The sentences in the Analects that reflect the inexorable spirit of poverty and lowliness: poor without flattery, rich without arrogance

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Zigong said: " Being poor without flattery, being rich without being arrogant. How is that?" Confucius said: "Yes. It is possible to be happy without being poor, but to be rich and courteous." Zigong said: "The poem says: It is like cutting, like playing with each other, like plowing, like plowing. "Mo. What do you mean by giving?" Confucius said: "Giving is a gift, only then can I write a poem with you. Tell the people who have gone before and know what is coming."

Zigong said: "If you are poor, you can avoid flattery How about being rich but not arrogant?" Confucius said: "This is not bad, but it is not as good as a person who is poor but happy to teach, and a person who is rich but good at courtesy." Zigong said: "Poetry". It says, 'Like bones, horns, ivory, and jade, study it and ponder it.' Is that what it means?" Confucius said: "Girl, you can understand me from what I have said. I haven’t said anything yet, so I can talk about "Poetry" with you by drawing inferences."

This chapter is a conversation between Zigong and Confucius. It is a student asking the teacher for advice, and it is also a learning experience. In reporting on their experiences, the teacher is also very skillful in helping students improve. From here we can see the situation between teachers and students who are never tired of learning, never tire of teaching, and have a harmonious relationship between teachers and students.

Let’s take a look at Zhu Zi’s explanation. He said that “poverty means no flattery.” Flattery means humiliation. We talk about flattery and flattery. "Rich without arrogance", arrogance means arrogance, arrogance means pride, and arrogance means unbridledness. Zhu Zi said, "Ordinary people are addicted to wealth and poverty and don't know how to guard themselves, so they must suffer from the disease of both." Ordinary people are ordinary people. Generally speaking, ordinary people do not know how to guard themselves in the two realms of poverty or wealth. . Self-discipline means keeping one's own moral integrity, and we talk about moral integrity. When you are in a poor position, you will often have a humble heart, have low self-esteem and like to flatter you; when you are in a wealthy position, you will easily become arrogant and presumptuous, both of which are diseases. Zigong told his teacher here that to be poor without flattery and to be rich without arrogance, both diseases can be eliminated. The so-called "without flattery and without arrogance" means to know how to be self-sufficient.

But this status and realm are not very high. Zhu Zi said, "If there is no flattery and no arrogance, then you know that you are self-sufficient and cannot transcend the rich and the poor." In other words, in such a state, there is still a distinction between rich and poor in the heart. Although I do not suffer from the troubles of flattery or arrogance, my heart is still inseparable from the two aspects of wealth and poverty, and I am still far from the realm of a saint. Zigong, we think, must have reached this state. He can be poor without flattery, and be rich without arrogance. Zigong was a wealthy man. According to historical records, he was very rich and was very good at business. He was truly as wealthy as anyone in the country. It is commendable that he can be rich without being arrogant, and that he can still be humble and studious amidst wealth.

He reported his experience to the teacher and asked the teacher how he could achieve such a level. "How" means asking the teacher for an evaluation. How did the teacher answer? "The Master said: Yes." Confucius told him that this was not bad. There must be some unfinished words later, and there is more to say below. In other words, Zigong's level is not bad. It is much higher than that of ordinary people, but it is not yet high. There is still a lot of room for improvement. Therefore, "The Master said: Yes." It is not like being poor but happy, but being rich is also a courtesy. 』