1. Confucius’ classic sayings:

1. A gentleman has no weapons.

From "The Analects of Confucius·Wei Zheng Chapter 2". Translation: A gentleman should not be like a fixed vessel, but should be knowledgeable and malleable.

2. Lord, minister, father, son.

From "Historical Records: The Family of Confucius". Translation: The king should be like the king, and the ministers should be like ministers. The father should be like the father, and the son should be like the son.

3. To know something is to know it, and to know something is to know it, and to know something is to know it.

From "The Analects of Confucius·Wei Zheng Chapter 2". Translation: If you understand, you understand. If you don’t understand, you don’t understand. This is true understanding.

4. Only benevolent people can be good and evil.

From "The Analects of Confucius Li Ren Chapter 4". Translation: Only virtuous people can love and hate others correctly.

5. A gentleman is Yu Yuyi. The villain is Yu Yuli.

From "The Analects of Confucius, Li Ren Chapter 4". Translation: When discussing things with gentlemen, they only care about whether they are in accordance with morality. Talk to villains, they only care about whether it is profitable.

6. The ancients couldn’t say what they said, and they couldn’t catch it in shame.

From "The Analects of Confucius Li Ren Chapter 4". Translation Ancient people did not speak out easily because they felt ashamed that they could not do it.

7. When quality is better than literature, the country will be wild; when literature is better than quality, history will be achieved.

From "The Analects of Confucius Yong Ye Chapter 6". If the translation has more quality than literary talent, it will be crude; if the translation has more literary talent than quality, it will be vain.

8. Know things silently, never tire of learning, and never tire of teaching.

From "The Analects of Confucius·Shu Er Chapter 7". Keep knowledge in mind silently, study diligently without getting bored, and teach others without getting tired.

9. Being rich and noble unjustly is like a floating cloud to me.

From "The Analects of Confucius·Shu Er Chapter 7". Although people who are unkind and righteous are rich and noble, to me, they are as light as the clouds in the sky.

10. If you judge someone by their words, you will lose them; if you judge someone by their appearance, you will lose them.

From "Historical Records·Biographies of Zhongni's Disciples". Translation: I judge a character's ability only by words, but my judgment of Jaeyu is wrong. I judge a character's ability only by his appearance, but my judgment of Ziyu is wrong again.

11. Don’t worry about others but don’t know yourself; worry about others if you don’t know them.

From the translation of "The Analects of Confucius·Xueer", you are not afraid that others will not understand you, but you are afraid that you will not understand others.

12. Isn't it a joy to have friends come from far away?

Isn’t it a joy to have like-minded people coming from afar?

13. Don’t do to others what you don’t want others to do to you.

Don’t impose things you don’t like on others.

14. When three people are walking together, there must be one who is my teacher.

15. The three armies can seize the commander, but an ordinary man cannot seize the will.

2. Classic quotations from Mencius:

1. The benevolent are invincible

Source: "Mencius: King Hui of Liang, Part 1" translation: Those who pursue benevolent government are invincible in the world .

2. To help the generals from heaven to entrust great responsibilities to these people, they must first strain their minds, strain their muscles and bones, starve their skin, deplete their bodies, and mess up their actions, so they are tempted to endure. It has been beneficial to what it cannot do.

Translation: God is going to place a major task on this person. He must first make his heart suffer, strain his muscles and bones, starve his body, and make him impoverished. Behavior is always unsatisfactory. In this way, you can shake his mind, strengthen his temperament, and enhance his abilities so that he can complete the great task.

3. A wife will insult herself, and then others will insult her; a family will destroy herself, and then others will destroy her; a country will destroy itself, and then others will destroy it.

Translation: A person must first cause self-destruction before others can insult him; a family must first have self-destruction factors before others can destroy it; a country must first have self-destruction reasons. Only others attack it.

4. Wealth and honor cannot lead to adultery, poverty and lowliness cannot change, and power cannot yield. This is called a true man.

Translation: When you are rich, you cannot be deceived into doing excessive things; when you are poor, you cannot change your moral integrity; when you are poor, you cannot change your moral integrity; when you are rich, you cannot be tempted to surrender your will. This is called a real man!

5. Those who love others will always be loved by others; those who respect others will always be respected by others.

Translation: Those who love others will always be loved by others; those who respect others will always be respected by others.

6. Born in sorrow and died in happiness.

Translation: Worrying about disasters can make a person or a country survive, while being addicted to ease and enjoyment can make a person or a country disappear.

7. Fish is what I want, and bear’s paws are also what I want; there is no need to apologize for the two, for those who give up fish and take bear’s paws are the same. Life is what I want, and righteousness is what I want. Talented people cannot have both, and those who sacrifice life for righteousness are the same.

Translation: I like to eat fish and I also like to eat bear paws; if I choose one, I will give up the fish and eat the bear paws. I love life, and I also love benevolence and righteousness. If I were asked to choose one, I would give up my life for benevolence and righteousness.

8. To nourish the heart, don’t be good at having few desires.

Translation: The best way to cultivate your character is to reduce idiosyncratic desires.

9. The weather is not as good as the right place, and the right place is not as good as the people.

Translation: The weather and season that are conducive to combat are not as good as the geographical situation that is conducive to combat, and the geographical situation that is conducive to combat is not as good as the people's aspiration and internal unity.

10. If you are poor, you will be good for yourself; if you are rich, you will be good for the world.

Translation: When you are unsuccessful, you must take good care of your own moral cultivation. When you are successful, you must work hard to benefit everyone in the world.

11. I will help those who are in the right way, but I will help those who are unjust. When there is little help, relatives will be there; when there is much help, the world will follow.

Translation: A person who wins the hearts of the people will be helped by many people, but a person who is unpopular will naturally have no one to support him. Even relatives will alienate themselves. The more people support you, the more peaceful the world will be!

12. Without rules, squares and circles cannot be drawn

From the translation of "Mencius Li Lou Shang": Without compasses and rulers, squares and circles cannot be drawn correctly.