Lin Zexu's famous couplet is: "The sea accepts all rivers, and tolerance is great. Standing on a wall with thousands of feet, one has no desire and is strong."

It means:

1. The sea accepts all rivers, and there are Capacity is great: The sea can accommodate thousands of rivers. Because it has such a broad mind, it is the greatest in the world. (Educating people to be broad-minded in order to become great)?

2. A cliff standing thousands of feet tall, without desire is strong: A cliff can stand thousands of feet tall because it has no excessive desires and does not fall to other places. (Educate people to give up meaningless pleasures and cultivate their moral character)

Extended information:

Lin Zexu’s famous couplet: "The sea is open to all rivers, and it is big if it has tolerance. Thousands of feet stand on the wall, and there is strength without desire." Analysis :

1. First couplet

The first couplet expresses the need to have a broad mind as broad as the sea. "Haina" means a large tolerance. Li Zhouhan's note: "A heart that is small in size is like a sea that can gather hundreds of rivers. It is said to be vast." Translated as a heart that is small in size, it can be like a sea that gathers hundreds of rivers. This describes the vastness of the heart. "Baichuan" is the general name for Jianghuai Lake. "If you have appearance, you will be great", the saying comes from "Shangshu·Junchen": "If you have appearance, virtue will be great." It is translated as "tolerance in the heart will lead to great virtue."

The meaning of the first couplet is that the reason why the sea is vast is that it can contain hundreds of small streams; people must have broad virtues and have a broad mind like the sea. Being broad-minded will attract many people. With a broad mind and tolerance that can accommodate all rivers and rivers, you can "tolerate things that are difficult to tolerate in the world" and you can "tolerate everything" with others and yourself. This kind of tolerance shown to others is the "forgiveness" advocated by Confucianism.

That is, treating people with kindness and putting yourself in others' shoes in everything, "Don't do to others what you don't want others to do to you." "("The Analects of Confucius·Yan Yuan"), this sentiment of unity between people and themselves is not only beneficial to personal physical and mental health and improvement of realm, but can also adjust the relationship between people to achieve a reasonable and harmonious state.

The first couplet explains what bigness is. Bigness is the combination of countless small ones into a whole, and it can tolerate things that are difficult to tolerate in the world. It is a broad-minded mind; the ability to continuously accumulate and learn is a profound knowledge; it exists in the universe. All things must occur in human consciousness and activities. Being able to tolerate all phenomena in the world and try to understand different fields is of great significance to the growth of personal thought. This is where the greatness and insignificance of people lie!

2. The second line

The second line shows the firm determination to do things. The second couplet uses the metaphor of a steep rock wall that has stood tall despite being hit by wind, rain, and lightning strikes, indicating that we must eliminate all distracting thoughts, adhere to justice, and be a selfless, fearless, and upright man. The second line explains where perseverance and ambition come from. Without desire, one can be strong. People have seven emotions and six desires. Excessive love for something can lead to personal loss and go astray.

Wang Bo once had the heroic saying of "Being poor will make you stronger, and your ambition will not fall into the clouds". Zhuge Liang also had the aphorism of "Being indifferent will make your ambition clear, and tranquility will lead you far." Only by restraining "greed, anger, and ignorance" can one's personal realm be improved. Only by breaking through fame, lust, material desire, and control desire can we clarify our ambitions and stick to the right direction.

In an impetuous environment, some people become dictators when engaging in politics, become ruthless capitalists when engaging in business, and pursue fame and fortune when engaging in academic research. Gradually, human nature becomes distorted and life becomes meaningless. Politicians can achieve great success only by serving the people and the country; entrepreneurs can be respected only by being honest and sharing interests, and their enterprises can prosper for a long time; and intellectuals can become masters only by rigorous study and continuous exploration.

The last words of the upper and lower couplets - "big" and "rigid", come from Chapter 2 of "Mencius Gongsun Chou". Mencius, who lived to be 84 years old, said when talking about "I am good at cultivating my awe-inspiring Qi": "It is Qi, the most powerful and strong." This means that this kind of awe-inspiring Qi is the greatest and strongest. The couplet quoting this classic further demonstrates the author's awe-inspiring aura.

This kind of open-mindedness and the uprightness of "standing against the wall" come from "no desire". This kind of tolerance, "desireless" feelings and the most powerful aura are indispensable elements for mental health.

Baidu Encyclopedia - The sea accepts all rivers, and tolerance is great; standing on a wall of thousands of feet, without desire is strong