There is a saying in "University" that "gentleman" is interpreted as "king", and there are similar chapters, such as "a gentleman is virtuous and kisses his relatives". It can be seen that the gentleman in the pre-Qin period had the meaning of "Jun".
There is also a description of a gentleman in The Analects of Confucius: "A gentleman is righteous and a villain is beneficial." ("The Analects of Confucius" "righteousness" means "righteousness", which means that the road a gentleman takes is always an appropriate right path. The villain attaches great importance to self-interest, and it is easy to go astray driven by self-interest.
Under the patriarchal clan system, the first child born to a wife is called the eldest son, the second child is called the second, and the child born to a concubine is called an illegitimate child. The family system formed by the eldest son is called the bulk, and the eldest son of the bulk can be called the monarch. The monarch of a vassal is the monarch, and the monarch of a doctor is the monarch. If it is the son of heaven, it is called the son of heaven, the son of the public is the son of the gentleman, and the son of the gentleman is the gentleman. Most men are called gentlemen for short. The rest of the family system, such as the second son and illegitimate child, is a small clan, and these men in the small clan are called villains for short.
The ancients believed that people with high self-cultivation must have high status. For example, people in bulk have the conditions to receive a good education from an early age, and have relatively high quality and accomplishment in etiquette, literature and art. Listening to music is elegant music; Low-status villains generally have no conditions to receive the best education, and can only listen to simple music or even street pop music. This difference in education quality and accomplishment will naturally affect people's moral standards.
Confucius added moral factors to the meaning of gentleman and villain for the first time in his theory. But the patriarchal clan system has not changed. Confucius said, "Only women are hard to raise. If you are near, you will feel inferior, and if you are far away, you will complain. " It is generally understood that only women and villains are difficult to treat. If you are close to them, they will not respect you; if you are distant from them, they will complain. If placed in the patriarchal clan environment, it should be understood as follows: the women and villains here belong to the small clan and belong to the same big family as the big clan. Although it is divided into big clan and small clan, they must be a family, so it is difficult to deal with the relationship with small clan. If you get close to them, you will have the wild desire to get the same treatment as your eldest relatives. If you alienate them, you will complain that you are not regarded as a family. It can be seen that the main point of this sentence lies in the word "difficult".
On the discussion of gentlemen, Confucius once said: "A gentleman has Jiu Si: he can see clearly, listen attentively, look gently, look respectfully, speak faithfully, think respectfully, ask questions in doubt, think hard and see what he thinks." (The Analects of Confucius Ji Shi) is the general principle of all aspects of words and deeds.
Zeng Shen entered more specific requirements. He said: "gentlemen have three expenses, and diet is not one of them." A gentleman has three pleasures, and Zhong Qing is not one of them ... It is a pleasure to have an awesome relative, a gentleman who works and a son who is left behind. Having relatives to be afraid, a king to go and a son to be angry are two kinds of pleasures; There are gentlemen to compare with, and friends to help. These three pleasures are also ... It is also a cost to learn less and forget long. If you do something meritorious, you will lose it, and if you do, you will lose both. Make friends for a long time, and you will never make friends. These three fees are also. " Ceng Zi etiquette has many strict requirements for gentlemen. For example, "a gentleman is always happy, those who come unexpectedly, and those who go unintentionally." The deceased does not slander and is innocent, which can be described as loyalty. A gentleman is respectful but not difficult, comfortable but not comfortable, humble but not flattering, generous but not vertical, generous but not frugal, straight but not going, which can be described as the unity of knowledge and action. "He also said:" When a gentleman enters a country, he doesn't say anything about it, doesn't violate its prohibition, doesn't keep the clothes of Chinese color, and doesn't say that he is afraid of risks. So he said: "It is better to be frugal than to be extravagant; It's better than embarrassment. "
Obviously, Zeng Shen's definition of gentleman is very specific and strict, although it does not exceed the requirements of "Jiu Si". In the whole history of China's ideology and culture, this style of mentoring inheritance is very representative. Because Ceng Zi School is too strict with "gentlemen", it sometimes reveals some Taoist flavor. The article "Ceng Zi Shili" also said: "A gentleman is never too small, nor is he too small. If people know, they will be willing. If others don't know, they will know. A gentleman should keep it for life. " "A gentleman sees profit and is ashamed, evil and ashamed, lewd and ashamed, angry and bitter. The gentleman will keep this battle for life. " Although this cautious attitude towards life is basically within the scope of Confucianism, it is obvious that the logic of Taoism is used to demand gentlemen, and its tendency of passive avoidance is obvious. This tendency may have been avoided by Zeng Shen at the beginning, but the development of thought, like many other things, is difficult to grasp by itself after a certain degree.
Later Confucianism made more norms and requirements for "gentlemen". For example, a gentleman has four noes: first, a gentleman must behave appropriately if he does not act rashly; Second, a gentleman doesn't just talk, what he says must be reasonable; Third, a gentleman is meticulous in seeking, and seeking must be correct; Fourth, a gentleman will do something if he does nothing.
If a gentleman doesn't move, he will, and if he moves, he will have a way. The Analects of Confucius said: "A gentleman believes in his words and forbids his actions. Therefore, words focus on the end, and actions are based on what. Then the people are cautious in their words and cautious in their actions. " A gentleman should have a reason to speak. They will ask themselves to be cautious in their words and deeds, to be polite in everything and not to be casual. Whenever they act, they must have their intentions. This is the so-called "don't move, move in a measured way."
A gentleman doesn't just talk. His words must be reasonable. Rumors stop at wise men, so gentlemen often say indecent things, keep their mouths shut, don't talk empty words, and don't tell lies. But when it's time to say it, I will say it, because it's beneath my dignity to say it; It shouldn't be a slip of the tongue. To be a gentleman, you must not slip your tongue. The words of a gentleman are meaningful, compassionate and just. Therefore, a gentleman doesn't just use words. His words must be reasonable.
A gentleman is meticulous in seeking, and seeking must be correct. There is an old saying: "A gentleman loves money and takes it wisely. A virtuous daughter loves color and accepts it with courtesy. " A gentleman cherishes his reputation and restrains his desires. He won't take things that don't belong to him, he won't make wishful profits, and he won't hurt others, seek personal gain and take things from others. If a gentleman wants to do something, it must be for the country, for the society, for justice, for the people and for the interests of all beings.
A gentleman's behavior is not worth it, but must be correct. If he is a gentleman, his words and deeds will not be casual, and he will think twice before doing anything: will such behavior hurt others? Will this be bad for others? Think it over before he takes action. Therefore, a gentleman's behavior must conform to the right path. That is to say the truth, the righteous thoughts, the righteous words, the righteous deeds and the upright behaviors.