First, clear and firm education direction.
Ceng Zi's goal of cultivating students is consistent with his political ideas of benevolent governance and rule by virtue. This goal is very clear and firm. It is to cultivate talents for governing the country with benevolence.
Ceng Zi said, "You can entrust a six-foot orphan, you can give a life of a hundred miles, and you can't take it away on a big festival. Gentlemen and men? Gentleman also. " (See "The Analects of Confucius Taber")
You can entrust the young monarch to him, you can entrust the fate of a country to him, but you will not waver in the face of life and death. Is such a person a gentleman? You are a gentleman. What I am talking about here is governing the country, cultivating talents for governing the country, and unshakable talents for governing the country.
Ceng Zi also said: "A scholar cannot but spread information, because he has a long way to go. Isn't it important to think that benevolence is your responsibility? Isn't it far after death? " (See "The Analects of Confucius Taber") A scholar should not be strong but persistent, because he has a great responsibility and a long way to go. Isn't it great to take the realization of benevolence as our own responsibility? Isn't it far to fight to death? What we are talking about here is benevolence, that is, cultivating talents who have struggled for benevolence all their lives. Here we talk about "Hongyi" and "Die before you die". This "benevolent man" still has a fairly high standard.
The two training goals of governing the country and caring people are the same. Talents who govern the country must be benevolent, and the goal of cultivating benevolent people is to govern the country and manage the people and realize benevolent government. These two goals put benevolence first. "A gentleman's progress can benefit his reputation at the expense of worry; There is no ambition, I am not at ease with my status, I am not rich and generous, I am passive on the road, and I am hungry and forbearing. " (See "Da Dai") Being able to participate in the governance of the country will gain the reputation of the monarch and reduce the sorrow of the people. This actually means benevolent governance; Don't take part in governing the country if the wish of benevolent government can't come true. Even if you do farm work and be an ordinary person, you should carry out your political opinions and stick to your kindness when you are hungry and cold.
Regarding the relationship between virtue and talent, the university students quoted the words in Shangshu Qin Shi: "If I have no other skills, I will take it easy." If there is such a minister, he is loyal, although he has no special skills, but he is broad-minded and tolerant. "It is also conducive to protecting my children and people!" With such people, I can protect my descendants and people and benefit the country! Having both ability and political integrity, morality comes first.
Second, Mingde erudite educational content
Ceng Zi's educational content thought is consistent with his goal of having both ability and political integrity, and he emphasizes the all-round development of moral education. In modern terms, it is quality education.
In moral education, Ceng Zi advocates moral virtue, that is, cultivating open and aboveboard moral quality. At the beginning of "University", it says: "The way of university, the wisdom of virtue, the innovation of people, stop at perfection". The purpose of the university is to carry forward the aboveboard moral character, make people change the old into the new, and reach the best state, which is the so-called three cardinal guides. These three schemes are closely related, and their relationship is progressive. To carry forward the aboveboard moral character, we must constantly bring forth the old and bring forth the new, and be "new." Only by constantly getting rid of the old and getting new every day can we achieve the realm of promotion, which is essentially the program of Mingde. Ceng Zi's self-cultivation is a moral education, and filial piety is a moral education, which is well reflected in Ten Articles of Ceng Zi, University and Filial Piety.
In intellectual education, Ceng Zi advocated erudition. Erudition means learning knowledge extensively. He mentioned the problem of erudition many times in the article Dai Dai, such as "a gentleman learns from it and suffers from it". Now that I have learned, I am worried that my knowledge is not wide enough; "A gentleman is knowledgeable and keeps it", and a gentleman should learn knowledge extensively and practice it seriously. A gentleman should be able to identify and treat different people, learn extensively and distinguish between good and bad, and so on.
The Six Classics taught in The Art of War, Li Yue, Shujiao and Ceng Zi are basically teaching contents, which are reflected in some ancient books recording Ceng Zi. For example, there is a record of Zeng Zili in The Book of Rites, Zhuangzi? "Let the King" is recorded by Ceng Zi's song "Ode to Business", and Ceng Zi also said in "The Book of Filial Piety": "Changing customs and customs is not good at music; Put on the rule of man, not good at etiquette "and so on. Ceng Zi also used poems and books to teach his disciples, which can be proved by repeatedly quoting The Book of Songs and The Book of History from The Book of Filial Piety and The University. Also teaches knowledge of nature, such as the great Dai? Ceng Zi is round in the sky, but Confucius is not.
It is commendable that Ceng Zi respected the old and loved the young, and passed this idea on to his disciples. He personally took part in the labor, once paid wages in the wild, plowed the fields under Mount Tai and plowed our clothes in Shandong. He not only educates students to go to agriculture when they are frustrated and stick to their benevolence (see "Dai Dai Li Ji Ceng Zi Yan Zhi"), but also agrees with the practice of supporting people with morality and getting married with morality. Take Yu as an example, he said, "When I saw five pairs of cultivators, I went down to ten rooms in a city to be a virtuous person." (See The Speech by Day Li Ji Ceng Zi). Once upon a time, when Yu was traveling by car, he saw five people ploughing the fields and bowed his head to pay tribute to the stone. After ten families, he got off and left, which is a greeting to a moral person. Of course, Confucianism advocates active employment, but in Ceng Zi's view, agricultural labor is also a choice when a gentleman is frustrated or frustrated.
Third, flexible and pragmatic education methods.
Professor Ceng Zi's disciples have five characteristics:
One is to teach Confucius' teachings accurately. For example, once Ceng Zi told his disciple Xiangzi what bravery was, and he quoted Confucius directly. He said, "Do you like being brave? I have heard Confucius say what is the greatest courage, self-reflection, justice is not on my side, even if the other party is an ordinary person, I will not intimidate them, self-reflection, justice is on my side, even if the other party has thousands of troops, I will go forward bravely. " (See Mencius Gong Sunchou) Another example: Ceng Zi said in response to disciple Shan Juli's question about "the land with a round sky": "Come on, let me tell you, I once heard Confucius say that the reason of heaven is round, and the reason of earth is square, which is dark, round and bright". (See "Ceng Zi Tian Yuan") So that his disciple Le Zhengzi Chun was just like him when he accepted his apprenticeship: Le Zhengzi Chun hurt his foot when he stepped off the stage, and after the injury, he still didn't go out for several months. His disciple asked him, "The teacher has recovered from his foot injury. He has been indoors for several months and is still sad.". Why? " Le Zhengzi Chun said: That's a good question. I heard Confucius in Ceng Zi say, "People born in the sky and raised on the earth are the greatest. Parents give birth to their children intact, and the children should be returned to their parents intact after they die. This is filial piety. It is complete without hurting the body. Therefore, even if a gentleman takes a half step, he dare not forget his filial piety. Now I have forgotten filial piety, so I am sad. " (See "Dai Li, Li Ji and Ceng Zi's Great Filial Piety") Later generations wrote articles quoting famous sayings, which may be influenced by Ceng Zi's practice, and it is also an inspiration for us to carry out Bible reading activities today.
The second is to pay attention to teaching and learning. "Master yuan? Counter-quality records such a thing: Gong followed school and didn't study for three years. Ceng Zi said, "When you are my student, you will not study for three years. Why? " Gong said to him, "How dare you not study? I saw my husband in the room, my parents were there, and the shouting voice was never heard by dogs or horses. I like this, and I have studied it, but I haven't done it yet. I have seen my husband treat guests with great respect and frugality, but he is not lax or negligent. I like this and have learned it, but I haven't done it yet. I saw Mr. Wang in the yard. He was strict with his servants, but he didn't slander or hurt them. I like this. I have learned it, but I haven't done it yet. I like these three points. I have learned from you, but I haven't done it yet. How dare I stay at your door without learning anything? " Ceng Zi left his seat and apologized, "I'm not as good as you. You are studying! " "There is a record in Xunzi's Outline: Ceng Zi ate some leftover fish. Ceng Zi said, "Soak it in rice juice." One of his disciples said, "Fish soaked in rice juice is easy to hurt people, so it is better to pickle it." Ceng Zi said with tears: "It was my negligence!" He was sad because he heard it too late. As educators, we should learn from Ceng Zi by being good at learning students' strengths and increasing our knowledge in teaching.
The third is dialogue teaching. Advocating teacher-student interaction and being good at listening to students' opinions is also one of Ceng Zi's strengths. According to the Book of Rites about Bows, Ceng Zi once said to Zisi, "Kong Ji! I held my father's funeral and didn't drink any soup for seven days. " Zi Si said: "The former king made a ritual system, which made people who did too much obeisance and approached the ritual law, and made those who could not do it strive to achieve the ritual law. Therefore, a gentleman does not drink soup when he loses his father. As long as it takes three days, he will be able to stand up with a stick. " "Kong Juwei" also recorded to Zisi: "Once upon a time, I followed my teacher all over the vassal countries, and the teacher never lost the etiquette of being a vassal, but the etiquette of my former king could not be implemented. Now I know you are arrogant. Is it impolite? " Zisi said: "The times have changed, the world is different, and each era has its own suitable practices. In my grandfather's time, although the system of the Zhou Dynasty had been destroyed, the monarch and his subjects were still in their original positions, and they maintained a relationship from top to bottom, like a whole. If you want to promote Wang Zhidao first, it will not be accepted if you don't follow the etiquette. Now all the princes in the world are competing for practicality, and they are vying to ask heroes to be their assistants. This is an era in which those who gain talents prosper and those who lose talents die. At this time, if I don't improve myself, others will belittle me; If I don't respect myself, others will despise me. Shun and Yu exchanged courtesies, and Shang Tang contended with each other, not intentionally violating courtesies, but times have changed. " Look at this conversation, how like two friends exchanging views.
Fourth, teaching by example is more important than teaching by example. Ceng Zi advocated that "actions must be taken first, words must be followed" (see "Da Dai Li Ji Ceng Zi Shili"), that is, actions must be in front of people, and words must be behind people. He always sets an example everywhere and asks his disciples to do what they do first. Speaking of filial piety, he is the most filial; Speaking of self-cultivation, he is "three provinces in Japan". Ceng Zi advocates that "you can't go, you are uneasy about your position" (see "Da Dai Li Ji Ceng Zi delivered a speech"), and they will not live in a high position until their own ideas are realized. Therefore, "Qi and Chu Yin are neither" (see Volume I of Han Shi). He advocates prudence and chastity. Therefore, when he was seriously ill, he called his disciples to him and said to them, "Look at my feet, look at my hands! The Book of Songs says:' I'm afraid, I'm walking on thin ice'. From now on, I know my body won't be hurt again! Disciples. " (See "The Analects of Confucius Taber") Before his death, Ceng Zi used his life's caution to educate his disciples.
Fifth, seize every opportunity to carry out education in time. According to Ceng Zi's Advice, a disciple of Ceng Zi went to the State of Jin and said to Ceng Zi, "I don't know anyone in the State of Jin. Ceng Zi said, "Why should there be familiar people? Go ahead. A familiar person calls him a friend, and an unfamiliar person is his guest. A gentleman insists on benevolence, achieves virtue, does it first, then says it, and is a brother thousands of miles away. If you don't know how to strengthen your study and cultivation, it's your relatives. Who wants to be close to you! " Before his disciples left, Ceng Zi had to carry out some education to strengthen his moral cultivation. Zhang Zi, the Analects of Confucius, recorded the appointment of yangfu as the judge, and Yang Fu asked for advice. Ceng Zi said: "People at the top don't follow the right path, and people's hearts have long been separated. If you know the real situation of the criminal, you should sympathize with him and not be complacent. " Ceng Zi seized the opportunity of yangfu as a judge and educated him to love the people. Ceng Zi was still obsessed with educating his disciples when he was ill. The Analects of Confucius Taber records that when he was ill, Meng went to visit him. Ceng Zi said to him, "When this bird is dying, its cry is sad. When a person is dying, what he said is well-intentioned. People with higher status should pay attention to politeness in three aspects: taking their appearance seriously can avoid others' rudeness; Correct your own expression, close to honesty and trustworthiness; Pay attention to your words and tone, you can avoid rudeness and irrationality. As for sacrifice and etiquette, officials are responsible. "The disciples received etiquette education.
Fourth, a rigorous and scientific learning attitude.
Ceng Zi was very concerned about the growth of his disciples, studied the learning methods seriously, and put forward strict and scientific requirements for his disciples' learning.
First, study hard and ask more questions. He said: "A gentleman loves to learn from the sun and act in time. Those who are difficult must learn it, and those who are easy must learn it "(see Dai Dai Ji). A gentleman should cherish his study time, apply what he has learned to practice in time, avoid the importance and neglect the comfort. He also said: "If you can't learn, ask if you have any questions. If you want to do something, you will be better than a saint. Although there are dangerous roads, you must follow the right path. " (See "Dai Dai Li Ji Ceng Zi Shili"), without learning ability, ask if you have any problems. If you want to do something, imitate a saint. Although the road is difficult and dangerous, it is not impossible to follow this method. He also gave the strategy of asking questions: "Ask without deciding, answer with attention, although you can't and don't insist" (see "Dai Dai Li Ji Ceng Zi Shili"). When you ask questions, you don't understand them Take the opportunity to observe the teacher's face and ask again. The teacher just doesn't answer or force them.
Second, we should introspect and encourage ourselves. He said: "A gentleman attacks his evil, asking for trouble, forcing him to do something, and doing his justice in addition to his selfish desires". See Ceng Zi Li Lili Ji. A gentleman should get rid of his bad aspects, find out his past, strengthen his weak links, get rid of his preferences, and follow suit when he sees righteousness. However, it has repeatedly emphasized introspection: "Just lying down with righteousness, getting a job every day, and introspection at night can also be said to protect his career" (see "Da Dai Li Ji Ceng Zi Shili"), taking righteousness as the code of conduct, doing business during the day and introspection at night, and persisting in this attitude for life can be said to protect the inheritance; "A gentleman thinks of benevolence and righteousness, wastes food during the day, forgets to eat and sleep at night, gets a job every day, and introspects at night, which can also be described as keeping his job" (see Ceng Zi's speech and courtesy). A gentleman thinks about benevolence and righteousness, forgets to eat and sleep in his career during the day and forgets to eat and sleep at night to exercise himself. It can be said that he has saved his inheritance.
Third, we should help each other and learn from each other. He said: "people and cars are like a boat, and they can help each other." You helped first, then pushed first. It is an old friend who is inhuman, the horse does not go, the soil is not high, and the water does not flow. "(see" Da Dai's Speech ") People get along with each other, just like driving a boat and a car. Only by helping each other can they achieve it. Pull yourself in front, others push in front. Because people's success is inseparable from the help of others, horses can't run away, mounds don't add new soil, and water doesn't flow without adding new water. Therefore, "a gentleman is good, but also delights in the goodness of others; If you can, you can also enjoy the abilities of others; Although I can't, I don't want to help others. " (See "Dai Li, Li Ji and Ceng Zi Shili") A gentleman is good at himself and likes others; I have talent, and I like others to have talent; Even if you don't do something yourself, don't implicate others. If you ask for mutual help, you must pay attention to choosing friends. "Travel with a gentleman and gain long-term benefits unconsciously. "Traveling with a villain is like walking on thin ice, and every step is geometric!" (See "Dai Dai's Disease") It's like being with a gentleman for a long time. Although there are gains every day, I don't feel it; You are walking on thin ice with people who have no virtue. Every step is slippery. How long can I not fall into the water? How to make friends? "A gentleman makes friends by writing, and helps benevolence by friends" (see The Analects of Confucius, Yan Yuan). A gentleman gathers friends with literature, helps himself with learning, and nurtures benevolence with friends.
Fourth, step by step. Ceng Zi said: "A gentleman must learn his profession, but ask him about it" (see "Dai Dai Li Ji Ceng Zi Shili"). A gentleman must ask questions step by step and in order. He also said: "If you don't ask for a few things, you will be famous." "Dai Li, Li Ji and Ceng Zi Shili"), you can do it well without worry, and you can succeed without worry. In order to achieve gradual progress, he stipulated certain learning and self-cultivation procedures. In learning, "a gentleman not only learns it, but also suffers from it; If you learn from it, you will suffer greatly. The ambition of Xi suffers from its ignorance; If you know, you can't do it; It is possible to do it, but it is more important to put it down. The gentleman's learning is only for the other five things. " ("Dai Dai") Since a gentleman studies, he is worried that his knowledge is not extensive enough; If you learn a wide range of knowledge, you worry that you can't review it, that is, you review it, and you worry that you can't understand it; I know this knowledge, but I'm worried that it won't be used in practice; It is to be able to use it in practice, and what is valuable is to be modest. It is enough that a gentleman can do these five things in his study. Learning is divided into five steps: learning, learning, knowing, doing and giving way. In terms of self-cultivation, "things are known, people know and are sincere, honesty and integrity, integrity and integrity, self-cultivation and family harmony, family harmony and national governance, national governance and world peace." (See University) Only by learning the principles of things can we acquire knowledge, acquire knowledge, have sincere thoughts, correct our thoughts, cultivate our own moral quality, improve our family, manage our country and make the world peaceful. Self-cultivation is divided into eight links, namely, content, knowledge, sincerity, integrity, self-cultivation, keeping the family in order, governing the country and leveling the world.
Fifth, we should pay attention to practice. Ceng Zi has always closely linked learning with practice, such as "learning and acting in time when you love the day", "knowing what it is, not doing it" and "being knowledgeable and keeping it" (see Da Dai). They are smart enough to realize that knowledge comes from practice. He said: "words are not far away, and the Lord of words is also; Go far, go far. Words have a master, and actions have a foundation, which is called the smell. " A gentleman respects what he listens to for wisdom, and does what he listens to for a wide range. (see "Dai Dai Disease") It is fundamental that the speech is not divorced from reality; Action is inseparable from personal experience, but action is fundamental. If words and deeds are fundamental, you can enrich your knowledge and experience. A gentleman's respect for knowledge can make him superb in virtue and knowledgeable; Only by applying knowledge to practice can the cause be magnificent. He also divided the practice into four stages: "think before moving, say before moving, do after saying, and think after saying." (See "Big Wear") Think twice before you act, and then do it after you demonstrate. The action must be considered to be in line with the plan, and it must be considered to be in line with the plan and stand the test. From a philosophical point of view, Ceng Zi's thought is also in line with materialist epistemology, and it still has certain guiding significance for us to study and do things today.