What is the beauty of Yang Gongzi's answer?

Yang's son didn't directly say "Peacock is a master of poultry", but took a negative way, saying "Peacock is not called a master of poultry".

This tactful answer not only shows due courtesy, but also expresses the meaning of "Since Peacock is not your bird, Myrica rubra is my fruit", which makes Junping Kong speechless.

The Son of Yang is selected from Shi Shuo Xin Yu in the Southern Song Dynasty. This book is a novel which mainly records anecdotes of the gentry from the late Han Dynasty to the Jin Dynasty. This article tells the story of a nine-year-old boy named Yang. The plot is simple, the language is humorous and quite interesting.

Original text:

Liang's son is nine years old and very clever. Junping Kong thought of his father, but when his father was away, he shouted. In order to set fruit, the fruit has bayberry. Confucius pointed out to his son and said, "This is the fruit of your family." The son replied, "I haven't heard that peacock is a master of poultry."

Translation:

In Liang State, the Yang family has a nine-year-old son who is very clever. One day, Junping Kong came to visit his father. He called his son out when his father was not at home. The child served Junping Kong fruit. There are bayberry in the fruit.

Junping Kong pointed to Yangmei and said to him, "This is your fruit." The child retorted, "I have never heard that the peacock is your bird."