Confucius, the great thinker of the Spring and Autumn period, was once resting in a forest with his disciples. While his students read, Confucius played the zither alone. An elderly fisherman with white hair rowed by, docked his boat, and sat at the forest's edge, listening intently to the music.
After Confucius finished playing a tune, the fisherman called over his disciples Zigong and Zilu, asking, "Who is this elderly man playing the zither?" Zilu told him it was Confucius, the sage known across the states for benevolence and loyalty. The fisherman chuckled and said, "Judging by his music, I fear he is neglecting his true nature and forcing acts of kindness." With that, he turned and returned to his boat. Zigong hurriedly reported the fisherman's words to Confucius, who immediately set down his zither and exclaimed with delight, "He is a sage! Go after him!"
Confucius hurried to the riverbank, where the fisherman was about to row away. Bowing respectfully, he said, "I am Kong Qiu of Lu, sixty-nine years old, yet I have never heard such profound teachings. I hope you will not withhold your wisdom."
The fisherman smiled and said, "You failed to infuse your music with true emotion. What we call truth is sincerity. Without sincerity, nothing can move others. Thus, one who forces tears may sound sorrowful but does not truly grieve; one who forces laughter may produce sound but feels no joy. True sorrow is weeping without a sound; true joy springs from the heart. Therefore, genuine emotion is the most precious thing in the world. Observe the principles of human affairs through this lens: serving one's parents with kindness and filial piety, serving one's ruler with loyalty and devotion. People rejoice when good fortune comes and grieve when loss arrives."
Impressed by the fisherman's profound wisdom, Confucius offered to become his disciple. The fisherman simply smiled, said nothing more, and rowed away without a word.
Confucius stood silently by the river, gazing after the departing fisherman. When his disciples Zilu and Zigong urged him to return to the carriage, the Master finally snapped out of his reverie. Zilu, clearly puzzled, pressed, "Master, that fisherman was so arrogant—why did you show him such deep respect? He stood there so casually, yet you bowed first before speaking. Wasn't that going too far?"
Confucius heard this and taught Zilu, saying, "Zilu, you are wrong! Not respecting an elder is a breach of propriety; not respecting a worthy person is a lack of benevolence. Today, this fisherman is a reclusive sage—how could I not treat him with respect?"
The idiom "dividing the court and exchanging courtesies" originally described guests and hosts standing on opposite sides of the courtyard, bowing to each other. Later, it came to symbolize equal status and mutual opposition.
Source: *Zhuangzi*, "The Fisherman"
Meaning of the Idiom: Later, the Chinese idiom "分庭抗礼" came to describe equal status and mutual opposition.