Emotions and sorrows are not sent, which means that they are in the middle; Sent in the festival, for and; If you are in the middle, you are the biggest in the world; He who is in harmony is also in the world. Neutrality, the position of heaven, the education of all things.
Zhong Ni said: "The gentleman is moderate, the villain is against the mean, the gentleman is also moderate, and the gentleman is in the middle; The villain is despicable, and the villain will do whatever it takes. "
Confucius said, "The golden mean is the ultimate! People rarely last long! "
Confucius said, "I know I can't do it: the knower can't do it, but the fool can't." The Tao is unknown, and I know it: the sages have passed it, and the unscrupulous are not as good as it. People seldom know the taste after eating and drinking. "
Confucius said, "It's no use talking, husband!"
Confucius said, "Shun's great wisdom is also relevant! Ask good questions and be good at observing your words, hide evil and promote good, and hold both ends for the people, thinking that it is smooth! "
Confucius said, "Everyone says,' Know it, drive it, fall into it, and discover it without knowing it. As we all know, we have chosen the golden mean, but we can't keep it for a month. "
Confucius said, "If you are a man, you can choose the middle way. If you get a good deed, you will lose a punch. "
Confucius said: "All countries in the world can be equal, and you can resign, dance with white blades, and not be moderate."
When Lutz asked about strength, Confucius said, "What is the strength of the South? What is the strength of the north? Restraint and reinforcement? Be lenient to be taught, not to report no way, to be strong in the south, and to be a gentleman. Jin Ge, die tirelessly, the north is strong, and the strong live there. Therefore, the gentleman is harmonious but not flowing, strong but not right! Neutral and impartial, strong and correct! State-owned road, unchanged, strong and positive! The country has no choice but to die. It is strong and correct! "
Confucius said, "Su Zangqi, there are many stories in the future, and I will do them. I can do it if a gentleman follows the path, half wiping and half wasting. A gentleman follows the doctrine of the mean, not knowing but not regretting. Only a saint can do it. "
A gentleman's way is to spend it and hide it. The stupidity of a couple can be related to knowing, and more importantly, although the saints don't know. If the couple are corrupt, they can; Even a saint can't help it. People are still lamenting the vastness of heaven and earth.
Therefore, the language of a gentleman is big, and the world can't carry it; If it is small, the world can't be broken. The poem says, "The kite flies in the sky and the fish jumps in Yu Yuan." Look from top to bottom. A gentleman's way, nature makes people, and even observes what is going on in the world.
Interpretation of vernacular: God gives people sex, obeying nature is Tao, and cultivating oneself by the way is teaching. Tao is inseparable for a moment, but it is not Tao that can leave. Therefore, a gentleman should be careful where no one sees him and be in awe where no one hears him.
When hidden, it will be found, and the nuances are obvious. So a gentleman should be careful when he is alone. Emotional emotions are not revealed, which is called neutrality. Show it, but do it properly. This is called harmony. China is the most fundamental thing in the world, and harmony is the rule that the world follows. Neutralization is achieved, heaven and earth belong to their places, and everything grows and develops.
Confucius said: "A gentleman's words and deeds conform to the golden mean, while a villain's words and deeds violate the golden mean. A gentleman's words and deeds conform to the golden mean, because a gentleman's words and deeds are always impartial. The words and deeds of the villain violate the golden mean, because the words and deeds of the villain are unscrupulous and fearless. "
Confucius said: "The golden mean is the highest realm, and people can rarely practice it for a long time."
Confucius said: "I know that the golden mean cannot be practiced: a wise man goes too far, but a fool can't reach it." I know that the golden mean can't be popularized: the wise go too far, but not the wise. It's like people don't eat, but few people can taste it. "
Confucius said, "I'm afraid the golden mean can't be practiced."
Confucius said, "Shun has great wisdom! He likes asking questions and checking superficial words. He hides others' shortcomings and praises others' benefits. He mastered two extremes and adopted a compromise approach to the people. This is why he is respected as Shun! "
Confucius said, "People say' I am wise', but they are driven into fishing nets, wooden cages and traps, but they don't know how to dodge. People say' I am wise', but they choose the middle road, but they can't last for a month. "
Confucius said, "Yan Hui is so. He chose the middle way. If you get a good reason, he will keep it in mind and will not throw it away. "
Confucius said: "All countries in the world can govern fairly, the title and salary can be resigned, and the sharp knife can be stepped on, but the doctrine of the mean is not easy to implement."
Lutz asked what is powerful. Confucius said, "What is the strength of the South? Or the strength of the north? Or do you think it's awesome? Educate with tolerance and gentleness, and don't retaliate against unreasonable behavior. This is the strength of the south, and gentlemen belong to this category. Sleeping with weapons and armor, never going back on our word, this is the strong and powerful people in the north who belong to this category.
Therefore, a gentleman should be easy-going but not go with the flow, which is really powerful! Independence and justice, this is the real power! The country's politics is clear and clear, and it will not change its will. This is the real power! National politics is gloomy and will remain unchanged until death. This is powerful! "
Confucius said: "it is absurd to pursue extraordinary truth. What will future generations say about it, but I won't do it." A gentleman follows the golden mean and gives up halfway, but I won't stop. A gentleman acts by the golden mean. Although they are little known and unknown in the world, they do not regret it. Only a saint can do this. "
The Tao pursued by a gentleman is both broad and subtle. Although Li Min is ignorant, it is still known. As for the highest state of Tao, even saints don't know it. Although ordinary people are not wise, they can still practice. As for the highest realm of Tao, even saints can't do it. The world is so big, people are still not satisfied.
Therefore, the gentleman said "big", the world can't afford it; The gentleman says "small", which the world can't understand. The Book of Songs says: "Kites fly in the sky and fish jump in the deep water." This means that the gentleman's golden mean is obvious between heaven and earth. The Tao pursued by a gentleman originates from ordinary people, and at the highest level, it is displayed between heaven and earth.
Source: The Doctrine of the Mean written by Zi Si during the Warring States Period.
Extended data:
The influence of The Doctrine of the Mean on later generations;
The Doctrine of the Mean is a Confucian classic, which has been circulated for more than two thousand years. It occupies an important position in Confucianism, ranking second among the four books, and has its unique academic characteristics, academic achievements and social status in various periods in China history. The Doctrine of the Mean is a classic philosophy of the Chinese nation, which has influenced the development of China's history extensively and profoundly.
The Doctrine of the Mean was compiled by Dai Sheng in the Western Han Dynasty and included in the Book of Rites. During the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties, with the new trend of the integration of Confucianism and Taoism and the popularity of Buddhism and Taoism, some scholars linked the Confucian "golden mean" with the Taoist "inaction", which laid the foundation for "frugality", but the influence was limited. For example, in people's stories, Liu Shao promoted the "golden mean" to a very lofty virtue and listed it as the most perfect "sentiment".
According to records, at that time, with the popularity of Buddhism's "Geyi" theory, there were also works that quoted Buddhist meaning to explain the "golden mean". In the Tang Dynasty, Li Aozun wrote The Doctrine of the Mean as a classic, put forward its pedigree, and combined it with the Buddhist theory of mind and nature to expound and carry forward the Confucian theory of destiny and nature in the Doctrine of the Mean.
He took it as his duty to inherit the original intention of the golden mean and carry forward the theory of life. On the basis of integrating the concepts of Buddhism and Confucianism, he used the theory of "inaction" of Buddhism to interpret the connotation of Confucian honesty, which not only built a relatively complete ideological system, but also integrated the theory of mind and nature of Buddhism and Confucianism, which also had an important impact on the theoretical construction of Neo-Confucianism in the late Song and Ming Dynasties.
Since the Song Dynasty, The Doctrine of the Mean has gradually established its position as a Confucian classic and become an important part of the imperial examination. During the reign of Song Zhenzong, The Doctrine of the Mean was regarded as the content of scientific research. When he was in Song Renzong, he also awarded the book The Doctrine of the Mean to the Jinshi of New China as a reward.
In the Northern Song Dynasty, Cheng Hao and Cheng Yi juxtaposed Daxue, The Doctrine of the Mean, The Analects of Confucius and Mencius for the first time, which improved the Confucian status and social influence of The Doctrine of the Mean and opened the way for it to become the theoretical basis of Taoism in the Song and Ming Dynasties.
The Doctrine of the Mean, The Analects of Confucius and Mencius written by Zhu in the Southern Song Dynasty are combined into four books. In the fifth year of Jiading in the Southern Song Dynasty (12 12), The Notes on Four Books was named Guoxue, and the official status of the four books was formally established, and The Doctrine of the Mean was officially upgraded to a Confucian classic.
In the second year of Qing Dynasty (13 13), Zhu's Notes to Four Books was officially designated as a book for imperial examinations. In the Ming Dynasty, Cheng Zu wrote imperial books for the Four Books and Five Classics, which were promulgated in the world and became the only criterion for selecting scholars in the imperial examinations in the Ming Dynasty. In the Qing Dynasty, the "Four Books and Five Classics" was still a compulsory bibliography for the feudal imperial examination.
As one of the "Four Books", The Doctrine of the Mean was continuously promoted in the middle and late feudal society of China, reaching the supreme position and becoming the imperial tool and theoretical basis of the ruling group.