Original text

4.1 The Master said: "Benevolence is beauty (1). How can we know (3) if we choose not to be benevolent (2)?"

(1) 里仁为美: 里, residence, borrowed as a verb. It is better to live in a place with benevolent people.

(2) Place: Residence.

(3) Zhi: Yin zhì, same as wisdom.

Translation

Confucius said: "It is good to live with virtuous people. If you choose a place where you are not living with virtuous people, what will happen to you?" Can we say that you are wise? ”

Comments

Everyone’s moral cultivation is not only a personal matter, but also necessarily related to the external environment. Paying attention to the living environment and the choice of friends are issues that Confucians always pay attention to. If you are close to vermillion, you will be red, and if you are close to ink, you will be black. If you live with virtuous people and are influenced by your eyes and ears, you will be influenced by virtuous people; on the contrary, it is unlikely to develop the sentiment of benevolence. < /p>

Notes

(1) About: poverty, embarrassment.

(2) Anren and Liren: Anren means to be content with the way of benevolence; Liren means benevolence only when you believe that benevolence is beneficial to you.

Translation

Confucius said: "People without benevolence cannot remain in poverty for a long time, nor can they live in peace and happiness for a long time. A benevolent person is content with benevolence and has A wise person practices benevolence only when he knows that benevolence is beneficial to him."

Commentary

In this chapter, Confucius believes that people without benevolence cannot live long. In poverty or in happiness, otherwise, they will commit crimes or be arrogant and licentious. Only benevolent people are content with benevolence, and wise people will also practice benevolence. This idea hopes that people will pay attention to their personal moral integrity, remain determined and maintain their integrity in any environment.

Original text

4·3 The Master said: "Only the benevolent can like (1) people and hate (2) people."

Notes

(1) Good: The sound is hào, which means favorite. as verb.

(2) Evil: The sound wù means hate and hate. as verb.

Translation

Confucius said: "Only those who are virtuous can love and hate others."

Commentary

Confucianism When talking about "benevolence", it not only means "loving others", but also "hating others". Of course, Confucius did not say here who to love and who to hate, but where there is love, there must be hate, and the two exist in opposition. As long as "benevolence" is achieved, there will be correct love and hate.

Original text

4·4 Confucius said: "As long as one aspires to benevolence, there is no evil."

Translation

Confucius said : "If you are determined to be benevolent, you will not do bad things."

Comments

This is the continuation of the previous chapter. As long as you develop benevolence, you will not do bad things, that is, you will not commit crimes or do evil, nor will you be arrogant and indulgent, or do whatever you want. Instead, you can do good deeds that are beneficial to the country and the people.

Original text

4.5 The Master said: "Wealth and honor are what people want. If they don't get them according to the way, they will not live in them. Poverty and lowliness are what people want." What is evil is not achieved by following the way. Is it evil to become famous? A gentleman will never violate benevolence and make mistakes. Translation

Confucius said: "Wealth and nobility are things that everyone wants, but they will not enjoy them if they do not obtain them in the right way; poverty and lowliness are hated by everyone, but If you don't use proper methods to get rid of it, you won't be able to get rid of it. If a gentleman abandons benevolence, how can he be called a gentleman? A gentleman will not deviate from benevolence even in the most urgent moment. Doing things with virtue means that even when you are in trouble, you will definitely do things according to benevolence."

Commentary

This paragraph reflects Confucius's view of rationality and desire.

Previous studies on Confucius often ignored this paragraph. It seems that Confucius advocated that people only need benevolence and righteousness, not profit and desire. This is not the case. No one is willing to live a life of poverty, hardship and displacement, and everyone hopes to be rich and comfortable. But this must be obtained through legitimate means and channels. Otherwise, one would rather stay in poverty than enjoy wealth. This concept still has its value that cannot be underestimated today. This chapter deserves careful scrutiny by researchers.

Original text

4.6 The Master said: "I have never seen a person who loves benevolence and a person who hates one who is not benevolent. Those who love benevolence have nothing to do with it; those who hate one who is not benevolent are just benevolence and do not use it. Is there anyone who can use his strength to be kind? I don’t know how to do it.”

Translation

Confucius said: "I have never seen people who love benevolence, nor have I seen people who hate unkindness. People who love benevolence cannot be better; people who hate unkindness cannot be better when practicing benevolence. , Don’t let unkind people influence you. Can you use your strength to practice kindness? I haven’t seen such people. There may still be people, but I haven’t seen them. ” p>

Comment

Confucius particularly emphasized personal moral cultivation, especially the cultivation of benevolence. But in the turbulent society at that time, there were not many people who loved benevolence, so Confucius said that he had not seen it. However, Confucius believed that the cultivation of benevolence mainly depends on individual conscious efforts, because as long as through personal efforts, the state of benevolence can be achieved.

Original text

4·7 Confucius said: "Everyone's faults are in his own party. By observing his faults, he knows benevolence."

Translation

Confucius said: "People's mistakes are always of the same nature as the mistakes made by people in his group. Therefore, if you examine the mistakes a person makes, you can know that he has no benevolence."< /p>

Comment

Confucius believed that the reason why people make mistakes is fundamentally because they have no benevolence. People with benevolence tend to avoid mistakes, while people without benevolence cannot avoid mistakes. Therefore, from this point of view, the nature of the mistakes made by people without benevolence are similar. This speaks from another perspective of the importance of strengthening moral cultivation.

Original text