As far as the translated versions I can read at present are concerned, both Cheng Yi and Zhu, recognized masters of Confucianism, and "unsung heroes" on Baidu all interpret Ceng Zi's "those who haven't learned to adopt children before getting married" as: no one has learned how to raise children before getting married.
According to Cheng Yi and Zhu's translation, the original sentence should be translated as: "Just like protecting a baby, pursue your goal with your heart. Even if you don't reach your goal, you are not far from it." No one has learned to raise children before getting married. "This translation is really belittling Ceng Zi, which is obviously taken out of context and has no logical relationship.
Ceng Zi's words of wisdom could have helped the Chinese nation become stronger and stronger, but it's a pity that later generations completely reversed Ceng Zi's original intention when interpreting this sentence for more than two thousand years.
Now, let's look at the original text again. Is it more logical to translate like this?
(Original) "Kang Hao" said: "If you protect your son." I sincerely hope it. Although I miss it, it is not far away. Didn't learn to adopt a son, and then got married.
Kang Hao said: "Just like protecting a baby, sincerely pursue your goal. Even if the goal is not achieved, it is not far from the goal. Learn to raise children first, have children again, and then get married. (even if the child is not successful in the end, it will not make the child have too much deviation. )"
Ceng Zi also said, "Things begin and end. Take shortcuts when you know the order. " Everything has roots and branches, and everything has a beginning and an end. Understanding this truth from beginning to end is close to the inherent law of the development of things. "First of all, the ultimate goal of raising a child must be to hope that the child will become a success and honor his ancestors, just as China people have always said,' I wish the child success'. Then, in the matter of having children, the inherent law is to learn the law of children's growth first, and then get married and have children, which is more conducive to realizing our ideal of "wishing children success"? Or get married and have children first, and then come back to cram for education when the children have problems? Who can better achieve our goal of "wishing children success"? Obviously, it is impossible for Ceng Zi not to know such a simple truth. Therefore, Ceng Zi "didn't learn to adopt a son, and then got married. "Isn't the original intention of educating people to learn how to raise children before giving birth or getting married, and then get married and have children?