Meaning:

People who want to cultivate their moral character must first purify their own thoughts; To be pure, we must first make our thoughts sincere.

Source and original text:

In the Tang Dynasty, Han Yu quoted the famous saying in "University" in his masterpiece "The Original Road", which worships Confucianism in ancient times and repels the Buddha and the old, and rewritten it as: "If you want to repair your body, you should correct your heart first; If you want to be right, be sincere. "

"If the ancient desire is clearly superior to the world, rule the country first; If you want to govern your country, you should first get your family together; If you want to get your family together, repair your body first; If you want to cultivate your body, you should first correct your heart; If you want to be right, be sincere. "

Vernacular translation:

In ancient times, a person who wanted to carry forward his brilliant morality in the world must first govern his country; To govern his country well, we must first rectify his family; To rectify his family, we must first cultivate ourselves; To carry out self-cultivation, we must first correct our own thoughts; To correct your thoughts, you must first make yourself sincere. Expand the understanding of self-cultivation, governing the country and leveling the world in The Original Road:

The so-called integrity and sincerity of the ancients are all aimed at making a difference. Nowadays, those who cultivate their minds and cultivate their nature want to abandon the country and destroy their nature. A son does not regard his father as a father, a courtier does not regard his monarch as a monarch, and a common people does not do what they should do.

Confucius wrote the Spring and Autumn Annals, and classified the vassals who adopted the etiquette and customs of Yi Di as Yi Di; For the governors who adopted the manners and customs of the Central Plains, they were admitted to be from China. The Analects of Confucius said: "Although Yidi has a monarch, it is not as good as China without a monarch." The Book of Songs says: "Yidi should attack and Jingshu should punish." Today, however, it respects the law of foreign rites and raises it above the politics and religion of the former king.

Therefore, Confucianism and Taoism can't be spread without blocking Buddhism and Taoism. Confucianism and Taoism can't be carried out without forbidding Buddhism and Taoism. Monks and Taoists must be turned into common people, Buddhist scriptures and Taoist books must be burned, and Buddhist temples and Taoist temples must be turned into civilian houses. Carry forward Wang Zhidao as the standard of governing the world, so that widowed, lonely, disabled and chronically ill people can be cared for.

Reference: Baidu Encyclopedia-The Original Way