Bringing his carriage up, he conversed with Chengzi at length.
After a while, he looked at Zilu and said, “Take a roll of embroidered silk and give it to Chengzi.” Zilu said nothing in reply.
After another interval Kongzi looked at Zilu and spoke again: “Take a roll of embroidered silk and give it to Chengzi.” Assuming an offhand manner, Zilu said, “I have heard that a man seeking to meet another without an intermediary is like a woman seeking to be married without a matchmaker—a man of quality does not do such things.