"Listen to what others say and watch what they do" means not only listening to what others say, but also looking at their actions to judge whether they are trustworthy.
Source
The source of this sentence is "The Analects of Confucius Gongye Chang".
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Translation
Confucius said: "In the past, I listened to people's words and believed in their actions, but now I listen to people's words and observe their actions."
Appreciation
This sentence mainly wants to tell us that when humans communicate, in addition to paying attention to what the other party says, they also need to observe their behavior to comprehensively evaluate whether the other party is trustworthy.
Creative background
The Analects is one of the famous Confucian classics in ancient China, recording the words, deeds and thoughts of Confucius and his disciples. This passage comes from the chapter "Gongye Chang" and was spoken by Confucius in a conversation with his disciple Zaiyu. Confucius expressed here his changes in his attitude and methods towards interpersonal relationships.
Notes
Listen to what others say: listen to what others say and understand what they mean.
Observe their actions: that is, observe the actions of others and understand their behavior.
The Analects of Confucius: An ancient Chinese Confucian classic that records the words, deeds and thoughts of Confucius and his disciples.
Shu Dao: "Shu" means tolerance and understanding. It is one of the important concepts in Confucianism, which emphasizes understanding and tolerance of others.
Confucius: a great thinker, educator and founder of Confucianism in ancient China.
Jaiyu: A character in The Analects of Confucius, one of Confucius’ disciples. In this passage, Jaeyu's behavior is used as an example to express Confucius' views on how to treat others.
Disciples: Students of the ancient Confucian school, Confucius also had many disciples. They recorded Confucius’ words and deeds, allowing Confucius’ thoughts to be praised by future generations.
Life Inspiration
The saying "Listen to what others say and watch what they do" means that you should not only listen to what others say, but also see whether their actions are consistent with what they say. . In our lives, many people say something but do not practice it, or behave inconsistently with their words. Therefore, we need to judge their true intentions and values ??by observing their behavior.
In my personal experience, I have encountered people who often spout wild words but rarely live up to them. What these people say is often to suit a purpose rather than their true intention. By observing their behavior, we can quickly determine whether they are honest, reliable, trustworthy, and worthy of our trust and cooperation.
In addition, this concept can also help us make better decisions in life. When we hear opinions or suggestions from some people, we can judge whether their suggestions are reliable and worthy of our adoption by observing their behavior. This approach can help us avoid losses and bad decisions that result from trusting the wrong people.
To sum up, "listen to what they say and watch what they do" is a very practical way of life. It can help us better understand other people's intentions and behaviors and make decisions in life. Better decisions. In our life journey, when we encounter different people and things, always keeping this concept in mind can make our life more wise and successful.