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.
God-given is sex, nature is Tao, and self-cultivation is Tao. Tao can't leave for the time being, but neither can he. Therefore, a gentleman should be careful where no one sees him and be afraid where no one hears him.
Hiding is easy to be found, the smallest detail is the most notorious, and a gentleman should be careful when he is alone. Joy, sadness and happiness are not shown. This is called a clock. It's out, but according to the law of drying, it's called harmony. It is the most basic law in the world, and it is also the law that everyone in the world abides by. Reaching the middle, heaven and earth belong to their places, and everything grows and develops.
Confucius said, "A gentleman's words and deeds conform to the doctrine of the mean, while a gentleman's words and deeds violate the doctrine of the mean." The words and deeds of a gentleman are all moderate, because the words and deeds of a gentleman are always impartial. The villain's words and deeds invaded China because he was reckless and fearless. "
Confucius said: "The golden mean is the highest realm, and it is rarely practiced for a long time."
Confucius said, "The golden mean cannot be practiced. I know that smart people go too far and stupid people can't do it. " The golden mean cannot be improved. I know that smart people go too far, and people who are not smart can't do it. It seems that no one does not eat, but few people can taste it. "
Confucius said, "I'm afraid I can't practice the golden mean."
Confucius said, "How smart is Shun? He likes to ask questions, check recent events, cover up other people's shortcomings and praise their advantages. He mastered these two extremes and reached a compromise with his people. So I called him Shun! "
Confucius said: "People say' I am smart', but they are trapped in nets, cages and traps, and I don't know how to escape. People say' I am smart', but they choose the middle route and can't last for a month. "
Confucius said, "Yan Hui is so. He chose the middle route. As long as you give him a good reason, he will take it to heart and never give up. "
Confucius said: "The governance of the kingdom of heaven is just; A noble title and his salary will be exempted; The sword will be trampled. But the doctrine of the mean is not easy to implement. "
Lutz asked what is powerful. Confucius said, "Do you mean the power of the South? Or the power of the north? Or is it as powerful as you think? Educating people with tolerance and gentleness and not retaliating against unreasonable behavior are the strengths of the South, and gentlemen belong to this category. They sleep with weapons and armor on their heads and never break their word. This is the power of the north, and tough guys belong to this category.
Therefore, a gentleman should be easy-going and not go with the flow. This is the real strong! Independence and justice is the real power! The integrity of the country does not change its will, which is truly powerful! Politics in this country is dark and stubborn. That's very powerful! "
Confucius said: "it is absurd to pursue heresy, and future generations will say;" But I won't do that. A gentleman takes the golden mean and gives up halfway, but I won't stop. A gentleman is based on the doctrine of the mean. Although unknown, he has no regrets. Only a saint can do it. "
The road pursued by a gentleman is broad and subtle. People foolishly know this. Even saints don't know the highest road. Ordinary people can do without wisdom. The highest road, even the saints can't walk. The world is so big, there is always something unsatisfactory.
Therefore, the gentleman said "big" and the world could not afford it; Mr. Wang said "small", which the world could not understand. The Book of Songs says: "Kites fly high and fish jump deep." In other words, the gentleman's doctrine of the mean is clear between heaven and earth. "The way of a gentleman" originated from the people, and when it reached its highest point, it was revealed between heaven and earth.
Source: The Doctrine of the Mean written by Zi Si during the Warring States Period.
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Moderate influence:
The Doctrine of the Mean is a classic work of Confucianism, which has been circulated for more than two thousand years. It occupies an important position in Confucianism and ranks second in the "Four Books". In each period of its history, China has its own unique academic characteristics, academic achievements and social status. The Doctrine of the Mean is a classic philosophy of the Chinese nation, which has exerted a wide and far-reaching influence on the historical development of China.
The Doctrine of the Mean was compiled by Dai Sheng in the Book of Rites in the Western Han Dynasty. During the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties, the new trend of the integration of Confucianism and Taoism and the popularity of Buddhism and Taoism, some scholars supported the Confucian principle of moderation and inaction, but its influence was limited. For example, Liu Shao preached the doctrine of the mean as a noble virtue in his book and listed it as the most perfect "emotion".
According to records, with the popularization of "righteousness", there have also been works citing Buddhism to explain the golden mean. Li Ao in the Tang Dynasty regarded the golden mean as a classic and wrote The Golden Mean. He put forward the pedigree of the inheritance of the doctrine of the mean, and combined it with the Buddhist theory of mind and nature to expound and carry forward the Confucian doctrine of the mean.
On the basis of the principle of conception, he will use Buddhism's "undifferentiated" theory to explain the connotation of Confucianism's "sincerity", and take it as his duty to improve life. At the same time, the ideological theories of Buddhism and Confucianism have had an important influence on the theoretical construction of Zhu Cheng's Neo-Confucianism.
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. In Song Zhenzong's time, the golden mean was used as the theme of scientific research. In Song Renzong's time, the golden mean was awarded to beginners.
Cheng Hao and Cheng Yi's first treatment of university theory in the Northern Song Dynasty meant that the Analects of Confucius, like Mencius, improved the status and social influence of Confucianism, while the principle of openness meant that Taoism became the theoretical basis in the Song and Ming Dynasties.
Zhu's The Doctrine of the Mean and Notes on the Analects of Confucius were co-edited in the Southern Song Dynasty. In the fifth year of Jiading in the Southern Song Dynasty (12 12), four books, chapters, sentences and notes were awarded the title of "Sinology", and four books with official status were formally established, so the Doctrine of the Mean was officially upgraded to the status of Confucian classics.
In the second year of Qing Dynasty (13 13), Zhu's Four Books, Four Chapters and Four Sentences was approved as the title of the imperial examination. The founding fathers of the Ming Dynasty prefaced the four books and five classics and announced them to the world, which became the only criterion for selecting candidates in the imperial examination in the Ming Dynasty. In the Qing Dynasty, the "Four Books and Five Classics" were still required reading in the imperial examination.
As one of the "Four Books", the Doctrine of the Mean was continuously popularized in the middle and late feudal society of China, reaching the supreme position and becoming the tool and theoretical basis of the ruling group.