Why Did Confucius Praise Ning Wuzi?

Last week we talked about the first segment of Confucius' remarks about wisdom, and now it's time to see the other one.

Besides being honest to knowledge, Confucius also thinks one should be flexible, know how to protect himself in a dark political period and never drift with evil currents. He once praised a man called Ning Wuzi, saying that he displayed intelligence under a decent civilized government, but appeared muddle headed under evil rule. That means being flexible. Confucius believes that in a period that is politically oppressive, one should know how to protect himself, remain aloof from evil and never lend a hand to tyrants. This may be referred to as wisdom.