quân tử khả khi dỉ kì phương

In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.

Meaning · English

A gentleman can be deceived — but only along the path of reason; his good faith is the opening.

Literally: the gentleman may be deceived by what is plausible
Sources & notes

Discovered via Tục ngữ, cổ ngữ, gia ngôn (Huỳnh Tịnh Của, 1897; public domain, via vi.wikisource); retrieved 2026-08-01. Source: source ↗ Attested in Tục ngữ, cổ ngữ, gia ngôn (Huỳnh Tịnh Của, 1897). Definition is an original editorial synthesis, not copied from the source.

Common questions

What does “quân tử khả khi dỉ kì phương” mean?

A gentleman can be deceived — but only along the path of reason; his good faith is the opening. Literally: the gentleman may be deceived by what is plausible

Is “quân tử khả khi dỉ kì phương” formal or informal?

No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.