When he first came to Confucius he quickly demonstrated an ability to grasp Confucius's basic points, and refined himself further through Confucius's education. He is later revealed to have become a skillful speaker and an accomplished statesman ("Analects" 11.3), but Confucius may have felt that he lacked the necessary flexibility and empathy towards others necessary for achieving consummate virtue ("ren"): he once claimed to have achieved Confucius's moral ideal, but was then sharply dismissed by the Master ("Analects" 5.12); later he is criticized by Confucius for being too strict with others, and for not moderating his demands with an empathic understanding of others' limitations ("Analects" 14.29). He is one of the Confucius's students most commonly referred to in the "Analects", also appearing in "Analects" 9.6, 9.13, 11.13, 13.20, 14.17, and 17.19.