At thirty, you stand firm at forty without confusion. At fifty, you know the destiny and at sixty, your ears are attuned.

The whole sentence is, when I am fifteen, I am determined to learn; when I am thirty, I am established; when I am forty, I am not confused; when I am fifty, I know the destiny; at sixty, my ears are obedient; at seventy, I follow my heart's desires without going beyond the rules.

It means that I determined to study at the age of fifteen, I can stand on the world at the age of thirty, I no longer feel confused when I encounter things at the age of forty, and I know what things cannot be controlled by human beings at the age of fifty. And those who are happy to know their destiny can listen to all kinds of different opinions at the age of sixty. At the age of seventy, they can do as they please without going beyond the rules.

Introduction

From Chapter 12 of The Analects of Confucius, what Confucius said about standing in the middle at thirty does not mean starting a family and starting a career, but having a clear understanding of society and oneself. A kind of self-consciousness or relative awareness based on knowledge and understanding is an awakening of self-awareness.

When you are over forty, you should no longer be easily tempted by the outside world. If you are still confused by external things, please tell yourself that when you are not confused, you should be steady, pay attention to your foundation, and have correct values.

At the age of fifty, you should understand yourself thoroughly and become a person who "let yourself go" and no longer blame others, but live calmly and contentedly in the present.

How many people can do this if they are sixty and have a clear ear? How many people can hear the truth from ugly words. Having smooth ears is a higher level.

At the age of seventy, you have learned to do whatever you want without violating social rules, because you have realized that law, law, Tao, and morality are not constraints, but your own protection.