Original text of "Encouraging Learning":

The author is Xunzi? Pre-Qin Dynasty

The gentleman said: Learning is no longer enough.

Green, derived from blue, and green from blue; ice, derived from water, and cold from water. The wood is straight and the rope is like a wheel, and its curve is regular. Although there is violence, if you can no longer stand up, let it be so. Therefore, if wood is supported by a rope, it will be straight; if metal is sharpened, it will be beneficial; if a gentleman is knowledgeable and examines himself every day, he will know how to act without making mistakes.

I spend the whole day thinking about it, which is not as good as what I learned in a moment; I stoop and look at it, but it is not as good as climbing up and gaining insights. When you climb high and make moves, your arms are not lengthened, but the sight is far away; when you call along the wind, the sound is not faster, but the sound is louder. A fake horse can travel thousands of miles without benefiting from its feet; a fake boat can run a thousand miles without benefiting from the water. A gentleman's life is not different, he is good at things and fake things.

There is a bird in the south, called the Mongolian dove. It uses its feathers as a nest, braiding its hair and tying it with reeds. When the wind blows, the eggs break and the eggs die. The nest is not endless, but it is tied to it. There is a tree in the west, called Shegan, with a stem four inches long. It grows on a high mountain, near the abyss of hundreds of feet. The fluffy hemp grows upright without support; the white sand grows black in the nirvana.

The root of the orchid locust tree is Zhi, and as it gradually grows, the gentleman will not approach it and the common people will not accept it. Its quality is not unattractive, but it is so gradually. Therefore, when a gentleman lives, he must choose a hometown, and when traveling, he must choose scholars. Therefore, he must guard against evil and stay close to the right.

When soil accumulates, mountains are formed, and wind and rain flourish; when water accumulates, abyss is formed, and dragons are born; when good deeds are accumulated, virtue is formed, and the gods are satisfied with themselves, and the holy mind is prepared. Therefore, if you do not accumulate steps, you cannot reach a thousand miles; if you do not accumulate small streams, you cannot reach a river or sea. A horse can't take ten steps with one leap; a horse can ride ten times, but it's hard to give up. If you persevere, the rotten wood will not be broken; if you persevere, the metal and stone can be carved. Earthworms don't have sharp claws and teeth, nor strong muscles and bones. They eat earth and drink from the underworld. They have the same intention. A crab with six knees and two pincers is not a snake and eel that has nothing to rely on in its cave, so it means it is impatient.

Therefore, those who have no deep ambitions will not have clear enlightenment; those who have no shameful things will have no great achievements. Those who follow the road will not come, and those who serve the two kings will not tolerate it. The eyes cannot see both ways and the ears cannot hear both ways. The tan snake has no legs and can fly, and the mole has no skills.

Vernacular interpretation:

A gentleman says: Learning can never stop. Indigo is extracted from indigo, but it is greener than indigo; ice is condensed from water, but it is colder than water. The wood is straight and conforms to the ink line, but (extraction with fire) makes it bend into a wheel, (then) the curvature of the wood (then) conforms to (roundness) the general standard of a compass, even if it is dried by wind and sun , (the wood) will no longer be straight, and extraction with fire makes it so.

So wood becomes straight after being measured with an ink line, and a metal sword becomes sharp when it is ground on a whetstone. A gentleman learns extensively and examines and reflects on himself every day, then he will Be wise and sensible and behave without fault. Therefore, if you don't climb the mountains, you don't know how high the sky is; if you don't face the deep streams, you don't know how thick the earth is; if you don't understand the teachings of the previous emperors, you don't know the breadth of knowledge.

The children of Qian, Yue, Yi and Raccoon all cry with the same voice when they are born, but their customs and habits are different when they grow up. This is due to education. "The Book of Songs" says: "You, a gentleman, don't always be greedy for ease. Treat your duties respectfully and love upright virtues. When the gods hear all this, they will bestow upon you great blessings and auspiciousness."

There is no greater spiritual cultivation than being influenced by morality, and no blessing is more lasting than being free from disasters. I used to meditate all day long, (but) it was not as good as the knowledge (gain) gained in a moment; I once stood on tiptoe and looked into the distance, (but) it was not as good as climbing to a high place to see as much. When you reach a high place and wave, your arms are not lengthened, but people in the distance can see it; when you shout along the wind, your voice is not louder, but the listeners can hear you clearly.

Those who use carts and horses are not good at walking, but they can reach thousands of miles away. People who use boats are not good at swimming, but they can cross the Yangtze and Yellow Rivers. A gentleman's qualifications and temperament are no different from those of ordinary people, (it's just that a gentleman is good at using external things). There is a kind of bird in the south, named "Mengjiu". It makes a nest with feathers and braids it with hair. It ties the nest to the flower spikes of tender reeds. When the wind blows and the reed spikes break, the bird's nest falls. All the eggs were smashed.

It’s not that the nest is not well made, but that it should not be tied to the reeds. The grass grown in the West is called "Shegan". It is only four inches high. It grows on high mountains, but it can overlook hundreds of miles away. It is not that grass can grow tall, but because it grows on the top of mountains.

The fluffy grass grows in the hemp field and can stand upright without support. When the white sand is mixed into the black soil, it will no longer turn white. The root of the orchid locust tree is called fragrant mugwort. Once it is immersed in the smelly water, the gentleman will not come near and the servants will not come close. wear. It's not that the moxa itself doesn't smell good, but that it smells bad after being soaked in it.

So a gentleman should choose a good environment to live in, and choose moral people to make friends, so that he can guard against subtle mistakes and maintain moderation and integrity. Things happen for a reason, and honor and disgrace come in accordance with virtue. If the meat rots, maggots will grow, if the fish dies, insects will grow. If you are lazy and neglectful and forget the principles of life, you will be in trouble. If an object is too hard, it will break easily; if it is too soft, it will be easily restrained; if it is not kind to others, it will cause resentment. If they are both firewood, the fire will spread to dry places. Even if the ground is flat, water will flow wherever it is moist.

There are thick vegetation, hordes of wild animals, and all things flock together. So when the target is set, bows and arrows will be fired, when the trees grow into a forest, axes will be chopped down, and when the trees are lush and shady, birds will come to stay. When vinegar becomes acidic, it attracts mosquitoes. Therefore, words may bring disaster, actions may lead to humiliation, and a gentleman must be cautious in his conduct.

When earth and rocks are piled up, they become mountains, and wind and rain rise from here; when water flows together, they become abyss, and dragons are born from here; by accumulating good deeds and cultivating noble character, your mind will naturally become clear, and you will have The spiritual realm of the saint. Therefore, without accumulating one and a half steps, there is no way to reach a thousand miles; without accumulating small flows, there is no way to form rivers and seas.

A steed can reach the distance less than ten steps in one leap; an inferior horse can reach the destination in ten days in a carriage, and its achievements come from walking non-stop. (If) it stops after a few carvings, (then) the rotten wood will continue to carve. (If) you keep carving, (then) you can carve gold and stone successfully. Earthworms do not have sharp claws or teeth, but they have strong muscles and bones, but they can eat soil upwards and drink water from the soil downwards. This is because they are single-minded. A crab has six legs and two claws. If there are no caves for snakes or eels, it will have nowhere to hide. This is because it has impetuous intentions.

Therefore, without the will to study hard, there will be no significant achievements in study; without the practice of hard work, there will be no great achievements in career. If you walk on the wrong road and cannot reach your destination, and if you serve two monarchs at the same time, neither party will tolerate you. The eyes cannot see two things clearly at the same time, and the ears cannot hear two sounds clearly at the same time. The tan snake has no legs but can fly; the mole has five abilities but still can't do anything.

Creative background:

"Encouraging Learning" is an essay written by Xunzi, a thinker and writer during the Warring States Period. It is the first chapter of the book "Xunzi". This article comprehensively and profoundly discusses the issues related to learning from the aspects of the importance of learning, the attitude of learning, and the content and methods of learning, and more systematically embodies Xunzi's educational thoughts.

During the Warring States Period, the slavery system further collapsed, the feudal system gradually formed, and history experienced epoch-making changes. Many thinkers expressed their own opinions on the social changes at that time from different standpoints and perspectives, and gradually formed different sects such as Mohism, Confucianism, Taoism and Legalism, which were historically known as "the Hundred Schools of Thought".

A hundred schools of thought wrote books one after another, promoted their own ideas and criticized others, resulting in a situation of "a hundred schools of thought contending". Xunzi was a representative figure of Confucianism in the late Warring States Period. He believes that the existence of nature is not dependent on human will, but people can use subjective efforts to understand it, adapt to it, and use it. In order to reveal the importance of acquired learning, he wrote the article "Encouragement to Learning", which encouraged people to change bad thoughts and behaviors through learning, revitalize etiquette and justice, create laws and regulations, and practice the way of a gentleman wholeheartedly.