compassion is the end of benevolence; The heart of shame and evil, the end of righteousness; The heart of resignation, the end of the ceremony; The heart of right and wrong is also the end of wisdom. -Mencius Mencius was a great figure in the early period of Confucianism in China. He advocated that human nature should be good, insisted on both benevolence and righteousness, and enriched and developed Confucius' ideological theory, which was mainly reflected in Mencius. The book Mencius has a lot of education and inspiration for future generations and has far-reaching influence. In the book Mencius, "gentleman" is a high-frequency word, which appears more than 8 times. In the book, people with lofty ideals, benevolence and morality are called gentlemen. Qian Mu, a master of Chinese studies, said that "China people talk about people and list many differences, such as gentlemen, villains, good and evil, and virtuous, while the highest one is a saint", and that "it is the essence of China culture to talk about being human". In Mencius' eyes, "gentleman" has the difference between ancient and modern times: "the ancient gentleman, if he has passed, he will change it; Today's gentleman, if he has passed, he will go with it. The ancient gentleman, whose transgressions are like the food of the sun and the moon, is seen by all the people; What's more, the people all admire it. Today's gentleman is obedient and obedient. " (Gong Sun Chou Xia 9, this article quotes Mencius' chapter name and section number directly, the same below) This means that from the attitude and practice of treating mistakes, we can see the difference between the ancient gentleman and the present gentleman. It is a gentleman's correct attitude and practice to change what he has done, and not to follow what he has said. A gentleman is not only different from ancient times and modern times, but also from ordinary people and villains. Mencius said: "The reason why people are different from birds and beasts is that the common people go there and the gentleman keeps it." (Li Lou 19) There are differences between humans and animals, but the differences are few and limited. What is a gentleman who exists? Mencius said, "A gentleman is different from others because of his intention. A gentleman is considerate with benevolence and considerate with courtesy. " (Li Lou 28) Benevolence and courtesy exist in the hearts of gentlemen. Mencius also said: "A benevolent person loves others, and a polite person respects others. Those who love others will always love them, and those who respect others will always respect them. " (Li Lou 28) Mutual respect and love between people is also needed to be advocated in today's society. It can be a good relationship between husband and wife, or a harmonious and cooperative relationship between superiors and subordinates, colleagues and friends. Mencius takes righteousness as the road and courtesy as the door: "the husband is righteous and the road is also; Ceremony, door also. Only a gentleman can go by the way, and access is the door. " (Zhang Wan 7) Benevolence and righteousness are often put together, taking benevolence as the home and righteousness as the road, such as "benevolence, human heart, righteousness, and human road." (Gaozi 11) "Benevolence, people's homes are also safe; Righteousness, the right path of people is also. " (Li Lou 1) Mencius can draw a close analogy, comparing benevolence, righteousness and road with house, road and door, and expounding such a gentleman's way and the truth of being a man, which has far-reaching influence. If you don't live in a benevolent house and take the right path in your life, it's a pity! The contrast between "gentlemen" and "villains" in Mencius is a clear saying that "gentlemen and villains are just the opposite". (Teng Wengong 3) Remind people to pay attention to the difference between a gentleman and a villain. There are also "adults" who are opposed to villains. Adults, people with noble virtues. For example, "those who raise their little ones are villains, and those who raise their big ones are adults." (Gaozi No.14) There are noble bodies and small ones, so there is no harm in small ones, and no harm in low ones. Mencius put forward the famous saying that "the official of the heart is thinking", which clarified the requirements of adults to "stand on its greatness". (Gaozi 15) An adult is a gentleman if he keeps his benevolence and raises his ambition. It is comparable to "gentleman" and "adult", especially praised by later generations as "gentleman" Mencius put forward that wealth can't be lewd, poverty can't be moved, and power can't be bent. This is called a gentleman. Being rich and unyielding, being humble and unyielding, is a wonderful summary of a gentleman, has become the unremitting pursuit and behavior self-discipline of people with lofty ideals since ancient times, and has become the life ideal and firm belief of generations of Chinese sons and daughters for being an adult, doing great things and doing great things. Life will face many variables, and individuals will be in a state of success and failure. Mencius put forward that "success depends on the people, but not on their own way". Unsuccessful, self-cultivation is seen in the world. If you are poor, you will be immune to it, and if you are good, you will be good at the world. " (Dedicated to 9) The idea of being poor and independent, benefiting the people and benefiting the people, and failing to cultivate one's morality, has always been admired by future generations. Mencius has "three virtues" in his success, and he knows and practices "nourishing the heart and not being good at lust". (devote yourself to 35). Not wanting to go it alone reflects the firmness of a gentleman's ambition to go it alone. Mencius also put forward that "if you don't do something right, you should do something for yourself." Mencius said, "If a lover doesn't kiss, it's against his benevolence; if he doesn't cure others, it's against his wisdom; if he doesn't answer, he'll respect them.". Those who have done something wrong are all seeking for themselves, and their bodies are upright and the world belongs to them. " (Li Lou I 4) It's no wonder that people don't kiss, die or answer, but reflect on whether they are kind enough, wise enough and respectful. Benevolence, wisdom and courage are considered by Confucianism as the three great virtues, benevolence is the first, and there is no wisdom and courage without mercy. Benevolent people are invincible, and they are brave after knowing shame. "Mencius" talks about the shame of a gentleman: "It is a shame for a gentleman to hear about his feelings." (Li Lou 18) Fame exceeds the truth, and a gentleman will feel ashamed. People, like water, must have their origins in order to form a magnificent trend, and they can't rely on false packaging to confuse the public. "People can't be shameless. Shameless shame, shameless. " People can't live without shame. Without shame, it's really shameless and terrible. Later generations Gu Yanwu specifically talked about being a man and "being ashamed of yourself". You have to be ashamed of yourself, otherwise there is no way to talk about it. Mencius also had a grand theory about the pleasure of a gentleman. Mencius said: "A gentleman has three pleasures, but the king of the world does not exist. Parents exist, brothers have no reason, and they are happy. Being worthy of the sky, not caring for people, and being happy. If you get the talents in the world and educate them, you will have three pleasures. " (Dedicated to the 2th) Mencius said that a gentleman's three pleasures, the king of the world does not exist, and the first and third pleasures need to be satisfied by external conditions, while the only two pleasures "are worthy of the sky, but do not care about others" are purely up to him. Those who are happy by a gentleman are happy with righteousness, and they do not know what to do and dance with their hands. (Li Lou on 27) A gentleman has a clear conscience, and his words and deeds are better than those of his children and grandchildren, and his mind is clear about heaven and earth. "Mencius" also talks about the worries of gentlemen, and the words "worry" and "suffering" are mostly separated. "A gentleman has worries all his life, and he never suffers once." (Li Lou 28) "If you are worried, you will have it: I am also a person. Shun is the law in the world, but it can be passed on to later generations. I am not a countryman, but I can worry about it. What's the worry? It' s just awkward. " What are you worried about? Shun is a human being, and I am also a human being. How can I be an indomitable person like Shun? See the sage Si Qi, introspect when you don't see the sage, and be an upright person. Everyone can think that Yao Shun inspires everyone in China to cultivate one's morality and be a gentleman. There are also many ways to talk about a gentleman in Mencius. For example, in the section "Today, some people are busy with their neighbors' chickens" (Teng Wengong 8), it is unjust to steal chickens from their neighbors once a day or once a month, which is not a gentleman's way and must be corrected as soon as possible. A gentleman stresses benevolence and takes the right path. "A gentleman should learn from the Tao and want to be complacent." (Li Lou 14) Mencius emphasized that a gentleman's further study is based on the Tao, and it is important to be complacent, that is, to learn to be a man, to think and understand, and to realize is his own. "The gentleman's words also, don't take and how to save. The gentleman's defense, repairing his body and the world is flat. " (Dedicated to 32) Mencius emphasized that a gentleman's words do not deviate from the right path, and self-cultivation and family management are the actions of a gentleman throughout his life. This paper combs and interprets the "gentleman" in Mencius. A gentleman is different from ordinary people and villains, and a gentleman has benevolence. A gentleman has a gentleman's ambition, and there is a distinction between success and failure. If he fails to achieve his ambition, he will go his own way, and if he does something, he will not ask for himself. A gentleman has the shame of a gentleman, the joy of a gentleman and the worry of a gentleman. In a word, Mencius taught people to be gentlemen and adults, and to be self-sufficient, cultivate one's morality and take the right path. In today's new era of building Socialism with Chinese characteristics, our college teachers should train college students to be qualified socialist builders and reliable successors with all-round development in morality, intelligence, physique, aesthetics and labor. The idea of "gentleman" in Mencius has important educational value for young people to become talents in the new era. We should grasp the fundamental problem of "training people for whom, what kind of people and how to train people", adhere to the principle of educating people, follow the laws of education, learn from traditional excellent culture, and be meticulous and persistent, so as to make our own contribution to the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. Source: Youth.