He did not leave society behind because of failure. That is why Professor Chen believes it is incorrect to call him a Daoist hermit. In the Analects, Confucius describes himself as follows: "When excited, I forget to eat; when happy, I forget all sorrow.
相較於孔子在《論語》中描述自己：其為人也，發憤忘食，樂以忘憂，不知老之將至云爾。