Zhong Ni said: "A gentleman is moderate, but a villain violates the mean. The reason why a gentleman is moderate is because a gentleman is moderate at all times. The reason why the villain violates the golden mean is because the villain is unscrupulous and goes to extremes. "
Confucius said: "The golden mean is probably the highest virtue!" ! Everyone has been missing for a long time! "
Confucius said: "I know the reason why the golden mean can't be practiced: smart people are self-righteous and know too much;" Stupid people are too smart to understand. I know the reason why the golden mean can't be popularized: talented people go too far; uneducated people can't do it at all. Just like what people eat and drink every day, few people can really taste it. "
Confucius said, "Shun is really a man of great wisdom! He likes to ask questions and is good at analyzing the meaning of others' shallow words. He hides the shortcomings of others and publicizes their advantages. He mastered the opinions of both ends and took a gentle approach to ordinary people. This is the reason why Shun Shun is smooth! "
Confucius said: "Everyone says he is smart, but he is driven into a trap, but he doesn't know how to escape. Everyone says he is smart, but he can't stick to the golden mean for a month. "
Confucius said, "Yan Hui is such a person. He chose the golden mean and got its benefits, so he firmly took it to heart and never let go. "
Confucius said, "The country in the world can be ruled, officials can be abandoned, snow-white blades can be trampled on, and the golden mean is not easy."
Lu asked what is strong. Confucius said, "What is Nanqiang? What about the strong in the north? Or do you feel strong? Educate people with the spirit of tolerance and gentleness, and people will not retaliate against me for my rudeness. This is the power of the south, and only people with high moral character have this power. Taking weapons and shields as pillows and treating death as death is the power of the north, and all brave and aggressive people have this power. Therefore, people with noble moral character are really strong if they go with the flow!
Neutrality is really strong! In the case of national political peace, it is really powerful not to change your ambitions! When the national government is dark, it is really strong to adhere to ethics and would rather die than change! "
Confucius said, "Seek the secluded and explore the truth, and do some strange things to deceive the world. Later generations may have someone to describe him and make a biography for him, but I will never do that. Some people with good moral character follow the golden mean, but giving up halfway can't persist, and I won't stop. A true gentleman follows the golden mean, even if he is unknown all his life, he will not regret it. Only a saint can do this. "
The way of a gentleman is profound. Ordinary men and women can know the way of a gentleman even if they are ignorant. However, even a saint can't think of its highest state. Although ordinary men and women are not wise, they can be gentlemen, but even saints can't do it. People are still dissatisfied with the size of the earth. Therefore, by "big", Mr. Wang means that even the whole world is too big. Gentlemen talk about "small", which is too small to be separated. The Book of Songs says: "Kites fly to the sky, and fish jump into the deep water." This means that there is a clear difference between the upper and lower levels. The way of a gentleman begins with ordinary men and women, but its highest and deepest realm is well known to the world.
Confucius said, "Tao does not refuse people. If someone practices Tao but excludes others, then it is impossible to practice. " The Book of Songs said: "Cut the axe handle, cut the axe handle, and the style of the axe handle is in front of us." It should be said that there is no difference in cutting the axe handle with the axe handle, but if you squint, you will still find a big difference. Therefore, a gentleman always follows the situation of different people. Don't impose what you don't want on others. ""A gentleman has four ways, but I, Kong Qiu, can't even do one: I can't do what a son should do to his father; As a subject, I can't do what I should do to the king; As a younger brother, I can't do what I should do to my younger brother. As a friend, I can't do what I should do first I try my best to practice my consistent virtue, and I try my best to be careful what I say. If Xiu De has shortcomings, he dare not encourage himself to work hard. I dare not speak rashly. Such a gentleman, speaking in line with his own behavior, behavior in line with what he said, how can he not be loyal and honest? …"
A gentleman is content with the status quo and does what he should do, without wild desires. If he is in a rich position, he should do what a rich man should do; If you are poor, do what poor people should do; If you are in a remote area, do what you should do in a remote area; In trouble, do what you should do in trouble. sir
No matter what the situation, you are complacent.
Being in the upper position, not bullying the lower ones; People in a lower position will not climb to a higher position. Don't be hard on others, correct yourself, and there will be no complaints. They don't complain about the sky above or the people below. Therefore, a gentleman lives in the present and waits for his destiny, but a villain is desperate to get one thing, and that is arrogance. Confucius said, "A gentleman living in the world is like archery. He doesn't blame himself for his poor archery. "
A gentleman's practice of the golden mean is like walking a long way, and he must start from nearby; Just like climbing a mountain, you must start from a low place. The Book of Songs says: "Wife and children have harmonious feelings, just like playing the piano. Brothers are harmonious, your family is happy, and your wife and children are happy. " Confucius said, "In this way, parents will be satisfied!"
Confucius said: "The virtue of ghosts and gods is really great! You can't see it, you can't hear it, but it is reflected in everything that people can't leave it. People in the world fast and purify their souls, and wear solemn and neat clothes to sacrifice to it, everywhere! It's like it's on your head, like it's right next to you. The Book of Songs says,' The arrival of God is unpredictable. How can we ignore disrespect?' From subtle to obvious, the real thing is like this! "
Confucius said, "Isn't Shun the most filial person? Virtue is a saint, status is a noble son of heaven, wealth owns the whole world, he is a sacrifice in the ancestral temple, and his descendants all safeguard his achievements. Therefore, a person with great virtue must get his due position, wealth, reputation and longevity. Therefore, God must treat everything well according to their qualifications.
Son, those who can become useful will be eliminated. The Book of Songs says:' A noble and elegant gentleman has bright and beautiful virtues, which enables people to live and work in peace and contentment and enjoy a godsend. God bless him, appoint him and give him a great mission. "Therefore, people with great virtues will certainly bear the destiny. '
Lu Aigong asked about politics. Confucius said, "The politics of Zhou Wenwang and Zhou Wuwang are recorded in ancient books. They will be executed when they are alive. " When they died, these political affairs were abandoned. The way to govern people is to be diligent in political affairs; The way to manage the land is to plant all kinds of trees. Speaking of it, politics is like a reed, it depends entirely on who uses it. Getting the right person is self-cultivation, self-cultivation is the avenue, and the avenue is benevolent governance.
Start with righteousness. Benevolence is love, and loving relatives is the greatest benevolence. Righteousness means that everything is done properly, and respecting the virtuous is the greatest righteousness. As for loving relatives, it is a requirement of courtesy to distinguish intimacy from respecting virtuous people. Therefore, a gentleman has to cultivate himself. He has to serve his relatives. To serve your loved ones, you must understand others; If you want to understand others, you must know justice. "
All people in the world have five kinds of ethical relations, and there are three virtues to deal with these five kinds of ethical relations. Wisdom, benevolence and courage are three virtues used to deal with these five ethical relations. As for the implementation of these three virtues, the reason is the same. For example, some people know it from birth, and some people know it through learning.
Some people only know them when they are in trouble, but as long as they finally know each other, they are all the same. For example, some people practice voluntarily, some people practice for a certain benefit, and some people are unwilling to practice, but as long as they practice in the end, it is all the same. Confucius said, "If you like learning, you will be close to wisdom; if you are diligent, you will be close to benevolence; if you are ashamed, you will be close to courage."
There are nine principles for governing the country and calming the world. Namely: cultivate one's morality, respect the virtuous, love the relatives, respect the ministers, show compassion for the ministers, love the people as children, recruit craftsmen, treat distant guests with preferential treatment, and appease the princes. Self-cultivation can establish the right path; Respect for sages will not confuse you; Dear relatives will not arouse the resentment of uncles and brothers; Respect for the minister will not lose money; Be merciful to the ministers, and the scholars will try their best to serve them; Love the people like children, and the people will be loyal; Recruiting craftsmen, property will be enough; Give preferential treatment to distant guests, and people from all directions will submit; Pacify the princes, and everyone will be in awe. As pure and pious as fasting, dress solemnly and neatly, and never do anything that is not in line with etiquette. This is for self-cultivation; Drive away villains, alienate women, despise property, attach importance to virtue, and respect sages; Improve the status of relatives, give them generous salaries, consistent with their love and hate, this is to love relatives; Let many officials be at their disposal to respect the minister; Appoint them sincerely and give them more salary, which is to show sympathy for the ministers; When using civilian service correctly, pay less taxes, which is loving the people like children; Regular inspection and assessment, pay according to work, this is to recruit craftsmen; Welcome when you come, bid farewell when you leave, reward talented people and help those in trouble, so as to treat distant guests well; It is to appease vassals by continuing extinct families, reviving dying countries, managing disasters, supporting crises, receiving courtiers on time, giving generously and paying less tribute. In short, there are nine principles for governing the country and calming the world, but the reasons for implementing these principles are the same.
Everything will succeed if it is prepared in advance, and it will fail if it is not prepared. Be prepared in advance, and you will not be frustrated; Be prepared for your actions and you won't regret it; If the road is selected in advance, there is no way out. If the people at a lower level can't get the trust of the people at a higher level, it is impossible to govern the people well. There is a way to win the trust of the superior: if you can't win the trust of your friends, you can't win the trust of the superior.
People trust; The ways to gain the trust of friends are: if you don't filial your parents, you won't get the trust of your friends; The methods of filial piety are: if you are not sincere, you can't be filial to your parents; There is a way to be sincere: if you don't know what is good, you can't be sincere.
Sincerity is a natural principle, and the pursuit of sincerity is the principle of being a man. People who are naturally sincere can do it without reluctance or thinking, which is naturally in line with heaven. Such people are saints. To be sincere, we must choose a beautiful goal and pursue it persistently: extensive research, detailed questions, careful thinking, clear distinction and earnest implementation. If you don't learn, you will never give up if you learn; Either don't ask, ask and don't understand.
Never give up; Either don't want to, think about it and never give up; Either you don't distinguish, you won't stop until you distinguish clearly; Either don't carry it out, if not, I will never give up. What others can do with one effort, I will do with a hundred efforts; What others have made great efforts to do, I have done it with 1000 efforts. If I can really do this, I can be smart, even if I am stupid, but I can be strong, even if I am weak.