Chen Hua, why did you suddenly send me such a long message just now? You wrote things like, 'When a gentleman associates with others, nothing is more important than keeping one's word.' I thought you were preparing a lesson.

It's because you saw my message and didn't reply for two whole hours! I've been seeing tons of videos about 'in accordance with the Rites of Zhou' lately, so I wrote something in that style.

I see. I was wondering why something as trivial as not replying on WeChat required calling on ancient sages to dispense justice.

That's exactly the joke. Instead of simply saying, 'Why didn't you reply to me?', you have to start with 'I once heard that...', then tell a story about someone from ancient times, and finally ask, 'Can this really be in accordance with the Rites of Zhou?'

And it isn't actually Classical Chinese. Most of it is still modern Chinese, just with words like 'gentleman,' 'rites,' and 'trustworthiness' thrown in to make it sound extremely solemn.

Right. People online are even calling this style 'the Great Rites of Zhou Era.' The more trivial the matter, like eating or replying to messages, the funnier it is when you write about it as though it were an affair of state.

Then I should respond in kind: I once heard that when friends gather, punctuality is of the utmost importance. Last time, you were forty minutes late. Is this truly the conduct of a gentleman?

All right, all right, I surrender! I'll definitely be on time next time. Otherwise, if you ask me, 'Is this in accordance with the Rites of Zhou?', I really won't have any comeback.