What Confucius said_Quotations of Confucius_
Confucius said: Virtue is not alone, it must have neighbors.
(See "The Analects of Confucius").
☆Translation⊙
Confucius said: A virtuous person will not be alone, there will definitely be people of the same kind to get close to him.
You call me a cheap person, but a gentleman is as good as a human being! If there are no gentlemen in Lu, how can we choose this? (See "The Analects of Confucius Gongye Chang").
☆Translation⊙
Confucius mentioned that Mi Zi was cheap and said: A person like this can be said to be a gentleman! If there are no gentlemen in the State of Lu, where can this person obtain this kind of character?
Zigong asked the sun: What about a gift? Confucius said: Women are utensils.
Day: What kind of weapon? Day: Hulian also.
(See "The Analects of Confucius Gongye Chang").
☆Translation⊙
Zigong asked Confucius: How am I like this person? Confucius said: You are like a vessel. Zigong said: What kind of vessel? Confucius said: Hulian in the ancestral temple.
Zi Shiqi Diao started his official career. To the Japanese: I can’t believe it. Zi said.
(See "The Analects of Confucius Gongye Chang").
☆Translation⊙
Confucius asked Qidiao to be an official. He replied: I am not confident about this yet. Confucius was very happy to hear this.
Confucius said: If the way is not good, you will ride on a raft and float in the sea. What is the reason for following me?
(See "The Analects of Confucius Gongye Chang").
☆Translation⊙
Confucius said: If my idea cannot be implemented, I will go overseas on a raft. Zhong You is probably the only one who will follow me! Zilu was very happy after hearing this. Confucius said: Zhongyou's bravery surpasses mine, but we have no place to get wood for rafts.
The Master said to Zigong: "Which one is cured, the daughter or the Hui?" To the sun: How dare you look back on the gift? Hui also hears one to know ten, and Zhi also hears one to know two. Zi Ri: Not as good as that. My daughter and I are not like each other.
(See "The Analects of Confucius Gongye Chang").
☆Translation⊙
Confucius said to Zigong: Who is better, you or Yan Hui? Zigong replied: How dare I compare with Yan Hui? Yan Hui, when you hear one thing, you can infer ten things; when I hear one thing, you can only infer two things. Confucius said: It is true that we cannot catch up with him. Neither I nor you can catch up with him.
Zigong asked: What does Confucius call Wenzi? Zi Ri: He is sensitive and eager to learn, and he is not ashamed to ask questions. This is why he is called literary.
(See "The Analects of Confucius Gongye Chang").
☆Translation⊙
Zigong asked Confucius: Why was Confucius posthumously named Wen? Confucius said: He was smart and loved learning, and he was humble and not ashamed to ask questions. This is the reason why he used Wen as his posthumous title.
Zi said that there are four ways of a gentleman: he should be respectful in his conduct, he should be respectful in his conduct, he should be beneficial to the people when he nourishes them, and he should be righteous in making people righteous.
(See "The Analects of Confucius-Gongye Chang").
☆Translation⊙
Confucius mentioned Zichan and said: He has four qualities that are consistent with the way of a gentleman: he is dignified and humble in his conduct, he is serious in serving the king, and he educates The people are kind and kind, and he serves them in a reasonable manner. Quotations of Confucius in the Analects of Confucius_Quotations of Confucius
Quotations of Confucius in the Analects of Confucius_Quotations of Confucius_
Confucius said: Man Ping Zhong is good at dealing with people and respects them over time.
(See "The Analects of Confucius-Gongye Chang").
☆Translation⊙
Confucius said: Yan Pingzhong is good at interacting with others. The longer others interact with him, the more they respect him.
The son is in Chen, and the day is: Return! Return! The young man in our party is crazy and has become a masterpiece, but I don’t know why he should be cut off!
(See "The Analects of Confucius Gongye Chang").
☆Translation⊙
Confucius was in the state of Chen and said: Go back! Go back! The students over there are ambitious and unrestrained, and have great literary talent. I don't know how to guide them.
Yan Yuan and Ji Lushi. Confucius said: "Yu Yi each expressed his ambition?" Zilu Day: May the carriage, horse, and clothing be light, and be with friends, and I will have no regrets.
Yan Yuan said: I wish there would be no good deeds and no hard work. Zi Lu Day: I would like to hear Zi’s aspirations. Confucius said: The old take care of it, the friends trust it, and the young cherish it.
(See "The Analects of Confucius Gongye Chang").
☆Translation⊙
Yan Yuan and Ji Lu stood beside Confucius. Confucius said: Why don't you talk about your ambitions? Zilu said: I hope that I can use my carriages, horses and clothes with my friends. Even if they are worn out, I will not be dissatisfied. Yan Yuan said: I hope not to boast about my own benefits or express my own merits. Zilu said again: I hope to hear your ambition. Confucius said: (My ambition is) to give comfort to the old, to trust my friends, and to care for the young.
Confucius said: That's it. I have never seen anyone who can see his fault and sue himself. (See "The Analects of Confucius Gongye Chang").
☆Translation⊙
Confucius said: Forget it! I have never met anyone who can blame himself in his heart when he sees his own faults!
Duke Ai asked: Which disciple is eager to learn? Confucius said to the Japanese: A person with good looks loves to learn, does not express his anger, and does not make mistakes. Unfortunately, he died in a short life, and now he is dead, and he has not heard of any good scholars. (See "The Analects of Confucius Yong Ye").
☆Translation⊙
Duke Ai of Lu asked Confucius: Which of your students loves learning? Confucius replied: There was a Yan Hui who loved learning. He never expressed his anger to others and never made the same mistakes. Unfortunately, he died short-lived, and now there is no such person anymore, and no one who loves learning is ever heard of again.
Zihua sent envoys to Qi, and Ranzi asked for millet for his mother. Confucius said: With the cauldron. Please benefit. Day: thin with it. Ran Zi and Su Wubing. Zi Day: Red is suitable for riding on a fat horse and wearing light fur. I have heard this: A gentleman is in a hurry and does not succeed in getting rich. (See "The Analects of Confucius - Yong Ye").
☆Translation⊙
Zihua was on an envoy to Qi State, and Ran You requested millet for his mother on his behalf.
Confucius said: Give him a cauldron. Ran You asked for more, and Confucius said: Give him another Yu. Ran You gave him five gifts. Confucius said: Gong Xichi went to the state of Qi, driving a fat horse in front of his chariot and wearing a light and warm leather robe. I have heard: A gentleman should help others when they need it, not the icing on the cake.
I originally wanted to kill him, but I gave him nine hundred grains and resigned. The Master said: No!
It’s like you are a neighbor! (See "The Analects of Confucius Yong Ye").
☆Translation⊙
Yuan wanted to be the general manager of Confucius' family. Confucius gave him nine hundred millets, but he refused to take it. Confucius said: Don't refuse. Share some with your folks!
Ran Qiuri: If you don’t speak the way of the Master, you are not strong enough. Confucius said: Those who are not strong enough will give up in the middle way. Today's female paintings.
(See "The Analects of Confucius Yong Ye").
☆Translation⊙
Ran Qiu said: It’s not that I don’t like your idea, it’s that I don’t have enough strength to implement it. Confucius said: If you really lack strength, you will be unable to walk halfway. Now you are stuck on your own.
The Master said to Zi Xia: A woman is a gentleman and a Confucian, but nothing is a villain!
(See "The Analects of Confucius Yong Ye").
☆Translation⊙
Confucius said to Zixia: You must be a Confucian like a gentleman, not a Confucian like a villain.
Ziyou was the Prime Minister of Wucheng. Confucius said: How can a woman win a man's ear? Day: There are those who destroy the Ming Dynasty in Tantai, and they can't help it. If it is not official business, they will end up in the Yan's room. (See "The Analects of Confucius Yong Ye").
☆Translation⊙
Ziyou served as the governor of Wucheng. Confucius said: Have you found talents there? Ziyou: There was a man named Tantai Mieming. He never stepped into the narrow streets when walking. He never came to my house unless it was official business.
Confucius said: Who can leave the house without leaving the house? Why is there such a thing?
(See "The Analects of Confucius Yong Ye").
☆Translation⊙
Confucius said: Who can come out of the house without going through the door?
Why doesn’t anyone walk on the right path in life? The original text and translation of Confucius' quotations_Confucius' quotations
The original text and translation of Confucius' quotations_Confucius' quotations_
Zhixue
Confucius said: Three armies can seize the commander, but one man cannot. Seize ambition also.
(See "The Analects of Confucius").
☆Translation⊙
Confucius said: A country’s army can take away its commander; but a man cannot take away his will.
Confucius said: Isn’t it true that one should learn and practice from time to time? Wouldn’t it be nice to have a friend who died only to come back? Isn't it a gentleman if a person doesn't know something but doesn't get upset?
(See "The Analects of Confucius").
☆Translation⊙
Confucius said: After learning it, wouldn’t it be nice to review it from time to time? Isn’t it great to have like-minded people come to study from afar?
If I don’t complain when others don’t understand my talents, wouldn’t I be considered a gentleman?
Confucius said: You can learn from others, but you cannot learn from them; you can learn from them, but you cannot establish them; you can learn from them, but you cannot establish them.
(See "The Analects of Confucius").
☆Translation⊙
Confucius said: Those who can study with him may not be able to pursue the truth with him; those who can pursue the truth with him may not be able to live with him. He follows firm principles together; people who can follow firm principles with him may not necessarily be able to adapt to changes with him.
Confucius said: Disciple, you should be filial to others, be a younger brother when you go out, be sincere and trustworthy, love others universally, and be kind to others. If you have enough energy to do it, study literature.
(See "The Analects of Confucius").
☆Translation⊙
Confucius said: When you are young, you should be filial to your parents in front of them; when you leave your room, you should respect your elder brothers; when you speak cautiously, you should keep your word; when you are fraternal, you should be close to the public. A kind person. After practicing in this way, if you still have some energy left, then study the literature again.
Confucius said: If a gentleman is not serious, he will not have authority; if he is learned, he will not be solid. The Lord is faithful. He who has no friends is not as good as himself. Don’t be afraid to correct it if it’s too late.
(See "The Analects of Confucius").
☆Translation⊙
Confucius said: For a gentleman, if he is not solemn, he has no majesty; even if he studies, what he learns will not be solid. Be close to people who have the two virtues of loyalty and trust, and do not make friends with people who are not as good as you. If you make a mistake, don't be afraid to correct it.
Confucius said: A gentleman has nothing to eat and nothing to live in, and he has nothing to ask for. He is sensitive to things and careful in his words.
(See "The Analects of Confucius").
If you go there and correct yourself, you can be said to be eager to learn.
Confucius said: Don’t worry about others but you don’t know yourself, but you don’t know others when you worry.
(See "The Analects of Confucius").
☆Translation⊙
Confucius said: Don’t be afraid that others don’t understand you (talents and moral character), but be afraid that you don’t understand others (talent and moral character).
Confucius said: When I was fifteen, I was determined to learn; when I was thirty, I was established; when I was forty, I was not confused; when I was fifty, I knew the destiny; at sixty, my ears were obedient; at seventy, I followed my heart's desires without exceeding the rules. (See "The Analects of Confucius for Politics").
☆Translation⊙
Confucius said: I began to be interested in learning when I was 15 years old. By the age of 30, fully mature. By the age of 40, you will no longer be confused. At the age of 50, I understand my destiny. By the age of 60, I can understand and take everything I hear calmly. By the age of 70, you can do whatever you want without going beyond the rules. Confucius_Introduction to Confucius
Confucius_Introduction to Confucius_
Foreword
During his lifetime, Confucius advocated expounding rather than writing. Like Socrates in ancient Greece, he had no writings of his own. He devoted most of his life to political practice based on the principle of doing justice.
He believes that the pursuit of Tao is the ideal shared by ancient sages and sages, and what he should do is to put the ideals of his predecessors into practice. Even in his later years when he was convinced that political practice could not succeed and turned to cultural education, all he devoted himself to was organizing and explaining the classics of previous generations.
His modest attitude in writing certainly does not mean that his own thoughts and literary talent are not enough to be expressed to future generations. His contemporaries recognized him as a saint, and his disciples deeply regretted not being able to hear his talk about sex and heaven. Therefore, after Confucius passed away at the age of 73, collecting and sorting out Confucius' words and deeds became an important mission for Confucius' disciples and disciples.
A brief introduction to Confucius
Confucius’s name was Qiu and his courtesy name was Zhongni. He was born in the state of Lu during the Spring and Autumn Period. He was born in the 21st year of Duke Xiang of Lu (551 BC). There are also books saying that he was born in He died in the 22nd year of Duke Xiang of Lu and in the 16th year of Duke Ai of Lu (479 BC). He is a descendant of the Yin Shang Dynasty.
His ancestor Kong Fujia was a member of the clan of the Song Dynasty. Because it was five generations away from his ancestor who had been the king of the Song Dynasty, he was changed to the Kong family. Kong Fujia was killed by Hua Fudu, a powerful minister of the Song Dynasty, because his wife was beautiful. His descendants fled to the Lu Kingdom. By the time Confucius arrived, he was already the fourth generation of the Kong family in Lu (some say it was the sixth generation).
Confucius’s father, Uncle Liang He, was a great warrior and served as the official of Zou Yi in the state of Lu. He died shortly after Confucius was born. Confucius grew up with his widowed mother. In order to make a living, he had learned to do many menial jobs, and worked as a commission official, a field official, and other minor officials in the family of the Ji family, a great nobleman in the Lu state. It can be said that Confucius has been reduced from a noble family to a poor and humble commoner. He himself said: Mr. Qiu is also cheap.
However, this poor and humble life and status did not accompany Confucius throughout his life. He later served as the Zhongdu Prime Minister and Sikou of the State of Lu, and became a senior official in the State of Lu.
The fundamental reason for the change in Confucius' social status was the increasingly violent social changes at that time. Based on the actual situation at that time, this great social change can be summarized as the transformation from the patriarchal system to the bureaucratic landlord system.
Under the typical patriarchal hereditary system of the Western Zhou Dynasty, nobles at all levels inherited their political status from generation to generation, and the majority of the ruled class could never change their fate of slavery.
Starting from the Western Zhou Dynasty, as the power of the ruled class continued to grow, they began to fight for political power from the aristocratic group. At the same time, the increasingly acute and complex social contradictions and the increasing decadence of the aristocratic group also forced the aristocratic rulers to discover and select knowledgeable and capable political talents from the ruled classes.
The basic condition for selecting such talents is to master the aristocratic culture represented by "Poetry", "Book", "Ritual" and "Music" and combine it with real politics.
Receiving formal education with this cultural knowledge was originally a privilege for the children of the nobility at that time. However, in the late Spring and Autumn Period, many people with commoner backgrounds achieved outstanding results in this area through self-study. Confucius is the most outstanding representative.
When he was very young, he liked to play a game of imitating adults in arranging ritual utensils. Later, he finally became a learned figure, so much so that Meng Xizi, one of the three great nobles of the Lu State, thought that he would become famous before his death. He ordered his two sons to learn etiquette from him in order to maintain their status. This shows that because of Confucius's emphasis on etiquette, the upper-class nobles began to accept him as their own kind.
From then on, Confucius’s life was inextricably linked with the upper-level politics of the Spring and Autumn Period.
As a person who was born in the common people and had lofty political ambitions, Confucius did not regard obtaining a prominent official position as his political goal. He was strongly dissatisfied with the ignorance and decadence of the aristocratic group and the dark chaos of social politics at that time. Through summarizing historical experience and thinking about real politics, Confucius formed his own ideas for improving society.
Confucius believed that the best way to solve the practical problems of society at that time was to restore the orderly state of the heyday of the Western Zhou Dynasty, that is, to implement and improve the rule of etiquette. Paying attention to the rule of etiquette is a major feature of the progressive aristocratic thinkers in the Spring and Autumn Period. They have conducted many meaningful explorations in this area. Confucius inherited their ideological achievements and developed them to a new era.
He clearly pointed out that etiquette must be based on benevolence. He said: If a person is not kind, how can he be polite? If people are not benevolent, what joy will there be? ("The Analects of Confucius") So, what exactly does benevolence, which is the foundation of ritual and music, refer to? In The Analects, Confucius talks about benevolence a lot. But from a political perspective, benevolence means loving others. The so-called love for others means asking the rulers to treat the common people as the same people as themselves. A conversation between him and Zigong expressed this specifically. "The Analects of Confucius Yong Ye" records: Zigong said: What if you can give to the people and help everyone? Can it be said to be benevolent? Confucius said: What matters to benevolence must be holy! Yao and Shun were still sick! A benevolent man will establish others if he wants to establish himself, and if he wants to reach others, he will reach others. Being able to draw close examples can be said to be the way to be benevolent.
Zigong asked Confucius whether it was benevolence to be able to help the people by giving to the people. Confucius believed that this was far beyond benevolence and reached the realm of sage. Even Yao and Shun could not easily achieve it. Benevolence, on the other hand, is nothing more than establishing others if one wishes to establish oneself, and promoting others if one wishes to achieve oneself, that is, allowing others to obtain the same power as oneself to obtain political status.
It does not require benefiting others at the expense of oneself, nor does it allow benefiting oneself at the expense of others. After Ren intervened, Li's original essence of serving the aristocratic group of the Zhou Dynasty was basically stripped away.
Rites have completely become a form of hierarchical structure in the whole society that has nothing to do with blood origin. In the ritual rule with benevolence as the core, although there are still hierarchical differences between high and low, a person's status should in principle be determined by the position a person obtains based on his talent. In the historical context of that time, this political thought undoubtedly took care of the interests of the civilian class to the greatest extent and had historical and progressive significance.
Of course, since the aristocratic group was still the dominant force in society at that time, Confucius’s political ideal was destined to not be successfully realized in the real society. After his attempt in this area failed in the State of Lu, he began to travel around the country, hoping that someone would implement his ideas, but throughout his life, his wish was not realized.
Therefore, in order to make his ideas viable for future generations, he devoted his main energy in cultivating talents and creatively organizing ancient classics in his later years. He trained so many students that he has seventy sages and three thousand disciples.
From today's perspective, what is more valuable than Confucius's political theory is his philosophy of life. In the course of his life's struggle, Confucius encountered many setbacks and troubles.
While dealing with these troubles and setbacks, Confucius formed his solid philosophy of life. He once reviewed the spiritual process of his life: When I was fifteen, I was determined to learn. .
At the age of 15, you are determined to engage in learning. At the age of 30, you can stand on your own in society. At the age of 40, you have established the principles of life. At the age of 50, you understand destiny. At the age of 60, you begin to understand everything. At the age of 70, you can do whatever you want. Do not violate any rules. In this spiritual process, the most thought-provoking ones are No Confusion at Forty and Knowing Destiny at Fifty.
The so-called lack of confusion means establishing one's own independent value orientation and value principles, not following the crowd, and not worrying about gains and losses. This attitude is most obviously reflected in Confucius's understanding of the relationship between ambition and interests.
Ambition and interests are a set of contradictory relationships that everyone must face. China has a tradition of pursuing Taoism since ancient times, and Confucius also attached great importance to it. He said: It is not enough for a scholar to aspire to the Tao, but to be ashamed of those who wear bad clothes and eat bad food. ("The Analects of Confucius, Li Ren") From this, the false Taoists and hypocrites of later generations put forward the extreme view of preserving natural principles and destroying human desires. As a result, it is common to talk about benevolence, righteousness and morality, but to commit men to steal and women to prostitute.
Confucius’s view was different. He fully affirmed the rationality of people's legitimate desires and was not opposed to the pursuit of wealth and status. However, he believes that the pursuit of wealth and status must not violate moral principles. He said:
Wealth and honor are what people want. If you don’t get them in the right way, you will not live in them. Poverty and lowliness are what people hate.
If you don't follow the way to get it, don't go.
("Benevolence in the Analects of Confucius")
Wealth can be sought after, even if you are a whip-wielding man, I will do it. If you can't ask for it, do as I like. ("The Analects of Confucius")
Eat sparingly, drink water, bend your arms and rest your head on it, and enjoy it. Being rich and noble without justice is like a floating cloud to me. ("Fu Shuer")
If it violates morality, it is better to be poor than to be rich. But this does not mean that justice and profit are opposites. On the contrary, Confucius believed that in a truly sound society, righteousness and benefit are unified. He clearly pointed out:
If a country has good moral principles, it would be a shame to be poor and humble; if a country has no moral principles, it would be a shame to be rich and noble. ("The Analects of Confucius")
When the country's politics are dark and you gain wealth, it means that you have used unfair means, so it is a shame; when the country's politics are clear and you are trapped in poverty, it means that you have no virtue. Incompetent, so it's also a shame. It can be seen that Confucius's value principles are very rational and dialectical, and therefore very firm and confident. As he said: Three armies can seize the commander, but one man cannot seize the will. ("The Analects of Confucius")
The so-called knowledge of destiny is also a positive attitude towards life in Confucius. Heaven and destiny were a pair of belief categories that people generally paid attention to at that time.
Confucius had his own thoughts on it. He regarded heaven as the externalized form of human spiritual power. He believed that Heaven was his only understander, but he did not expect Heaven to bring anything to him. He said: Don't complain about Heaven, don't blame others, learn from the bottom and reach the top, and the one who knows me is Heaven! ("The Analects of Confucius") However, when he encountered danger, he looked for the strength of faith from heaven.
When he traveled around the country, he was once besieged in a place called Kuang. He said: Since King Wen is gone, does Wen not care? Heaven will lose Siwen, and the deceased will not be able to be with him; Heaven will not lose Siwen, what will Kuang people do? ("The Analects of Confucius") Another time, when he was passing by the Song Dynasty, Sima Huanji of the Song Dynasty wanted to kill him. He said: I am born with virtue, how can Huanzhi give me? ("The Analects of Confucius") The holy angel calms himself and despises his enemies.
Fate is more important to him than heaven. He said: If you don't know destiny, you can't be a gentleman. "The Analects of Confucius") So, what exactly is fate? Contrary to what ordinary people at that time understood as destiny from earth and heaven, Confucius believed that a virtuous person may not necessarily have a good destiny, and a person with a good destiny may not necessarily be virtuous. In other words, God will not arrange or change people's destiny based on their virtues.
His student Bo Niu was very virtuous, but he suffered from a serious disease. Confucius held his hand and said: If you perish, your life will be yours! This person also has this disease! This person also has this disease! ("The Analects of Confucius") The aristocrat Gong Boliao of the Lu State interfered with Confucius' student Zi Lu to implement reforms in the Lu State. Confucius said: How will the Tao be carried out? Fate. Is Tao going to be abolished? Fate.
How does Gong Bo live in his house? ("The Analects of Confucius") It can be seen from this that everyone is equal in front of fate, and no one can predict or influence fate. If a person wants to know his fate, he can only know it at the final moment of his actions. In this way, fate actually becomes a kind of self-comfort and self-mockery that people do when they cannot achieve their set goals or encounter unfortunate circumstances.
Confucius struggled all his life to practice the Tao, and was jokingly said to do it even though he knew it was impossible. But he firmly believed that his struggle was in line with God's will, and the failure of his career was due to the limitations of fate. Therefore, he always had the spirit of working hard and forgetting food, being happy and forgetting worries, and not knowing that he was approaching old age. He never felt depressed. time.
This is the true meaning of his view of destiny! The profound and broad significance of Confucius’ philosophy of life can be seen from the above two aspects. As a great educator who is regarded as a role model for all generations, Confucius left a wealth of educational thoughts in the process of educating students. His discussions on teaching principles and teaching methods have now become aphorisms. Such as reviewing the past and learning new things, drawing inferences from one example, thinking about others when seeing them, never getting tired of learning, being tireless in teaching others, knowing what you know, knowing what you don’t know, and if you are walking among three people, you must have a teacher, etc., etc., etc., which have permanent guiding significance for all aspiring scholars. But what deserves our attention more than these is his thought on personality education.
The initial motivation of Confucian disciples to follow Confucius was to learn and master the etiquette and music culture required for an official career, and to look for opportunities to become official. Confucius did not take a negative attitude towards their motivation, but what he valued more was allowing students to form a moral personality that he called a gentleman. He believes that developing a sound personality is more meaningful than mastering extensive knowledge. He said: Disciples, be filial when you enter, be younger when you go out, be sincere and trustworthy, love others universally, and be kind.
If you have enough energy to practice, study literature. ("The Analects of Confucius") When he educated his students, he divided them into four subjects: virtue, speech, political affairs, and literature, with virtue ranking first. He believes that only those who strive to strengthen their moral cultivation can be called truly studious. He had many students, but he thought that only Yan Hui could be regarded as a studious student, because Hui's heart was not contrary to benevolence for three months, and the rest was just the sun and the moon ("The Analects of Confucius Yongye"). Judging from the book "The Analects of Confucius", the gentleman's personality advocated by Confucius when educating students mainly includes three aspects: (1) be happy with life and live in peace, without worries or fear; (2) sacrifice yourself to be benevolent, and put righteousness first; (3) be gentle and polite , then gentleman. Confucius believed that only a person who can establish firm beliefs in these aspects and put them into practice in life can be said to be a mature person.
This educational thought undoubtedly has positive significance in cultivating the excellent character of the Chinese nation.
Yan Hui, Confucius's most proud student, once spoke passionately of his feelings towards Confucius: Those who look up to him will become taller, and those who drill into him will become stronger. Look ahead, suddenly look behind. Master is always good at seducing me. He persuades me with words and invites me with courtesy. I can't stop. After exhausting my talents, I will achieve excellence. Although you want to follow it, there is no reason.
This is the case with Confucius: the more you look up to him, the higher you feel; the more you study him, the deeper you feel. You cannot simply and firmly grasp him, but he is always by your side, in front of you or behind you. As long as you understand him with all your heart, he will always inspire you. Moreover, as your life experience and understanding increase, the inspiration he will give you will become greater.
As the Japanese writer Yasushi Inoue said in the article "To Chinese Readers" written for the Chinese translation of his novel "Confucius": People in their sixties or seventies who read "The Analects" are probably the same as me. They all became prisoners of "The Analects of Confucius".