It means: If it can be new every day, it should be kept new every day, and when it is new, it should be updated.

From "Book of Rites·University (Chapter 3)", excerpt from the original text:

Tang Zhi's "Pan Ming" says: "It is new every day, new every day, and new every day." "Kang Gao" said: "Become a new people." "Poetry" said: "Although Zhou was an old state, its destiny was renewed." Therefore, a gentleman will do everything to the best of his ability.

Translation:

The motto engraved on the bathtub by King Tang of Shang Dynasty said: "If it can be renewed every day, it should be kept new every day, and when it is new, it should be renewed." "Kang Gao" " said: "Inspire people to abandon the old and pursue the new." "The Book of Songs" said: "Although the Zhou Dynasty was an old country, it was endowed with a new destiny." Therefore, people with high moral character pursue perfection everywhere.

Notes:

1. Tang: Ji Cheng Tang, the founding monarch of the Shang Dynasty.

2. Pan Ming: a motto engraved on the vessel to warn oneself. The vessel here refers to Shangtang’s bathtub.

3. Gou: conjunction, hypothesis, if.

4. To cheer up and inspire.

5. New people: The "people-friendly" mentioned in the "Sutra" should actually be the "new people". It means to make the new and the people new, that is, to make people abandon the old and seek the new, to abandon evil and do good.

6. Its destiny refers to the destiny of the Zhou Dynasty.

7. Wei: auxiliary word, meaningless.

8. Therefore, a gentleman will try his best in everything: Therefore, a person with high moral character will pursue perfection everywhere. That's why, so. Gentleman sometimes refers to aristocrats, sometimes refers to people of high moral character, and has different meanings depending on the context and language environment.

Extended information

Ideology of the work:

As a chapter in the "Book of Rites", "The Great Learning" directly inspired the thoughts of Han Confucianism. Especially after the rise of academic scholarship in the Song Dynasty, with the help of the imperial examination, it played a great role. After the Song Dynasty, almost every scholar was influenced by "The Great Learning".

"University" emphasizes the improvement of learners' own moral cultivation, and also emphasizes the spirit of concern and participation in society, which has positive significance for forming a good social atmosphere and promoting social development.

The ideas of "cultivation, harmony, governance, and peace" proposed in "The Great Learning" have almost become the only standard ideal for scholars. This kind of thinking advocates being active in the world, focusing on self-cultivation, caring about the people's sufferings, striving to improve people's livelihood, maintaining social stability, supporting reunification, and playing an important role in the prosperity and stability of society.

Appreciation:

Moral cultivation is the endless renewal process of the self. "Xinmin" is to educate the people, which is an attempt to renew the qualities of others. However, the inscription Shang Tang carved on the bathtub for self-warning is used to illustrate the meaning of "Xinmin" in "The University". The concept defines this concept as self-renewal and self-development.

The concatenation of the four characters "日" emphasizes in a very powerful tone: we must constantly renew, create and develop ourselves, always pursue new goals and new achievements, and always have In the new atmosphere and new look, never stop moving forward and be content with the status quo.

The saying "A gentleman should do everything to the best of his ability" clearly indicates that this kind of renewal and development is an endless process that has no end, and it requires people to maximize their consciousness of pursuing the best.

This is a positive outlook on life, a philosophy that encourages development and innovation, and opens up new space for self-creation.

About the author:

Zhu Xi (September 15, 1130-April 23, 1200), whose character is Yuan Hui. Han nationality, ancestral home is Wuyuan County, Huizhou Prefecture, Jiangnan East Road, Southern Song Dynasty (now Wuyuan, Jiangxi Province), and was born in Youxi, Nanjian Prefecture.

The famous Neo-Confucian, thinker, philosopher, educator, poet, and representative of the Fujian School in the Southern Song Dynasty, known as Zhu Zi in the world, was the most outstanding master in promoting Confucianism since Confucius and Mencius. Zhu Xi is the master of Neo-Confucianism and one of the main representatives of Confucianism in China's feudal era.

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