Famous sayings about honor and disgrace in ancient China

If a gentleman does not harm justice by profit, he will live in shame! ——Confucius

Those who are eager to win will fight, and those who are greedy for courage will be humiliated. ——Lin Bu

Everyone considers it a disgrace to lose one’s appearance, and a gentleman considers it a disgrace to lose one’s righteousness.

Gains and losses can occur once, but honors and disgrace will last for thousands of years. ——Anonymous

It is better to live in shame than to live in shame than to die in glory. ——Wang Pinzhen

Those who are righteous first and benefit later will be honored; those who are honored first and then righteous are disgraced. Those who are honored are always prosperous, and those who are humiliated are often poor. ——Xunzi

The responsibility for honor and disgrace lies with oneself and not with others. ——Wei Zheng

Those who respect the position but have no virtue will be deposed, and those who are rich in wealth but have no justice will be punished. Those who are humble but love virtue are respected, those who are poor but have righteousness are honored. ——Lu Jia

Admiring false fame but getting into real trouble. ——"Emperor Wu"

A name cannot be simplified, and a reputation cannot be established by coincidence. A gentleman wears his clothes on his body.

"Mozi · Self-cultivation"

Being kind brings glory, being unkind brings disgrace.

"Mencius Gongsun Chou"

Loving honor and disgrace, loving advantage and disfavoring harm, this is what gentlemen and villains have in common, but it is different if they seek the way. .

"Xunzi - Honor and Disgrace"

The great difference between honor and disgrace is the constant state of safety and danger: first righteousness and then benefit are honored; first benefit and then righteousness is disgrace; honor is always common, and humiliation is They are always poor; those who are prosperous often dominate others, and those who are poor often dominate others: this is the difference between honor and disgrace.

Same as above

When things arise, they must have a beginning; when honors and disgrace come, they must resemble their virtues.

"Xunzi·Encouragement to Learning"

Cultivation of one's will, strong virtues, and clear knowledge and considerations are the sources of glory①. This is called righteousness and glory.

"Xunzi·Zhenglun"

Notes

① Prosperity comes from the middle: Zhong, opposite to the outside, refers to the inner character. This sentence means that honor is obtained due to inner character.

Fornication, molestation, violation of rules, disorder, arrogance, violence, and greed for profit are the sources of humiliation, and this is called righteous humiliation.

Same as above

Notes

① Obscenity and molestation: Behavior that is unethical, filthy and despicable.

The nobles and nobles, the tributes and salaries are generous, and the situation is victorious. The top is the emperor and princes, and the bottom is the ministers, ministers and officials. This is the kind of glory that comes from outside①, and I call it the glory of power.

Same as above

Notes

① Honor comes from outside: refers to the honor obtained from external power.

Insult, throw and fight ①, beat and flog the feet ②, cut, break, wither, knock ③, borrow, drag, and tongue stumble ④, this is the humiliation that comes from the outside ⑤, this is what it means. It's called a humiliation.

Same as above

Notes

① 詈(1ì力) insult; scold, insult. Drop (zuó yesterday) stroke: grab, capture.

② Beating: Punishment of beating with a stick. Bin (bìn mortuary) feet: an ancient corporal punishment in which the kneecaps were removed.

③ Behead, cut off: refers to the punishment of beheading. Ku, Zhe (zhézhe): refers to the severe punishment of splitting limbs in ancient times.

④ Borrow: tie. Mi: Tong "绻", tied. Tongue: The word "hou" is wrong. Finally, tie your hands from behind. To stumble upon the back of a string means to be caught or arrested.

⑤The humiliation comes from the outside: refers to the humiliation caused by being punished from the outside.

Therefore, a gentleman can have power and humiliation ①, but not righteousness and honor ②; a villain can have power and honor ③, but not righteousness and honor ④. The one who has the power to humiliate and do no harm is Yao, the one who has the power to honor and do no harm is Jie. Righteousness, power and honor can only be achieved by a gentleman; justice and disgrace by power can only be achieved by a villain. It is the difference between honor and disgrace.

Same as above

Notes

①Insult: Refers to the insult imposed on oneself by external forces.

Afraid of not living up to the name, and ashamed of the unremarkable talent.

Mi Heng: "Ode to the Parrot"

Gains and losses can occur once, but honors and disgrace will last for thousands of years.

Volume 62 of "The Book of the Later Han Dynasty" "The Biography of Xun Shu"

It is difficult to become famous because the corpse is a plain meal.

"Collection of Cao Zhi·Jiao Zhi Poems"

Notes

① A vegetarian meal in the corpse position: It means living in a position, eating well, and doing nothing.

Those with pure nature are honored, those with turbid nature are disgraced.

Zuo Fen: "Poems of Woodpecking", "Poems of Pre-Qin, Han, Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties" Volume 7 "Poetry of the Jin Dynasty"

Notes

①Xing: refers to virtue sex.

Glory will bring glory to the world, and shame will bring shame to the world.

①

Qi Ji: "Junzi Xing"

Notes

① These two sentences mean: take pride in what the world is proud of, and take shame in the world Ashamed.

What people want is honor and good fortune, and what they are honored for is good deeds, and what they are ashamed of is a bad reputation. Nowadays, if we take advantage of the situation and use the opportunity to gain access to the world's scholars, persuade them to do what they want, and give them what they want ④, who will be willing to back away from it and not do it?

Wang Anshi: "Collected Works of Wang Wengong" Vol. 20. "Planning to Go to the Palace to Enter the Cut Son"

Notes

① Two sentences of "Encouragement": It means to guide and encourage people to engage in good deeds that can bring honor, and to give them honors and rewards based on their good deeds. .

Don’t pursue life, pursue reputation. The most important thing in life is reputation.

[Uyghur] Yusuf Has Hajif: "The Wisdom of Happiness"

Do righteousness regardless of reputation.

Volume 5 of "Warring States Policy" "Cai Ze Jian Zhu Yu Zhao"

The difference between high and low in one's body is just like the beauty of the time ①; One of the mosquitoes and flies has passed by.

"Huainanzi Chu Zhenxun"

Notes

① Tiaofeng: the wind at the beginning of spring. "Huainanzi Tianwen Xun": "Forty-five days from the winter solstice, a wind arrives."

② Shili: blowing for a while. Li (traditional Chinese for "Zhen"), Tongsa (Traditional Chinese for "Sprinkle"), extended to blow.

If you honor your life, it will be ruined; if you see good things, you will resent it.

"Huainanzi · Interpretation and Training"

Art 1 is established by oneself, and reputation is established by others 2.

Ban Gu: "Pan Lan Tai Ji·Yu Di Chao Shu"

Notes

① Art: This refers to the art of calligraphy.

② Fame comes from others: Fame is formed by recognition by others.

Don’t be anxious about glory and fame, and don’t worry about humble status.

"Collected Works of King Luo Bin·Book of Pei Shilang of the Ministry of Civil Affairs"

Notes

① Ji Ji: I am in an anxious mood.

② Qiqi: Sorrow.

Don’t feel sad when you hear about being ruined, don’t feel happy when you hear about praise. What's the point of acting on your own, how about criticizing and resting on your laurels?

Bai Juyi: "Continued Motto" in Volume 22 of "Bai's Changqing Collection"

Don't be happy with praise, don't be happy with insults Don't be unhappy; hold on to your own merits well, this is the magnanimity of a saint.

[Tibetan] Saban Kunga Gyaltsen: "Sakya Aphorisms"

A hundred people will praise it without encrypting it, and a hundred people will destroy it without sparing it.

Su Xun: "Foresight" in Volume 4 of "Jiahu Collection"

Do not criticize or praise ① Keep it ② Do not feel tired when hungry or cold ③ Its heart.

Volume 43 of "The Complete Works of Ouyang Xiu·Ji Shiji" "Preface to the Return of Secretary Cheng Song Jun to the Imperial College"

Notes

① Stem: Interference.

② Shou: conduct.

③ Tired: influence.

A husband’s self-respect is as high as a buttress①, and he should be valued for his money.

Lu You: "Jiannan Poetry Manuscript: Sitting Alone in the Turtle Hall after Snow"

Notes

① Gongbi: A large jade bi that is held in an arched position with both hands. Metaphor for precious things.

If you use your reputation as a scholar, your reputation will be ruined ①, and if you use goods as a favor, your body will perish. ... Only a gentleman's reputation should not be swayed, and his body should not be favored. This is called keeping one's nature.

Song Lian: "The Profound Words of Qianxi"

Notes

① Name Bijun (huīhui) in the name of Wen Gao (yāo waist): simply use beautiful words If you try to gain fame by writing articles (implying a lack of emphasis on morality), your reputation will inevitably be ruined. 徼, same as "invite", seek. 鳳, destroyed.

② Use goods as favor: to obtain goods at the expense of life.

He who is worthy of not being stubborn but not caring about others' criticism and praise is a gentleman who has determination. He who deceives himself and others but does not care about the criticism and praise of others is a villain who has no scruples.

Xue Yingyi: "Xue Ziyong Yu"

Notes

① Shi: consider, take into account.

Honor and disgrace depend on what is established. If what is established is solid, then honor will follow, and although there may be humiliation, no one can bear to add to it; if what is established is deposed, then humiliation will follow, and although there is glory, no one can bear to add to it. Therefore, a gentleman loves what he establishes and fears what he can destroy.

Lu Kun: "Moaning Language·Cultivation"

① Gou: Only, here is the meaning of "only for the present".

You will not be happy if you are praised, and you will not be angry if you are criticized.

Sima Guang: Volume 1 of "Collected Works of Wen Guo Wenzheng and Sima Gong" "Ode to Spiritual Things"

Embarrassment and humiliation ① is not worry, taking hardship and humiliation ② as worry; glory and benefit are not happiness, Forget about glory and profit.

"Zhang Zaiji·Zhengmeng·Youde"

Notes

① Difficulty and humiliation: refers to being in trouble and humiliation due to objective reasons.

② Taking trouble and humiliation: refers to self-inflicted hardship and humiliation due to subjective reasons.

Change it if it exists, and encourage it if it doesn’t.

Zhu Xi: Volume 1 of "Collected Annotations on Chapters and Sentences of the Four Books·Collected Annotations on the Analects of Confucius"

It cannot be criticized or praised, and it is like losing one.

Su Shi: "The Complete Works of Su Dongpo, Part 1" Volume 24 "Collected Works of Mr. Yue Quan"

Those who praise others well will be praised by others; those who praise others well will be destroyed by others. Of.

Deng Mu: "Bo Yaqin·Famous Theory"

Famous and valuable are ① and not expensive, ②.

Xue Yingqi: "Records of Xue Fangshan"

Notes

① and: giving.

② Pick up: Pick up by yourself.

When you hear someone’s slander, you should educate yourself, and when you hear someone’s praise, you should be afraid of yourself.

Hu Juren: "Juyelu·Learning"

The learning of a gentleman is all about pursuing oneself. Reputation, honor and disgrace come not only to move his heart, but also as a place for learning and training.

Wang Shouren: "Answer to a Friend" in Volume 6 of "The Complete Works of Wang Yangming"

When others praise me for being humble, it adds to my beauty; when I boast about myself, I lose myself, and it adds to my ruin.

Lu Kun: "Continuation of Children's Sayings"

Perfect names and beautiful festivals should not be left alone. Sharing some with others can harm the whole body; it is not suitable to promote humiliation and stigma: lead some If you return to yourself, you can cultivate your virtues.

Hong Yingming: "Cai Gen Tan"

It is better to make people happy by having a good tune than to make people evil by being straightforward; it is better to be praised by people without kindness than by being ruined by being without evil. .

Same as above

It is better to have the ruin of seeking perfection than to have the reputation of being overly sentimental; it is better to have innocent disasters than to have undue blessings.

Same as above

If you are happy when you hear the reputation, but feel sad when you see the ruin, then you will leave the emperor alone, but the sun is not enough, how can you be a gentleman?

Liu Zongzhou: "Records of Human Genealogy"

If you have strong thoughts about being a human being and light thoughts about being an official, then misfortunes and blessings will not be enough; Full of ambition.

Qian Qi: "Qian Gongliang's Test of Language·Gui Jin"

Notes

① 鳳 (huīhui): destroyed.

Those who don’t praise others lightly are also good at praising others; those who don’t underestimate others are also those who are good at destroying others.

Zhuang Yuanchen: "Shu Juzi Neipian" Volume 4

Achievements are born from defeat, and fame is born from criticism ①.

Same as above

Notes

① Criticism. shame.

There are those who undermine me and criticize me. If they change their ways, they will benefit their virtues, and if they make peace with them, they will also nourish their abilities.

Shen Hanyu: "Warm-Saving Phrases" Leading to Lu Wenzhen's Gongyu

Notes

① 诮(qiàoqiao): reproach, condemnation.

If you praise yourself, you will be afraid, because you will be afraid of robbing beauty without reality; if you destroy yourself, you will be lucky. Fortunately, I will learn about it and change it.

Volume 18 of "Fang Bao Ji" "Tongshi"

I am not willing to favor others' selfishness, so I would rather be criticized than accepted by others. Reputation is good.

Zhang Tingyu: "Chenghuaiyuan Yu"

Notes

① Favor: Submission, obedience.

If the slander is untrue, you can just defend yourself; if the slander has a cause, you can't stop it without self-cultivation.

Qian Daxin: "Shijia Zhaiyang New Record·Stop Slander"

Slander and praise are all based on the basis of discussion. Those who praise me guide me in the past, and those who destroy me show me dangers.

Li Xing: "Yuyan"

Notes

① Tu: Same as "路".

I have nothing wrong but my slander is overwhelming. It is not shocking, I can just laugh and talk about it. I have experienced it but luckily I haven't heard of it. I couldn't sleep on the mat and couldn't eat or swallow. Therefore, a gentleman has no evil ambition①.

Same as above

Notes

① Will: refers to the inner moral will.

Not being able to bear slander is just ignorance. Except when the crime is about to be punished and you should not die unjustly, you must distinguish it; if you slander your reputation or make idle remarks, the more you distinguish it, the more it will become worse.

Same as above

It is extremely useful to not regard honor and disgrace as honor and disgrace, but it can only be obtained if the points inside are sufficient. Nowadays, when people see others, they are respectful and arrogant, and they often feel happy and unhappy, all of which are externally serious. If this mystery is not broken, your heart will be filled with ice for the rest of your life②.

Same as above

Notes

① The score inside is sufficient: it means that the mind is very clear.

② A lifetime of ice and charcoal: It means a mixture of joy and anger, and a life of restlessness.

If people praise you, you should stick to it if it is good. You should not be self-rejoicing. If there is no good, how can you practice more. If a person destroys himself, if there is evil, he should get rid of it. He should not have any intention of hearing evil. If there is no evil, then how can he encourage him?

Li Xing: "Yao Yan Ni Manuscript"

When there is honor, there must be humiliation, when there is gain, there must be loss, when there is progress, there must be retreat, and when there is intimacy, there must be alienation. .

Zhang Ying: "Congchuan Zhaiyu"

People strive for honor ①, but when they seek it, it is already a great humiliation in the world; people strive for favor ②, As long as he relied on it, he was already extremely lowly in the world.

Jin Ying: "Proverbs Lianbi Dunpin"

Notes

① Rong; Rongxian, status.

② Rely: rely on.

Unfortunately ① blessing, there will be no disaster; if you don’t worry about gain, there will be no loss; if you don’t seek glory, there will be no humiliation; if you don’t do ② fame, there will be no ruin.

"Wei Yuan Ji·Mo Gu Xia·Zhi Chapter 16"

Notes

① Fortunately: the same as "resentment".

② Qian: Get it.

It is a joy to see clouds and mountains everywhere, and there is no need to be alarmed at any honor or disgrace.

"Collection of Huang Xing·Book Couplet for Xuanye Changzhi"