温文尔雅

Origin and story

Pu Songling uses the expression in the story 'Chen Xijiu' in Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio. Chen, a scholar's impoverished son, is arrested after a robber implicates him. The prefect is surprised that someone with such gentle, cultivated manners could be a thief. Further questioning reveals that the accusation was arranged through bribery, and Chen is cleared.

This is a Qing literary attestation, not a report from the History of the Later Han. The phrase describes a courteous, refined manner. Although Chen is innocent within this particular tale, polished manners alone are not reliable evidence of someone's honesty.