original text
Zi Gong asked, "When a gentleman sees a flood, he must watch it. Why? " Confucius said, "He who is in charge of water is more virtuous than (*). Dedication, selflessness, such as virtue; The great is born like benevolence; Its flow is modest, and every sentence is based on its logic; Shallow people's hearts, deep people are unpredictable, like wisdom; There is no doubt that he went to the valley of one hundred miles and looked very brave; It is weak and micro-reaching, which seems to be observable; If you are not allowed by evil, it is like a package; Unclear, fresh and clean, looks good; The quantity must be flat and positive; The income is not approximate, but similar; Its ten thousand fold must be the east, which seems to mean something. Therefore, when a gentleman sees a big water, he must look at it. "
(Also, this story was first seen in Xunzi Zuozuo. The original text is:
"Confucius watched the water flow eastward. Zi Gong asked Confucius, "What is the reason why a gentleman must look at water? "Confucius said:" Being rich in water, doing nothing with the rest of the world is like virtue. Its flow is also declining, and detention must follow its principles and be just. It is almost endless, just like a road. If you are determined to do it, you should walk quietly and fearlessly to the valley of a hundred miles, just like courage. The number of main forces must be equal, similar to the law. Surplus is not ordinary, but seems positive. As for micro-touch, it seems to be observed. Go out and enter, be fresh and clean, like goodness. Its 10,000-fold will also be eastward, such as ambition. Therefore, a gentleman must look at water when he sees it. "
translate
Zi Gong asked, "When a gentleman sees a flood, he must watch it carefully. What is the reason? " Confucius said: "Water can inspire a gentleman (close to the virtue of nature) to compare his moral cultivation." It is all over the world, giving everything, impartial, like the virtue of a gentleman; Everywhere, everything grows like a gentleman's kindness; Water-based downward, with the shape of things, like a gentleman's high righteousness; The shallowness is endless, and the depth is unpredictable, like the wisdom of a gentleman; Going to the abyss, without hesitation, is like a gentleman being decisive and brave; Infiltration is meticulous, just like a gentleman's epiphany; Suffering from notoriety, silently defending, like a gentleman's all-inclusive open mind; Mud and sand are mixed, and finally there is a clear water, just like a gentleman is good at transforming things; Install a measuring device and keep it horizontal, just like a gentleman's upright posture; Stop when you are full, and don't be greedy for too many things, just like a gentleman pays attention to discretion and moderation; No matter how many questions you ask, you should flow eastward into the sea, just like a gentleman's unshakable faith and will. Therefore, a gentleman must observe the flood carefully when he sees it. (Because this is undoubtedly taking care of yourself! ) "
To annotate ...
(1) According to Confucius Collection, Shuo Yuan Zayan was quoted, and the title was added by the editor.
② Zigong: Confucius' student, with a compound surname Duanmu, a famous Zigong, and a patriot.
3 pay: pay.
4 Humble: low. This means that the water is downward.
⑤ Every sentence follows its logic: it refers to the characteristics of water, such as linearity, Fiona Fang, etc., which are shaped with things.
⑥ Weak and micro-reaching: The curve is thin and weak.
⑦ Let: The word is extended to defense.
⑧ Good: Good at education and transformation.
Pet-name ruby: the wooden board used to scrape the bucket when measuring rice in ancient times. Used as a verb here, it means to scrape.
Confucius' Thought of Water Reading
Yesterday, I saw a beautiful article on the Chinese teacher's blog entitled "Confucius on the Water". After reading it, I felt so much that I dared not possess it alone. Share it with everyone.
Morality is like water.
Confucius said that water is like a gentleman. Morality and fairness are all over the world. Confucius lived in an era of "ritual collapse and bad music". War raged among vassal states, bullies ran rampant, and moral corruption was even more numerous. Confucius, on the other hand, adhered to the gentleman's ethics and "self-denial and courtesy" and developed it into the core theory of Confucianism-benevolence. In fact, isn't Confucius' morality just like water? Generosity, kindness, impartiality and selflessness have erected the image of teachers from generation to generation for future generations to worship.
Wisdom is like water
Confucius said that water is full of wisdom, its shallowness is infinite, and its depth is quiet. How instructive this is to our life today. You think, when we are in the spring breeze, don't we just rush by like shallow water? When we are wandering in the trough, it is actually an opportunity to update our thinking, abandon our mistakes, actively innovate for survival, and brew a thorough transformation! This life is full of wisdom and brilliance, and this life is full of legends!
Faith is like water.
Confucius said that no matter how many twists and turns, water will eventually flow into the sea, just like the belief of a gentleman. That would be great. In order to realize his ideal, Confucius traveled around the world and recommended his theory to princes and kings, but no one ever used it. But for thousands of years, his persistent pursuit and immortal faith have already influenced the will quality of China people and penetrated into the bone marrow. The Tang Priest in The Journey to the West is a typical representative with strong willpower. Whether it is the threat of monsters or the temptation of beauty and wealth, his belief in going to the "Western Heaven" to worship the Buddha for Buddhist scriptures has never wavered, which is really admirable.
Water is the most common thing in life, even to the point where people turn a blind eye. However, the great philosopher Confucius summed up such a rich and profound philosophy of life after watching the water, which really made us feel a state of stagnation. At the same time, we also get inspiration from it: life is like water. An active and healthy life must have a moral and ideological foundation as deep as water; Have the wisdom of water, improvise and improve yourself; There is a firm belief like water, which urges me to keep moving forward, moving forward until the end.