period, Duke Ping of Lu intended to appoint Le Zhengzi, a disciple of Mencius, to govern the state. Mencius was ecstatic.
Gongsun Chou asked Mencius if Le Zhengzi was truly talented.
Mencius replied that in terms of ability, experience, and knowledge, Le Zhengzi was inferior to Gongsun Chou. However, his great virtue was his excellent way with people; he would not 'keep people at a thousand li distance' (拒人于千里之外).
Many people gathered around him, and with such popularity, he would be able to govern the state effectively.