From the doctrine of the mean, university
original text
As the poem says, "A yellow wild bird stops at the corner of a hillside." Confucius said, "When you stop, you know what you have stopped. Can people be worse than birds? "
translate
The Book of Songs also said: "The yellowbird that sings only lives on the hills." Confucius said, "The little yellow bird lives on the mountain, but it knows where it should stay. Isn't man worse than a bird? "
It is very important to comment on "stop", which represents a kind of restraint and restriction. In ancient China, there were many sparks about pluralism, moderation and contentment. People should know their own moral boundaries and codes of conduct, and do something instead of doing nothing. Confucius means, are people even worse than yellow birds? "Zhi Zhi" means that all birds know what to stop and where to live. Aren't people worse than birds? If people don't keep harmony and happiness, they are worse than birds. He only knows fighting, hegemony and trampling on other people's human rights. If individuals don't obey social order and etiquette, Confucius thinks such people are worse than animals. What the Book of Songs and Confucius said is not feudal superstition, but the brilliance of humanistic rationality, which is the introspection and reflection of human beings.