Meaning: A gentleman's implementation of the golden mean is like taking a long road, he must start from near; just like climbing a high mountain, he must start from low.

From: "The Doctrine of the Mean" by Zisi during the Warring States Period

Original text: The way of a gentleman is as follows: when traveling far, one must be near; when one is climbing high, one must humble oneself. "Poetry" says: "The wife is harmonious, like the drum, harp, and harp. The brothers are playing, and they are happy and relaxed. It is suitable for the family and the family, and the wife and money are happy." Confucius said: "My parents are so obedient!"

Translation: Practicing the gentleman's golden mean is like taking a long road, you must start from near, just like climbing high, you must start from low. "The Book of Songs" says: "Husband and wife are in love, harmonious like harp and harp, brothers live in harmony, and they will be happy and peaceful for a long time." The family is happy, the wife and children are happy. Confucius said: "How comfortable it is for parents!" "

Introduction to the work:

"The Doctrine of the Mean" is a moral philosophy monograph in ancient China that discusses the realm of life cultivation. It is one of the Confucian classics and originally belonged to the 30th chapter of the "Book of Rites" One article is said to have been written by Zisi during the Warring States Period. Its content affirms that "moderate" is the highest standard of moral behavior, believes that "sincerity" reaches the highest realm of life, and proposes "learn it extensively, inquire it carefully, think carefully, and discern it clearly." ", practice it sincerely" learning process and understanding method.

Scholars in the Song Dynasty extracted "The Doctrine of the Mean" from the "Book of Rites", and together with "The Great Learning", "The Analects" and "Mencius" were collectively called the "Four Books". Song Dynasty After the Yuan Dynasty, it became an official school textbook and a required reading for imperial examinations, which had a great impact on ancient Chinese education and society.