一最性急，一最性緩，冬日圍爐聚飲。性急者衣墜爐中，為火所燃，性緩者見之從容謂曰：“適有一事，見之已久，欲言恐君性急，不言又恐不利於君，然則言之是耶，不言是耶？”性急者問以何事，曰：“火燒君裳。”其人遽曳衣而起，怒曰：“既然如此，何不早說！”性緩者曰：“外人道君性急，不料果然。”
There was a very quick-tempered man drinking with a very laid-back man by the stove in winter. The robe of the quick-tempered man fell into the stove and caught fire. Seeing this, the laid-back man said to him with complete calmness, “There’s something that I’ve noticed for a while. I want to tell you, but I'm afraid you’re too quick-tempered. If I don’t tell you, I’m afraid it’ll do you no good. Given that, should I tell you, or should I not tell you?”
The quick-tempered man asked what it was all about. [The laid-back man] said, “Your robe is on fire.”
The [quick-tempered] man pulled up his robe immediately and sprang up, saying angrily, “What took you so long to tell me this!”
The laid-back man said, “They say you’re quick-tempered. I didn’t know you really are.”
* From Youxi zhuren 遊戲主人 (fl. 19th century) ed., Xiaolin guangji 笑林廣記 5.2a: https://ctext.org/library.pl?if=en&file=92726&page=155.
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