The source of this sentence is: Xunzi's "persuasion" in the pre-Qin period.
This work is long, and I have extracted several paragraphs of the original text containing this sentence for your reference:
Accumulated soil becomes mountains, and the wind and rain are prosperous; The water drops merged into the ocean and the dragon was born; Accumulate goodness into virtue, the gods are complacent, and the sacred heart is prepared. Therefore, you can't take Wan Li Road without accumulating steps; If you don't accumulate small streams, you won't be a river. Leap, not ten steps; This is a great contribution to the success of Ma Xu. Perseverance, rotten wood can't be carved; Perseverance, the stone can be carved. Earthworms do not have the advantages of minions, and their bones and muscles are strong. They eat the earth and drink the yellow land with their hearts. The crab kneels six times and pinches twice. It's not that the snake hole has no sustenance, it's also impetuous. (Jianghai Zuo Yi: River)
Therefore, people with ulterior motives have no bright future; He made much ado about nothing, which has nothing to do with hehe. Those who follow the right path will not come, and those who follow the right path will not allow it. Eyes can't see, ears can't hear. The viper flies without feet, and the mouse is poor in five skills. "Poetry" said: "The corpse dove is in Sang, and her son is seven. A good gentleman with noble character is always a polite person. His appearance is clumsy and his heart is like a knot! " Therefore, a gentleman is bound by one.
I used to play drums, but the fish flowed out to listen; Boya Guqin, while Liu Ma raises Yuan. Therefore, the sound is not small but not heard, and the line is not hidden but not shaped. Jade is moist in the mountains, pearls are born in the deep, and cliffs are not withered. Do good without accumulating evil? Did anyone not hear?
Translated into vernacular Chinese, it is like this:
Earth and rock piled up into mountains, from which wind and rain started; Water flows into the abyss, and dragons are born from it; Accumulate good deeds, cultivate noble morality, improve spirit, and thus have the state of mind of a saint. Therefore, without the accumulation of half a step, there is no way to reach thousands of miles away; Without the accumulation of tiny flowing water, there is no way to merge into the rivers and seas. The horse jumped less than ten paces; A bad horse walks for ten days in a row, and its success lies in its non-stop. If you stop carving a few times, then the rotten wood will continue to carve. If you insist on carving, then this stone can be carved successfully. Earthworms have no sharp claws and teeth, and no strong bones and muscles, but they can eat the soil and drink the underground spring water, because they are single-minded. A crab has six legs and two claws, but it has nowhere to hide without snakes and eels, because it is impetuous.
Therefore, without the will to study hard, there will be no significant academic achievements; Without hard work, there will be no great achievements in career. Neither side will tolerate a man who can't get to his destination on the wrong road and serves two monarchs at the same time. The eyes cannot see two things at the same time and see clearly, and the ears cannot hear two sounds at the same time and hear clearly. A poisonous snake can fly without feet, and a mouse has five skills, but there is still no way. The Book of Songs says, "Cuckoo nests in mulberry trees, and there are seven young birds. A good gentleman should be single-minded and impartial. Only when the behavior is single-minded and impartial will the will be rock-solid. " Therefore, a gentleman is determined and single-minded.
In ancient times, there was a harpist, and the fish in the water surfaced to listen. Boya plays the piano, and the horse pulling the cart will stop to eat and look up. Therefore, the sound will not be heard because it is weak, and the behavior will not be discovered because it is hidden. If Baoyu is buried in a deep mountain, the vegetation is moist, and if pearls fall into the abyss, the cliff shore will not dry up. Can't good deeds be accumulated? How can we accumulate good deeds without being widely read?
Here are some words that I think are more important. Let me explain to you separately:
Structure: knot, cause.
Domain: pass "Zhuo", class.
Mass: arrow target. (d √): the center of the target.
Kim: Axe.
Acyl (xρ): originally meant vinegar.
Ruì: The name of flying insects belongs to mosquitoes.
Kuǐ: When you walk, the distance between your feet is equal to the present step and half a step as the ancients said. Step: The ancients said that one step is that the distance between the left and right feet is one step forward, which is equal to the current two steps.
Qi (qí) Ji (jì): A good horse, a swift horse.
Xu's ten drivers: a bad horse can walk for ten days. A bad horse. In ancient times, when driving a carriage, it was loaded in the morning and unloaded at night. The cabin is called driving, so here we use "driving" to refer to the day's journey of the carriage. Ten driving is ten riding, which is a ten-day trip. This refers to a journey of a thousand miles.
Give up: Give up. Don't give up on the way.
Cut: carve with a knife.
Là u: Originally refers to carving on metal, generally refers to carving.
A crab kneels six times and pinches twice (áo): A crab has six claws and two pliers. Six Kneeling, Six Kneeling: The six legs of a crab, six, should be the wrong claws of the word "eight". The big claws in front of arthropods such as crabs are shaped like pliers.
Invisible: dark and unknown appearance, describing concentration and hard work. The following "Yan Yan" is a synonym for this.
Zhao Zhao: I understand.
Teng snake: flying snake in ancient legend.
Shí mouse: The original "Wu Mouse" was adapted from "Da Dai: Persuading Learning". Flying squirrels can fly but can't fly to the roof, climb trees but can't climb to the top, swim but can't cross valleys, dig holes but can't hide, run but can't chase people, so they are called "five skills difference". Poor: embarrassed, sleepy.
"Dead Pigeons in Mulberry": See The Book of Songs Cao Feng Pigeons. Instrument, pass "righteousness".
Knot: It is a metaphor for concentration and firmness.
HeBa: Chu people are good at playing the harp.
Shen: Same as Shen. "Xieji" is a "stream", which is changed according to "Dai Dai: Persuasion".
Boya: An ancient person who was good at playing the piano.
Six horses: the ancient emperor's car was driven by six horses; This refers to the horse pulling the cart. Yang Mo: "Huai Nan Zi said the mountain training" lured a high note: "Yang Mo, look up and blow, the name is Ma Xiao." When you say "Mo", you get an "end", boss.
Cliff: the shore.
Evil: the same as "yeah", interrogative modal particles.
Number: technique, that is, method and approach, is extended to "subject"
Greatness: great principles and boundaries.
Soft: the same as "peristalsis" and "inching".
It may be difficult to understand the meaning only by reading the article, so it is better to understand it in combination with the creative background of the article at that time:
During the Warring States period, slavery further collapsed, the feudal system gradually formed, and epoch-making changes took place in history. Many thinkers expressed their opinions on the social changes at that time from different positions and angles, and gradually formed different factions such as Mohism, Confucianism, Taoism and Legalism, which was called "a hundred schools of thought contend" in history. A hundred schools of thought contend and wrote many books, publicizing their own views and criticizing others, resulting in a situation of "a hundred schools of thought contend". Xunzi was a representative figure of Confucianism in the late Warring States period. He believes that the existence of nature does not depend on human will, but people can use subjective efforts to understand it, adapt to it and use it. In order to reveal the significance of learning the day after tomorrow, he created the article "Persuade Learning", encouraging people to change bad thoughts and behaviors through learning, revitalize etiquette, formulate statutes, and devote themselves to practicing the way of being a gentleman.
Having said that, let's appreciate and comment on this article together:
Focusing on the central argument that "learning alone is not enough", this paper systematically and hierarchically expounds the significance, function and attitude of learning. The characteristic of this article is the extensive use of metaphors to illustrate the facts.
Xunzi's "Persuasion" is a famous article that has been talked about by people all the time, and some aphorisms and aphorisms have also become common idioms to persuade students. The following are three excerpts, which are not related in the original text, but have the same meaning and can be written independently. This article uses metaphors to illustrate the truth. These metaphors are taken from familiar things and contain rich meanings, so we can make the truth easy to understand and thought-provoking.
At the beginning of the article, I solemnly wrote: "A gentleman says: You can't learn." This is not only the first sentence of the article "Encouraging Learning", but also the first sentence of Xunzi's whole work. Why do you ask study questions first? Because Xunzi thought that human nature was "evil" and must be corrected by courtesy, he attached great importance to learning. The theory of evil nature is the starting point of Xunzi's social and political thought. In his book, he first proposed that learning should not stop, just to grasp the key and solve the fundamental problem. Because he attached great importance to this issue, he put forward his own views through the mouth of a "gentleman" to show his solemnity.
In terms of wording, he didn't say that we should persist in learning, but that we can't stop learning, and more specifically corrected people's general failure to persist in learning. Traditionally, Confucianism has always advised people to study hard. For example, the first sentence of The Analects of Confucius says: "Confucius said: If you learn from time to time, it is better to say (yue)!" Xunzi claimed to be the heir of Confucius, and the first sentence in the book also said: "You can't learn." On the surface, it only inherited the Confucian tradition of "encouraging learning", but in fact, his emphasis was obviously different. Because in Confucius' view, "those who are born with knowledge are superior, and those who learn and know are inferior." (The Analects of Confucius Ji Shi) Xunzi believes that knowledge of etiquette, morality and system can only be acquired through learning the day after tomorrow. Therefore, Xunzi developed the Confucian tradition of "encouraging learning" on the basis of new epistemology and raised the importance of learning to a new height. As far as writing is concerned, he put forward the central argument from the beginning, and his language is concise and profound, which naturally leads to the following discussion.
The article takes "green, from blue, and green is blue; Ice, water is for it, but it is colder than water ",which means that anyone can make progress by studying hard." Today, I can surpass yesterday, and students can surpass teachers. These two metaphors greatly inspire and inspire learners. However, to achieve "shine on you is colder than water" is by no means "study today and drop out tomorrow". It needs continuous learning, which means "learning alone is not enough". Therefore, these two metaphors profoundly and powerfully clarify the central argument and inspire people to forge ahead.
Then, the article further sets up a metaphor to fundamentally clarify this truth: "The wood is straight in the rope, thinking it is a wheel, and its curve is in the rules. Although there are storms, those who are no longer righteous are naturally. " This, as Liang Qichao said, means that "the quality of a person's talent is not determined by nature, but by the merits of later generations" (see the quotation in Xun Zi Jie Cambodia). Xunzi believes that human nature is evil, but learning can change people from evil to good, so he emphasizes the role of "Yu". Through this metaphor, it shows that even a "bad" person can be "changed" into a completely moral person after learning. This is obviously a greater encouragement to learners.
After emphasizing the important role of learning, the article draws a conclusion by metaphor: "Therefore, if you have a rope, you will be straight, and if you have a sharp gold, you will benefit. If a gentleman saves himself with knowledge, he will know clearly without fault. " Wood will straighten when measured with chalk lines, and a metal sword will sharpen when placed on a grindstone. This is like a gentleman who reads widely and checks himself every day, so he will be well-read and have no mistakes in his behavior. It is more convincing to draw a conclusion through metaphor. The word "day" in the judgment sentence closely echoes the word "already" in the opening sentence, which highlights that if you want to "know clearly and act correctly", you must keep learning, thus effectively clarifying the central argument.
The opening is the first paragraph. This passage shows the great significance of learning in changing people's quality and improving people's intelligence. Learning is of great significance, so how to learn? Xunzi believes that learning can't just sit in the room and think hard, but must use external things to learn from reality. Therefore, the second paragraph first explains: "I have been thinking about it all day, so it is better to learn it in an instant." Xunzi compared "thinking all the time" with "learning in an instant" through personal experience, emphasizing that learning is not as good as dreaming. The word "learning" as opposed to fantasy is self-evident, that is, using external things to learn from reality. This view of learning was also put forward by Xunzi based on his epistemology.
Xunzi denied Mencius' view that people have innate "conscience" and "goodness", so he emphasized learning from external practical things. The concept of "learning" put forward by him here has materialistic factors. Then, with five metaphors, Xunzi started with his own life experience: standing on a high place can see more than standing on tiptoe; Climb up and wave, shout with the wind, the arm is not long, the voice is not big, but people can see and hear clearly from a distance; It can be seen that the utilization of high places and downwind is of great significance. By extension, people who "fake horses" and "fake boats" are not good at walking or swimming, but they can "walk Wan Li Road" and "escape rivers". Because the examples used in metaphor are very common in daily life, it feels not only kind but also credible. With the constant metaphor, the truth expounded goes deeper and deeper into the reader's mind, and it will naturally come to the conclusion that "gentlemen are the same, and good and evil are also things". That is to say, gentlemen are more talented than ordinary people because they are good at using foreign things to study hard.
It can be inferred that if a person is good at using foreign things and studies hard, he can also become a gentleman with talent and virtue. This is consistent with the first paragraph "Shine on you, ice is cooler than water, and straight wood can be used as a wheel", with the same meaning and dark structure. In addition, Xunzi linked "what he learned" with "being good and being false to things". "This means that the purpose of learning is to understand the laws of objective things and use these laws to transform the objective world." (Quoted from Yan Beiying's explanation of "encouraging learning") This is also related to his thought of "dominating fate".
At this point, the second paragraph ends. This paragraph shows that learning must be good at using foreign things. However, there are still some things that need attention when learning practical things outside, so the third paragraph makes a further explanation. Firstly, the article sets up two metaphors to lead to the argument: "Accumulated soil makes mountains, and wind and rain flourish;" The water drops merged into the ocean and the dragon was born; Accumulate goodness into virtue, the gods are complacent, and the sacred heart is prepared. "This shows that learning should focus on accumulation. Xunzi doesn't recognize the saying that "a born saint" at all. He pointed out that as long as people study hard and "accumulate good deeds", they can have the idea of saints. Sages are also constantly learning, just as he said in the chapter "On Evil Nature": "There is no end to the accumulation of goodness" and "People who paint can be found". He fully emphasized the role of "accumulating goodness", which is also in line with the "learning is impossible" proposed at the beginning.
In brushwork, metaphor leads to arguments, which strengthens the linguistic potential of arguments and makes them convincing as soon as they appear. Then, the article complained: "So, if you don't accumulate steps, you will take Wan Li Road;" If you don't accumulate small streams, you can't become rivers and seas. "This is a negative metaphor to illustrate the importance of accumulation. After a positive and a negative metaphor, the reason that learning pays attention to accumulation has been preliminarily clarified, but in order to explain it in depth, the article repeatedly compares "you can't take ten steps in one leap" with "Ma Xu pushes ten times and never gives up", and then compares "perseverance, perseverance, carving a stone". Of course, if you want to "give up" and keep accumulating, you must be single-minded and not impetuous.
Therefore, the article compares "the earthworm has no advantage of its claws and strong bones and muscles" with "the crab kneels six times and pinches twice", which means that it can "eat the earth and drink the yellow mud", but "it is not a snake's den that has no sustenance", indicating that learning must be absorbed and not sloppy. These two metaphors emphasize that learning must be persistent and take care of the above-mentioned discussions. The third paragraph ends here. Through this metaphor, we can clearly understand that learning must be persistent. At this point, the central argument of "learning can't" put forward at the beginning has been thoroughly expounded and fully proved.
The syllogism of "encouraging learning" states the importance of learning and points out the attitudes and methods that should be adopted in learning. Although Xunzi's theory of learning is based on the idealistic theory of evil nature, it has played a positive critical role in Mencius' theory of innate morality. Due to the limitation of historical conditions, Xunzi could not understand the class nature of human beings. He regards propriety and righteousness as the morality that everyone should have, and calls the behavior that conforms to the feudal ethical norms "good" and the behavior that does not conform to it "evil". In fact, the purpose of his persuasion is to cultivate talents who meet the moral standards of the feudal ruling class, which is essentially different from our learning purpose today. However, it is of progressive significance in the historical period when the emerging landlord class stepped onto the political stage and the whole country moved towards reunification. As for paying attention to learning, the view that learning must be "good at fraud", accumulate gradually and persevere, even today, it still has certain enlightenment and reference significance for us.
Except for a few places that directly explain the truth, they are almost all metaphors. Explaining the truth and proving arguments through metaphor is a major feature of this article. Because of the high skill of creating metaphors, these metaphors are alert and moving. For example, "green" comes from blue, and green is blue "(shining on you is better than blue) and" no accumulation, no miles; If you don't accumulate small streams, you won't be able to make rivers and seas. ""Perseverance, rotten wood can't be folded; Perseverance, the stone can be engraved ". , are cited as the motto to guide learning. At the same time, the ways and means of using metaphor are also flexible and diverse, expounding a layer of meaning, some alone and some continuous; Some are positive metaphors, some are back metaphors; Some use metaphors to compare with each other, and some use metaphors to compare. This step by step, up and down echo, so that their expressive metaphor, more fully play a role, so as to explain the truth very thoroughly. In addition, due to the use of metaphor, the language of the article appears concrete and concise. Moreover, with the continuous use of Bi Xing and the change of techniques, neat and changeable sentence patterns have been formed, resulting in a sonorous rhythm, which shows Xunzi's exhortation passion. Therefore, this is not only an excellent paper on ancient education, but also a literary work.
Finally, I think it is necessary to introduce the author of this article:
Xunzi (about 365,438 BC+03 BC-238 BC), whose real name was Qing (people respected each other when he said it, but his name was Qing), was a native of Zhao at the end of the Warring States Period, and was called "Sun Qing" in the Han Dynasty because he avoided asking the name of Emperor Wu. He was a thinker, philosopher, educator, representative of Confucianism and a master of a hundred schools of thought in the pre-Qin period.
Xunzi served as a drink offering for Xia Ji in Qi State three times and for Chu Lanling twice. In his later years, he lived in Lanling County, wrote a book saying that he was taught by his disciples and died in Sri Lanka, which was called "Housheng". Xunzi critically accepted and creatively developed Confucian orthodoxy and theory, and advocated "both etiquette and law"; Put forward the view that people who "master their destiny and use it" will conquer nature; Oppose superstition of ghosts and gods; Put forward the theory of evil nature, attach importance to the influence of customs and education on people, and emphasize the application of what you have learned; Thought is reflected in Xunzi.
Xunzi summed up hundred schools of thought's theoretical achievements and his own academic thoughts, and founded a complete simple materialist philosophy system in the pre-Qin period. His thoughts had a subtle influence on the development of feudal society for more than two thousand years.