Confucius and his group left the State of Wey and headed south, intending to go to the State of Chen—that is, from present-day Puyang to Zhoukou. Their carriage passed through Kuang City in the State of Song (southwest of present-day Changhuan County in Hebei). During the Eastern Zhou period, Duke Kang of Qin built a wall at Kuang under the pretext of King Kuang of Zhou, who had just ascended the throne. Later, it was administered by the people of Song and renamed Chengkuang City. Yan Ke (Confucius’s disciple who served as his charioteer) pointed to a gap in the city wall with his whip and said, “When I followed Yang Hu (a powerful steward of the Ji family in Lu) to attack Kuang City before, this is where we broke through and entered.”
His words happened to be heard by the people of Kuangyi (a town in the State of Wei) by the roadside. Seeing Yan Ke (a disciple of Confucius) who had once accompanied Yang Hu (a powerful official of the State of Lu), they thought Yang Hu of Lu had returned. Years earlier, Yang Hu had led troops through Kuang without permission on his way to the State of Zheng, plundering and killing locals, earning their deep hatred. Since Confucius resembled Yang Hu in appearance, the Kuang people mistook him for Yang Hu and immediately surrounded Confucius and his party. Trapped there for five full days in great danger, Confucius remained composed: "Although King Wen of Zhou has died, the cultural tradition has not been lost—does it not now rest upon us? If Heaven intended to destroy this cultural tradition, it would not have allowed us to understand and bear the responsibility of transmitting it. Since Heaven does not wish to see this tradition extinguished, what can the people of Kuang do to me?"
Zi Lu (a brave and impulsive disciple) picked up his weapon, ready to force his way out. Confucius said, "The people of Kuang have mistaken me for Yang Hu (a ruthless official of the State of Lu). We can only resolve this misunderstanding through Li (ritual propriety). You play the zither, and I will sing." So Zi Lu played the zither while Confucius sang. The music was filled with brotherly affection, harmonious and graceful. The people of Kuang thought, "This is not something Yang Hu would do." Later, upon learning that the one they had surrounded was Confucius and his followers, they withdrew their troops and lifted the siege.
After leaving Kuang, Confucius said to his disciples with emotion: "If you do not see steep cliffs, you would not know the terror of falling from them. If you do not personally test the depth of a deep pool, you would not know the danger of drowning. If you do not see the sea, you would not know what raging waves are like. In the future, when encountering matters, always trace the cause, analyze the essence, and predict the outcome of incidents. Whoever can master these three principles will not be troubled by worries."
When Confucius and his party hastily left Diqiu, the capital of the State of Wei, Yan Hui (Confucius's most beloved disciple) temporarily stayed at the home of Yan Chou Zou to observe the developments in Wei. After Duke Ling of Wei investigated and confirmed that Confucius's arrival was not sent by the State of Lu, he once again accepted the advice of Yan Chou Zou and Qu Boyu (a virtuous official of Wei) and asked Yan Hui to convey a message, earnestly requesting Confucius to return to Diqiu. Yan Hui went to Kuang, where he found Confucius and his party besieged. Confucius said emotionally, "I thought you had met with misfortune in the chaos!" Yan Hui respectfully replied, "As long as you, my teacher, are alive and well, how would I dare to die easily?" Yan Hui reported that Wei had no intention of harming Confucius and conveyed Duke Ling's earnest invitation for Confucius to return to Diqiu, as well as the duke's promise to wait outside the city to apologize for his previous discourtesy.