expression, godan verb (-ru)
by observing a person's faults, one can know their virtue
A rare, literary proverb of Chinese origin (from the Analects). It is not used in everyday conversation; encountered mainly in classical or didactic contexts.
「過ちを観て斯に仁を知る」という言葉は、論語の一節として知られている。
The phrase 'by observing a person's faults, one can know their virtue' is known as a passage from the Analects.
A classical Chinese-derived proverb from the Analects of Confucius. The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the expression is conventionally associated with Confucian teachings on virtue and self-reflection.