The meaning is as follows:

Understand the principles of things one by one, and then you will have profound knowledge and understand things thoroughly. Have profound knowledge, understand things thoroughly, and then your thoughts will be honest. If your thoughts are honest, your heart will be upright and free of evil thoughts. Only by being upright in your heart can you improve your moral character. Only when one's own moral character improves can the family be put in order. Once the family is in order, the country will be well governed. Once the country is well governed, and by extension, the world can be at peace. This is a consistent and continuous process from a person's inner moral and intellectual cultivation to the completion of his external career.

Source:

The Confucian work "The Great Learning"

Part of the original text:

The way of a great university lies in being enlightened and virtuous, and in being close to the people. Stop at the highest good. Knowing that there is stillness can lead to concentration; concentration can lead to tranquility; tranquility can lead to tranquility; tranquility can lead to worry; worry can lead to gain. Things have a beginning and an end; things have an end and a beginning. If you know the order of things, you will be able to take the shortcut. In ancient times, if you want to bring enlightenment and virtue to the world, you must first govern your country; if you want to govern your country, you must first regulate your family; if you want to regulate your family, you must first cultivate your body; if you want to cultivate your body, you must first rectify your mind; if you want to rectify your mind, you must first rectify your mind. , first be sincere in what you mean; if you want to be sincere in what you mean, you must first know; to know, you must investigate things. After observing things, one will know, and after knowing one's thoughts, one will be sincere, one's mind will be sincere, then one's heart will be upright, one's heart will be right, then one will cultivate one's body, one will cultivate one's body, and then one's family will be in order, and one's family will be in order, and then the country will be governed. From the emperor to the common people, everything is based on self-cultivation. If it is originally chaotic and ends up being governed, then it is wrong; if it is thick, it will be thin, and if it is thin, it will be thick, but it is not there. This is called knowing the basics, and this is called knowing the ultimate.

Interpretation:

The purpose of the university is to promote upright moral character, to make people abandon the old and pursue the new, and to make people reach the most perfect state. Only when you know the state you should reach can you have firm ambitions; only if you have firm ambitions can you be calm and not impatient; only by being calm and not impatient can you have peace of mind; only by having peace of mind can you think carefully; only by thinking carefully can you gain something. Everything has roots and branches, everything has a beginning and an end. If you understand this fundamental truth, you will be close to the law of development of things. In ancient times, those who wanted to promote upright moral character in the world must first govern their own country; if they wanted to govern their country well, they must first manage their own family and clan; if they wanted to manage their own family and clan well, they must first manage their own family and clan. Cultivate your own character; if you want to cultivate your own character, you must first correct your mind; if you want to correct your mind, you must first make your thoughts sincere; if you want to make your thoughts sincere, you must first make yourself knowledgeable ; The way to obtain knowledge is to understand and study everything. Through the understanding of all things, knowledge can be obtained after research; after gaining knowledge, the thoughts can be sincere; after the thoughts are sincere, the mind can be correct; after the mind is correct, the character can be cultivated; after the character is cultivated, the family and family can be managed well; the family and family can be managed well. Only after the family can the country be governed well; after the country is governed well can the world be at peace.

Summary:

"The Great Learning" is an important part of the Confucian classics. The Great Learning has eight items: investigating things, seeking knowledge, sincerity, upright mind, self-cultivation, ordering the family, governing the country, and bringing peace to the world. , from a person's inner moral and intellectual cultivation to the completion of his external career, it constitutes a consistent and continuous process. Taking self-cultivation as the basis, studying things, developing knowledge, sincerity, righteousness, and self-cultivation, that is, the inner moral and intellectual cultivation, are the skills of "Ming Ming De" in the Three Programs of the University.