1. Meaning: Wealth can't confuse his thoughts, poverty can't shake his integrity, and power can't bend his will. This is called a man with ambition and achievements.
2. Origin: Mencius Teng Wengong and his disciples in the Warring States Period.
3. Excerpt from the original text: Living in a wide place in the world, standing in the right position in the world, and doing the best in the world. Success, with the people; If you are frustrated, you will go your own way. Wealth can't be lewd, poverty can't be moved, and power can't be bent. This is called a gentleman.
4. Living in the widest house in the world, standing in the most correct position in the world, walking on the widest road in the world; When you can realize your ideals, follow the right path with the people.
when you can't realize your ideal, you should go your own way alone. Wealth can't confuse his thoughts, poverty can't shake his integrity, and power can't bend his will. This is a man with ambition and achievements.
5. Author's brief introduction: Mencius (about 371-289 BC), Ji surnamed Meng, whose first name is Ke, whose font size is unknown (Zi Yu, Zi Ju, etc. are all from fake books or invented by later generations), was born in Zou Guo (now Zoucheng City, Shandong Province) during the Warring States Period.
A famous philosopher, thinker, politician and educator in the Warring States period, one of the representatives of Confucianism, was second only to Confucius, and was also called "Confucius and Mencius" with Confucius. Advocating "benevolent government", he first put forward the idea that "the people are more valuable than the monarch".
Han Yu's The Original Way listed Mencius as a figure who inherited the Confucian orthodoxy in the pre-Qin period. In the Yuan Dynasty, Mencius was named "Ya Sheng Gong Shu Chen" and honored as "Ya Sheng". The book "Mencius" is a collection of quotations and essays, which was compiled by Mencius and his disciples, and advocated "benevolence-oriented". Extended information
Jing Chun thinks that Gongsun Yan and Zhang Yi can control the vassals and provoke wars between countries. "When the vassals are angry, they fear, and the world will die," which is a great man.
Mencius thought that people like Gongsun Yan and Zhang Yi climbed up by wagging their lips and obeying the wishes of the princes, without the principle of benevolence, righteousness and morality. Therefore, they are just villains and women who follow the principle of "being a concubine", so how can they be called men of courage?
Mencius' statement is implicit and humorous. He only explains a woman's mother's instructions when she marries by saying "courtesy", which leads to the conclusion that "those who are obedient are right, and the way to be a concubine is also right." What deserves our attention here is that the ancients believed that a wife's way is like a minister's way. Of course, I should obey you, but the principle of obedience is justice. If you are unjust, I should remonstrate.
The same is true for a wife to her husband. Of course, a wife should obey her husband, but if her husband has had it, she should persuade him to make corrections. It should be "harmony but difference" Only eunuchs, little wives and handmaids, don't ask right and wrong, and follow the principle of obedience blindly. In fact, there is no principle. "The way of concubines and wives" cannot be generally understood as the way of women, but it is actually the way of little wives.
Mencius' sarcasm was profound and sharp, and he hated Gongsun Yan and Zhang Yi. Regrettably, although Mencius hated this kind of "obedience is the right way", for more than two thousand years, such "concubines" have been constantly emerging. Today, monogamy has been protected by law, and "concubine" is hard to exist, but "concubine" theory may not exist, or even it is still popular.
Mencius' method is to put forward the real way of being a man in tit-for-tat manner. This is his famous saying, which has been passed down through the ages: "Wealth cannot be lewd, poverty cannot be moved, and power cannot be bent." How to do it? Then you have to "live in the world, stand in the right position in the world, and do the best in the world." It is still back to the benevolence, righteousness, propriety and wisdom that Confucianism has always advocated.
after doing this, we will adopt the attitude of "pursuing ambition with the people, but not pursuing our own way", which is what Confucius called "doing what we use, hiding what we give up" ("The Analects of Confucius") or what Mencius said in another place, "If you are poor, you will be immune to it, and if you reach it, you will help the world." ("with all my heart" then you can become a real gentleman.
every sentence of Mencius' famous saying about "a gentleman" shines with the power of thought and personality. In history, it has encouraged many people with lofty ideals and benevolence to become their motto of not being afraid of violence and upholding justice.
Reference: Baidu Encyclopedia-Richness can't be lewd.