Chapter 1

1. A slight difference is a thousand miles away.

——"Book of Rites Sutra Interpretation"

Interpretation: There is a small mistake at the beginning. If it is not corrected in time, it will eventually cause a big mistake. Everything is difficult at the beginning, and you must be cautious at the beginning; you must strive for excellence and meticulousness in scientific research, otherwise heavy losses will occur. Millicenti: A small unit of measurement, describing very few or extremely small. Miao (miù): wrong.

2. A ruler is short and an inch is long; things are insufficient and wisdom is unclear.

——Warring States Period·Chu·Qu Yuan's "Bu Ju"

Interpretation: Although the ruler is longer than the inch, it appears shorter compared with longer things. Although the inch is shorter than the ruler , but compared with shorter things, they appear longer; things always have their shortcomings, and wise people always have unwise things. People or things have their own strengths and weaknesses. We should not blame them for perfection, but should use their strengths and avoid their weaknesses.

3. If you don’t follow the rules, you can’t make a circle.

——"Mencius Li Lou Shang"

Interpretation: Without compasses and rulers, rectangles and circles cannot be drawn. We must abide by certain rules and regulations in our lives and in doing things. Otherwise, everyone will do their own thing and everything will be in chaos. Rules: Rules and moments, two tools for correcting circles and squares.

4. Misfortunes lie on the back of blessings, and blessings lie on the backs of misfortunes.

——"Laozi"

Interpretation: Disasters are the basis of happiness, and happiness lurks disasters. It tells us that misfortunes and blessings can transform into each other under certain conditions. We should be prepared for danger in times of peace and should not be discouraged if we are in adversity. Xi (xī): modal particle, equivalent to "ah". Yi (yǐ): rely on. Fu: latent, hidden.

5. A well-stocked warehouse will reveal etiquette; a well-fed and well-clothed person will recognize honor and disgrace.

——"Guanzi·Herdsmen"

Interpretation: Only when the granaries are abundant can the people understand the etiquette system; only when the food and clothing are abundant can the people know honor and shame. Material civilization is the basis of spiritual civilization. Those who govern a country must first consider the lives of the people. Lin (lǐn): granary. Real: substantial.

6. A gentleman’s connection is like water, and a villain’s connection is like wine.

——"Book of Rites·Biaoji"

Interpretation: A gentleman's friendship is as plain as water, while a villain's friendship is like sweet wine (strong and sweet). The friendship between gentlemen does not seek fame and gain from each other or takes advantage of each other, so it appears plain and natural, so it can last for a long time; the friendship between villains has the intention of profiting and taking advantage of each other, so it is inevitable to be hypocritical, pretentious, and sweet talk. , so it is difficult to last. Contact: contact, communication. Li (lǐ): sweet wine.

7. The right person will get a lot of help, but the wrong person will get little help.

——"Mencius Gongsun Chou"

Interpretation: Those who possess the truth and are in line with justice will get help from more people, while those who violate the truth and are unjust will rarely get help. help. It tells us that truth and justice are invincible.

8. Wealth cannot be suppressed, poverty cannot be moved, and power cannot be surrendered.

——"Mencius·Teng Wen Gong"

Interpretation: Wealth cannot make his mind confused, poverty and lowliness cannot make him change his moral integrity, and power cannot make his will surrender. Only by achieving these three points can one be called a man. Mencius's words have been passed down from generation to generation and have inspired countless Chinese people.

9. If a worker wants to do his job well, he must first sharpen his tools.

——"The Analects of Confucius·Wei Linggong"

Interpretation: If a craftsman wants to do his job well, he must sharpen his tools in advance. It can be seen from this that if a person wants to be competent at work, he must first learn the skills well.

10. A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.

——"Laozi·Chapter 64"

Interpretation: A journey of thousands of miles begins with the first step. It is a metaphor that success in anything starts from scratch and is gradually accumulated from small to large. Everything is difficult at the beginning. Without a beginning, there will be no results. Everything must start from small things bit by bit.

Chapter 2

1. Therefore, if wood is supported by a rope, it will be straight, and if metal is sharpened, it will be beneficial.

——"Xunzi Encouraging Learning"

Interpretation: After the wood is processed by carpentry ink lines (woodworking tools), it becomes straight; metal objects are sharpened on the whetstone After that, it can be sharpened. These two metaphors are used to illustrate that after people learn, temper and reflect on themselves, they will become smarter and wiser, stop making mistakes, and become stronger and stronger. Li (lì): whetstone.

2. If you are good, you will know its evil; if you are evil, you will know its beauty.

——"Book of Rites·University"

Interpretation: For the person you like, you must know his shortcomings and not be partial; for the person you dislike, you must know his shortcomings. The advantages cannot be erased. When we evaluate a person, we must be objective and fair, not be emotional, and not be biased because of our own good or bad qualities.

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

——"The Analects of Confucius·Yan Yuan"

Interpretation: If you don't like it, don't impose it on others.

Compare yourself to others, think about your own benefits and harms to others, and think more about others. This is a principle that should be followed throughout your life. Desire: Want, hope. 不(wù): Don’t. Shi: add, give.

4. The beauty of a gentleman is not the evil of a man, but the evil of a villain.

——"The Analects of Confucius·Yan Yuan"

Interpretation: A gentleman fulfills the good deeds of others and does not contribute to the bad deeds of others. The villain is just the opposite. If an adult is beautiful and accumulates good deeds, he becomes a gentleman; if an adult is evil and accumulates resentments more and more, he becomes a villain. Gentleman: A person of noble character. Villain: refers to a person with a despicable personality. On the contrary: the opposite of this.

5. A gentleman is magnanimous, but a villain is always worried.

——"The Analects of Confucius·Shuer"

Interpretation: A gentleman's heart is flat and broad, but a villain is often cramped and worried. A gentleman is open-minded, content with poverty, be kind to others, and always content with his content, so he can be magnanimous. Villains have too many desires, worry about gains and losses, are worried, blame others, and feel uneasy, so they often feel sad. Magnanimous: open-minded and free-spirited. Qi Qi: Looks worried and uneasy.

6. Running water does not rot, and door hinges do not suffer from beetles.

——"Lu's Spring and Autumn Annals"

Interpretation: Flowing water will not go rancid, and door shafts that often rotate will not be eaten by insects. It is a metaphor that things that move frequently are not easily corroded and can remain unchanged for a long time. This sentence vividly illustrates the great significance of "movement": life lies in movement, the brain lies in movement, and talents also need to flow. Everything in the universe is in motion. Without movement, there would be no world. Fu: rancid. Door hinge (shū): the hinge of the door. beetle (dù): moth erosion.

7. If you are full, you will suffer losses, but if you are modest, you will benefit.

——"Book of Dayu Mo"

Interpretation: Pride and complacency will inevitably lead to losses, while modesty and prudence will gain benefits. Many historical facts prove the correctness of this famous saying. Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty was able to listen to the opinions of his ministers with an open mind, and the country was governed very well, and the peaceful and prosperous era of the "Reign of Zhenguan" appeared; but in his later years, he became arrogant and complacent, and failed miserably when he attacked Goryeo (North Korea). Tang Xuanzong was considered wise in the days when he first ascended the throne as emperor. After achieving political and economic achievements, he became arrogant, which led to the "Anshi Rebellion" and the decline of the Tang Dynasty.

8. If you persevere, the rotten wood will not break; if you persevere, the metal and stone can be carved.

——"Xunzi Encouraging Learning"

Interpretation: If you carve it for a while and then give up, even the rotten wood will keep carving it; if you keep carving it, even if it is stone It can also be carved successfully. This metaphor is intended to illustrate that in learning and doing things, only by perseverance can we achieve success; if we only try superficially, we will achieve nothing. 锲(qiè), 镕(lòu): carving.

9. When three of us travel together, we must be our teacher.

——"The Analects of Confucius·Shuer"

Interpretation: Three people are walking on the same road, and among them there must be someone who can be my teacher. Everyone has corresponding skills and strengths, and there is something worth learning. As long as you learn from others with an open mind, you will definitely find a teacher who can teach you.

10. Think before you act.

——"The Analects of Confucius·Gongye Chang"

Interpretation: Take action after repeated consideration. This applies to those who act recklessly. Three: multiple times.

Chapter 3

1. Born in sorrow and died in happiness.

——"Mencius·Gao Zixia"

Interpretation: People can grow up by worrying about disasters, or they can perish in ease and enjoyment. A harsh environment can temper people and make them stronger to survive and develop; a happy life can easily corrode people, make them decadent and even perish.

2. A sage will lose something if he worries a lot; a fool will gain something if he worries a lot.

——"Yanzi Chunqiu·Miscellaneous"

Interpretation: When great people consider problems, they will inevitably make omissions; fools may also come up with some useful opinions after careful thinking. . Chekhov said that when a big dog barks, a small dog will also bark. A small dog should not be afraid to bark because of the presence of a big dog. Fools should not give up their thinking because of the existence of saints.

3. Eat without speaking and sleep without speaking.

——"The Analects of Confucius·Xiangdang"

Interpretation: Don't talk when eating, don't talk when sleeping. There are many words in "The Analects" that record Confucius' living habits and health regimen. This one is worth learning.

4. Stones from other mountains can attack jade.

——"The Book of Songs·Xiaoya·Crane"

Interpretation: Stones on other mountains can be used to polish jade. It originally refers to the talents of one country, but can also be used by another country. Later, it is a metaphor for using other people's criticism to help correct one's own mistakes, or using other people's situations as a reference. Other mountains: other mountains. Attack: pondering.

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

——"Mencius Gongsun Chou"

Interpretation: Getting the right time is not as good as getting the right place, and getting the right place is not as good as winning the hearts of the people. Those who win the hearts of the people win the world, and those who lose the hearts of the people lose the world. This is the fact. Weather; changes in solar terms, climate, cloudiness, sunshine, cold and heat. geographical advantage; geographical advantage.

Renhe: Unite and win people's hearts.

6. Heaven is moving vigorously, and a gentleman strives to constantly strive for self-improvement.

——"Yi Qian"

Interpretation: The movement of celestial bodies is powerful and powerful. A gentleman should follow it as an example and consciously work hard and never stop. The ancients often had their own experiences when they observed the heaven and earth, mountains and rivers, vegetation, birds and beasts, insects and fish, which is worth learning from. OK: run, run. Jian: Strong and powerful.

7. Give me a peach and repay me with a plum.

——"The Book of Songs·Daya·Dang"

Interpretation: Someone gives me a peach, and I give him a plum in return. No matter how much benefit the other party gives me, I should repay him with corresponding benefits. There should be courtesy between people. Throw: To throw, here it means to give something away. Bao: return, reward.

8. It is never too late to make up for the lost sheep.

——"Warring States Policy·Chu Ce Four·Zhuang Xin Called King Xiang of Chu"

Interpretation: It is not too late to repair the sheepfold after the sheep have run away. After something fails, it is not too late to remedy it in time; the fear is that you will not learn lessons and take remedial measures. Death: Escape. Prison: livestock pen.

9. I think about it all day long, and it is not as good as what I learned in just a moment.

——"Xunzi Encouraging Learning"

Interpretation: Instead of sitting there and meditating all day long, it is better to spend a little time studying to gain benefits. Learning and thinking are complementary to each other. If you only focus on one aspect, it will be in vain. For a moment: for a while.

10. Learn and then don’t know enough.

——"Book of Rites·Xue Ji"

Interpretation: Keep learning so that you will know your own shortcomings in the future. Einstein once compared himself to a big circle and people with shallow knowledge to a small circle. The outside of the large circle is exposed to more blank space than the small circle. Therefore, people with more knowledge are more aware of their lack of knowledge. Know your own shortcomings, and the harder you study, the more knowledge you will have.

11. Haste makes waste.

——"The Analects of Confucius·Zilu"

Interpretation: If you want to be fast, you will not achieve your goal. Some of Confucius's disciples were officials. Confucius taught them not to rush for success when achieving political achievements. The development of things has its own laws, and learning must be gradual. If you don't lay a good foundation, you won't be able to conquer cutting-edge science and produce results quickly.

12. To know is to know, and to not know is to be ignorant, which is knowledge.

——"The Analects of Confucius·Wei Zheng"

Interpretation: If you know something, admit it. If you don't know it, you don't know it. This is wisdom. Smart people always regard ignorance as known. The last "zhi" (zhì): smart.

13. When hundreds of rivers reach the sea from the east, when will they return to the west? If a young man does not work hard, the old man will be miserable.

——"Han Yuefu·Long Song Xing"

Interpretation: Time is like a river flowing eastward into the sea, never to return; if a person does not study hard when he is young, he will not study hard when he is older. If you accomplish nothing, you will have nothing but sorrow and regret. Life accumulates into days, days into months, and months into years, which seems to last forever. When I was young, I looked forward to growing up. I often felt that life passed slowly and the days ahead were long. In fact, time flies like an arrow, and the sun and the moon fly by. If you let it go by, you will give up day after day, year after year, and it will be too late to regret it.

14. Seeing once is better than hearing a hundred times.

——Ban Gu of the Han Dynasty, "Han Shu·Zhao Chongguo Biography"

Interpretation: No matter how much you hear, it is better to see it with your own eyes. It means that what you see is more reliable than what you hear.

15. Disease enters through the mouth and disaster comes out of the mouth.

——Fu Xuan of Jin Dynasty, "Fu Zi·Kou Ming"

Interpretation: Diseases are eaten from the mouth, and disasters are spoken from the mouth. This sentence warns people to be cautious when speaking, as careless speech will lead to disaster. Be careful not to talk too much in life. Talking too much will lead to mistakes.

16. If you don’t enter the tiger’s den, you won’t get the tiger’s cubs.

——Fan Ye of the Southern Dynasties and Song Dynasty, "Book of the Later Han·Ban Chao Biography"

Interpretation: If you don't enter the tiger cave, you won't be able to catch the little tiger. It is a metaphor that you cannot achieve significant success without personally entering dangerous situations. It also means that it is difficult to obtain true knowledge without practice. The second "bu" is also called "yan".