It means: If a gentleman wants to cultivate his moral character, he must first cultivate his inner character and at the same time pay attention to his external appearance.

Source: "Zuo Shi Bian" by Ouyang Xiu of the Song Dynasty: "A gentleman's self-cultivation is to correct his heart internally and correct his appearance externally"

Vernacular translation: A gentleman should cultivate himself and be correct internally. You must correct your own character and appearance when dealing with others.

Notes:

1. Gentleman: A person of high moral character.

2. Self-cultivation: Make one’s own moral character pure.

3. Zheng: upright, used as a verb here.

4. Appearance: Appearance. Extended information

Writing background:

Ouyang Xiu (1007-1072), the author of "Zuo Shi Bian".

After the "Zuo Shi Bian" edited by Xue Juzheng and others, why did Ouyang Xiu go out of his way to compile another "Zuo Shi Bian" with a different style and writing method? Explanation: "The "Zuo Shi Bian" was written by oneself, with strict rules and regulations, and most of the decrees were taken from the will."

The so-called "self-written" means that this history book was not written by the court, but by a private person. . The "Spring and Autumn Annals" is the writing style of the "Spring and Autumn Annals". Ouyang Xiu himself said: "Wow, the chaos is so extreme!" "At this time, ministers are killing their kings, sons are killing their fathers, and the gentry of Jin Dynasty is content with their salary and establishes their dynasty, all of them are full of shamelessness. Yes."

The purpose of his history was to criticize these phenomena that he considered to be "shameless" and to achieve what Confucius said was the purpose of "writing the Spring and Autumn Annals to make rebellious ministers and traitors fearful". Compile history books.

About the author:

Ouyang Xiu (1007-1072), a writer and historian of the Northern Song Dynasty. His courtesy name was Yongshu, his nickname was Zuiweng, Liuyi Jushi, and he was a native of Jishui, Jizhou (now part of Jiangxi). Tiansheng Jinshi. Guan Guan Pavilion collated and demoted Zhi Yiling because of his outspoken remarks. He served as an admonisher in Qinglizhong, supported Fan Zhongyan, and demanded political reforms. He was falsely accused of being demoted to Chuzhou.

From official to Hanlin bachelor, deputy envoy to the privy council, and involved in political affairs. When Wang Anshi implemented the new law, he criticized the Qingmiao Law. Posthumous title: Wenzhong. He advocated that articles should be clear and practical, expressed dissatisfaction with the elegant and dangerous writing style since the early Song Dynasty, and actively cultivated underachievers. He was the leader of the classical prose movement in the Northern Song Dynasty.

The prose is fluent in reasoning and euphemistic in lyricism. He is one of the "Eight Great Masters of the Tang and Song Dynasties"; the poetic style is similar to that of prose, and the language is smooth and natural. His poems are graceful and beautiful, inheriting the style of the Southern Tang Dynasty. He co-edited "New Book of Tang" with Song Qi and authored "New History of Five Dynasties". He also liked to collect epigraphic inscriptions and compiled them into "Collection of Ancient Records", which had a great influence on epigraphy in the Song Dynasty. There is "Ouyang Wenzhong Collection".

Ouyang Xiu was the leader of the ancient prose movement in the Northern Song Dynasty, one of the Eight Great Masters of the Tang and Song Dynasties, and a famous historian. He was ordered to compile the "New Book of Tang" with Song Qi as the lead. Advocating Confucianism and restoring ancient times was his political opinion and also his guiding ideology in compiling history. He intended to inherit Confucius' "Spring and Autumn" writing style and "praise and criticism" examples, and adapted and re-edited the "Old History of the Five Dynasties".

In terms of arrangement style, it overturned the basic pattern of one dynasty and one history in the "Old History of the Five Dynasties" and adopted the "Southern History" and "Northern History" to break the boundaries of dynasties and comprehensively compile the personnel of the Five Dynasties. , arranged in chronological order.