The original text of this sentence appeared in a family letter called "Book of Commandments" written by Zhuge Liang to his eight-year-old son Zhuge Zhan when he was 54 years old. The three words "Book of Commandments to Sons", as the name suggests, are Zhuge Liang's education and admonitions to his sons. This is based on a father's self-summary and reflection on his life, and also euphemistically expresses his expectations and requirements for his son.
Translated into vernacular, it means: If you cannot calm down, focus on learning, and polish yourself with your heart, you will not be able to reach a higher realm, go further, and achieve more ambitious goals. If you cannot take fame and fortune lightly, you will not be able to establish your own clear direction and goals amidst worldly temptations.
This sentence uses the two words non and non, which are double negatives to express a positive meaning. From this came the two four-character idioms of indifference and clear ambition, tranquility and far-reaching, which are also regarded as mottos of life by many people. It fully reflects Zhuge Liang's profound thinking on life and is full of wisdom and philosophy. From our perspective today, this sentence is particularly applicable, as we can always alert ourselves.
With the rapid development of society, people's desires are growing infinitely, and the illusion of busyness makes people indulge in it and have no time to think. For the economic system, this desire is one of the driving forces for economic development. But for individuals, too much desire, if they do not know how to control it, will only make themselves more impetuous and empty, and they will not be able to obtain true inner satisfaction. If you can't calm down and examine your true inner desires, you may be like many people who have lived for most of their lives without knowing what they really want and feeling like they have accomplished nothing. Being indifferent and clarifying our aspirations allows us to reject the specious temptations in life. Many things pretend to be opportunities, but in fact they are just temptations that lead us away from our true intentions. Only by looking down upon worldly fame and fortune can we find the eternity we seek in our hearts. Similarly, Tranquility and Far-reaching tells us that no matter what you pursue, you need to practice with concentration, take root in a field with the spirit of craftsman, and achieve the ultimate in one thing, you will be the uncrowned king.