Confucius said, "I am determined to learn five times out of ten, standing at thirty, not confused at forty, knowing my destiny at fifty, obeying my ears at sixty, and doing what I want at seventy, without overstepping the bounds."

[ mountain man's note: "ZONG" is pronounced with four tones. It means "with". ]

This passage has become a famous saying throughout the ages. However, there have always been different understandings and thus different explanations. Mainly focused on "ambition" in what study? What is "standing"? What is "no confusion"? What is the "hearing"? To what extent is "knowing the destiny"? Wait a minute. In fact, they are all literal and direct explanations. For example, Cheng Changming's translation is: Confucius said: "When I was fifteen, I was interested in learning. At thirty, I was able to stand on my own feet firmly. At forty, I knew all kinds of things without wondering. At fifty, I knew what the destiny was. At sixty, I could distinguish and understand everything I heard. At seventy, I could do whatever I wanted, but I wouldn't go beyond the law."

In Li Zehou's translation of The Analects of Confucius, Confucius said: "I made up my mind to study at the age of fifteen, established myself at the age of thirty, and was no longer confused. At the age of fifty, I recognized my own destiny. At the age of sixty, I was naturally honored by various criticisms. At the age of seventy, I did whatever I wanted without violating the rules of etiquette."

Even today, you can't "make up your mind to study at the age of 15". Let alone Confucius!

in the Zhou dynasty, children entered primary school at the age of eight. Learn basic culture and martial arts and so on. He entered the university at the age of fifteen, and the university is also called "Imperial College". There, learn to be a man, run the country and make peace, and so on. In Zhu Xi's Notes on Four Books, he said, "A great scholar can learn from an adult."

Mountain people think that Confucius describes the state of individuals at different stages according to their age.

fifteen years old: I am curious about everything and have a strong thirst for knowledge. I want to learn everything, and my mind is full of questions. Absorb new knowledge very quickly. No matter what, just learn.

thirty years old: it's a good time to make your own opinion. Not broken, not standing. It's the age to put forward your own independent opinions.

forty years old: after forty years old, people have no ability to question existing theories and theories and put forward challenging and constructive views. "No doubt" means no problem. Without problems, there will be no further development in learning.

fifty years old: once you are over fifty, you will know how much you are capable of and how high you can reach. It is impossible to make any major breakthrough and development. I have already weighed myself out.

sixty years old: once you are over sixty, you no longer have the ability to argue or even discuss with people about all kinds of new ideas, theories and arguments.

seventy years old: I can only "desire" with my heart. That is, I can only think in my heart, "If I were XX years younger, I would also have YYY"! Without the ability to do it. You can only imagine it in your own thinking frame.

Take a look at the Nobel Prize jobs. Most of them are in their thirties. This is proof.