In the Zhou Dynasty's hierarchy, a grand master was a rank below the feudal lords. This rank was further divided into two levels: the highest was called minister, or senior grand master, and the rest were called junior grand masters.
Confucius, the great thinker, politician, and educator of the late Spring and Autumn period and founder of the Confucian school, held a rank in his time equivalent only to a minor official.
Confucius vigorously promoted the doctrine of "benevolence" and insisted that its practice must conform to "ritual" as a standard, striving to uphold the aristocratic hierarchy. Thus, he was a man who sought to align every action and word with the rites of Zhou. Whether speaking at home, at court, with senior officials, or with junior officials, he adopted different manners and speech.
In everyday conversations with his fellow villagers, Confucius appeared gentle and respectful, as if lacking eloquence. Yet during ancestral rites and court audiences, he spoke with great clarity, though always with measured caution. At court, when the ruler was absent, he conversed freely with lower-ranking officials, speaking openly and unhurriedly. But when addressing senior officials, he became affable and deferential. In the ruler's presence, he adhered strictly to court etiquette, acting with meticulous care, ever mindful of any potential misstep.
Confucius advocated for ritual propriety, a cornerstone of traditional Chinese culture that still holds positive significance today.
Later, the idiom "Kan Kan Er Tan" came to describe speaking calmly and unhurriedly.
Source: *The Analects*, Chapter "Xiang Dang"
Meaning of the Idiom: Later, the Chinese idiom "侃侃而谈" came to describe speaking calmly and unhurriedly.