This comes from The Analects, Book V, Gongye Chang: "Zi Gong (a wealthy and eloquent disciple of Confucius) asked, 'Why was Kong Wenzi given the posthumous title Wen (Cultured)?' Confucius replied, 'He was quick and eager to learn, and not ashamed to ask those beneath him. That is why he was called Wen.'" Kong Wenzi was a high official of Wei State, and "Wen" was his posthumous title. Zi Gong asked why Kong Yu (Kong Wenzi's given name) received this title, and Confucius answered that he was intelligent and diligent, never ashamed to seek knowledge from those of lower rank or lesser learning, thus earning the title "Wen." "Quick and eager to learn" is both Confucius's praise for others and a self-description. The Analects opens with: "Is it not a pleasure to learn and practice what you have learned?" (Book VI, Yongye) It also says: "Learn as if you cannot catch up, and fear losing it." (Book VIII, Taibo) Confucius himself was a lover of learning and admired those who shared this trait. He greatly appreciated Yan Hui's (his most beloved disciple) dedication to learning. When Duke Ai of Lu asked which of his students was fond of learning, Confucius said: "There was Yan Hui, who loved learning. He did not transfer his anger, nor repeat his mistakes. Unfortunately, he died young. Now there is none; I have not heard of anyone who loves learning." Clearly, in Confucius's eyes, those truly worthy of being called "fond of learning" were rare.
Confucius's concept of "love of learning" encompassed a broad range of subjects. First, it included ancient texts and ritual systems—all aspects of ancient culture. He once went westward to observe the Zhou court's rituals and consulted Laozi on Li (Propriety). He studied the qin (zither) with Shi Xiangzi, and in his later years, he read the I Ching (Book of Changes) so diligently that the leather bindings of his bamboo slips wore out three times, showing his great effort. His "love of learning" also included moral self-cultivation, and extended to all knowledge and scholarship. For example, the Zuo Commentary records a story from the seventeenth year of Duke Zhao of Lu: when Confucius was young, the ruler of Tan State came to pay homage to the Duke of Lu. The Lu official Zhaozi asked the ruler about the ancient practice of naming officials after birds during the time of Shao Hao, and received a detailed explanation. Hearing of this, Confucius went to Tan to learn from its ruler. Upon returning, he remarked with emotion: "I have heard that when the Son of Heaven has lost his officials, learning is to be found among the four barbarian tribes—now I believe it." He also said, "When walking with two others, I always find a teacher among them. I pick out their good points and follow them; I note their bad points and correct them in myself" (The Analects, Book Seven, Chapter 22). Such was his dedication to learning.