Four sentences in horizontal canal

Source "Quotations of Hengqu"

Author Zhang zai

In other words, it is a famous saying of Zhang Zai, a famous figure in the Northern Song Dynasty, that "the heart is for heaven and earth, the life is for the people, the past and the future, and eternal peace". Feng Youlan, a contemporary philosopher, called it "four sentences in a horizontal canal". Because of its conciseness, it has always been praised by people.