I. Original text

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. "

Second, translation.

Confucius said: "it is absurd to pursue extraordinary truth. What will future generations say about it, but I won't do it." A gentleman follows the golden mean and gives up halfway, but I won't stop. A gentleman acts by the golden mean. Although they are little known and unknown in the world, they do not regret it. Only a saint can do this. "

Third, the source

The Book of Rites and The Doctrine of the Mean

Extended data

First, the creative background

The Doctrine of the Mean is a monograph of China's ancient moral philosophy on the realm of life accomplishment, and it is one of the Confucian classics. Originally the thirty-first chapter of the Book of Rites, it was said that it was written by Zi Si during the Warring States Period.

Second, the appreciation of works

There are more than 3,500 words in The Doctrine of the Mean, which is divided into 33 chapters and 4 parts according to Zhu's classification method. It is a biography of Confucian Taoism since the ancient times, which involves many aspects such as the way to treat others, the standard of virtue, and the way to learn. The contents from the first chapter to the nineteenth chapter focus on the universality and importance of the golden mean from many angles.

Chapter 20 starts with Lu Aigong's inquiry to Confucius about how to handle government affairs, and points out the close relationship between the implementation of government affairs and strengthening people's self-cultivation, and further expounds five ethical relations, three virtues and nine principles of governing the country.

At the end of this chapter, the core of the second half of this book is "sincerity", which emphasizes five specific aspects of "sincerity". Chapters 2 1 to 33 are all about honesty.

Three. Brief introduction of the author

Zisi, a native of Shandong, surnamed Kong, Mingji, grandson of Confucius, was one of the main representatives of Confucian school in the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period. He was called a "saint" in history, and the school he founded was called "Zi Si Confucianism", which was called Meng Si School together with Mencius. His main works include twenty-three poems contained in History of Literature and Art, all of which have been lost.

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