I stood up at thirty

Confucius said: "When I was fifteen, I was determined to learn. At seventy, one should follow one's heart's desires without exceeding the rules. "The Analects"

Confucius's famous saying "At thirty" in "The Analects" is very familiar to everyone, but it is not easy to give a definite explanation. . Throughout the ages, there have been countless works annotating the Analects of Confucius. The interpretations of this passage are different. Various specific explanations have been put forward as to what Confucius' "standing" refers to when he "stands at thirty". Among them, the most representative one is Generally speaking, it can be summarized into three types: "based on learning", "based on etiquette" and "based on Tao".

According to the existing materials, the first person to propose the theory of "establishing in learning" was Huang Kan of the Southern and Northern Dynasties. In "The Analects of Confucianism", he pointed out: "Those who stand at the age of thirty are said to have established the foundation of the classics they have learned. The ancients learned a classic in three years, and another fifteen years from fifteen to thirty, so the foundation of mastering the five classics Therefore, it is established." Huang Kan's statement is most likely based on the following record in "Hanshu Yiwenzhi": "In ancient times, scholars farmed and cultivated, and they mastered a skill in three years. Keep the general outline and just play with the scriptures. Therefore, it takes a few days to accumulate more virtue, and at thirty, the Five Classics are established. "It should be said that this explanation clearly bears the characteristics of the era when Confucian classics in the Han Dynasty focused on "transmitting scriptures."

The theory of "establishing on rituals" originated from "The Analects". Confucius himself clearly said that "establishing on rituals" ". The so-called "ritual" that is "based on etiquette" can have two basic directions: one is the "ritual" that actually serves as the fundamental discipline of society; the second is the "ritual" that serves as the code of conduct for individuals to conduct themselves in the world. Judging from the specific content of "Li Yu", it is basically explained from the latter aspect. Why does "Li Yu" play such an important role? Zhu Xi gave a representative answer: "Li Yu is based on Li." Respect and courtesy are the basis, and the details of the verses can strengthen the connection between the skin and the muscles. Therefore, among scholars, those who can stand on their own outstandingly and not be shaken by things must find it here. "The interpretation of "establishment" from the perspective of "establishing a family" and establishing a career is also related to the theory of "establishing in rites". Song Xiangfeng, a scholar in the Qing Dynasty, pointed out, "In Quli, thirty is Zhuang, which means having a room." Those who are established are based on etiquette. A gentleman can live in a house only if he knows the etiquette. Otherwise, the decline of customs and changes in human relations would have started in the home. Therefore, it is said that if a person is polite, he will be safe, but if he is not polite, he will be in danger. "Compared with other explanations, the theory of "establishing on rituals" has had the most extensive social influence.

The theory of "establishing on Tao" was mainly concentrated in the Neo-Confucian period of Song and Ming Dynasties. This theory emphasizes that "establishing at thirty" is "Be able to stand on one's own feet." Cheng Yi pointed out: "The Master said: I am determined to learn. The sage said that he himself came from learning, so he encouraged future generations to do so. Standing means being able to stand on one's own feet. "The so-called "Si Dao", most commentators in the Song and Ming dynasties considered it to be the "Tao of the University", which is the "Three Programs" revealed in the "University" chapter of the "Book of Rites" such as "Ming Ming Ming Morality, Being Close to the People, and Ending with the Perfection". " and the "eight items" such as "investigating things, developing knowledge, sincerity, upright mind, self-cultivation, managing the family, governing the country, and bringing peace to the world".

It can be further pointed out that the above-mentioned different interpretations actually include the "difference between Han and Song Dynasties", that is, different perceptions of Confucius's historical status in Chinese culture. During the Han and Tang Dynasties, people usually regarded Confucius as one of the sages such as Yao, Shun, Yu, Tang, Wen, Wu, and Zhou Gong since ancient times, highlighting Confucius' inheritance from the ancient sages. After the Song Dynasty, people put more emphasis on Confucius' founding of Confucianism and the integration of the great achievements of ancient Chinese culture, highlighting the transformative aspect of Confucius's creation and inheritance of the ritual and music culture created and inherited by the ancient sages. Reflected in the interpretation of "standing at thirty", the theory of "standing on learning" and "standing on etiquette" focus on the aspect of individuals adapting to the existing value system, highlighting the external "trace" rather than the internal one. "Heart" reflects more of the characteristics of Sinology. The theory of "standing on the Tao" not only includes the dimension of focusing on the cultivation of inner nature, but also reserves space for interpretation to affirm Confucius's transformative significance to Chinese culture, thus embodying more of the characteristics of Song Dynasty.

If we admit that Confucius opened up the possibility of perfecting his personality through self-moral cultivation to achieve a perfect life existence by pointing out that "benevolence" is the universal and inherent essence of what makes a human being, then we can realize In order to understand the changes in the development and evolution of Chinese culture, we may make further theoretical advancements based on the theory of "standing on the Tao" and interpret the "standing" in "standing at thirty" as "standing upright of benevolence" or "Benevolence is revealed." This means that Confucius completed the discovery of "benevolence" and the consciousness of "benevolence" at the age of thirty. Not only did he regard it as the inner essence of himself, but he also regarded "benevolence as his own responsibility" and established the ideal of success for his life. The basic goal of benevolence becomes sainthood. Through this, Confucius not only established his refuge and established the central concept of his own thoughts and doctrines, thus achieving the foundation of his own life, but also laid the foundation for the final completion of the establishment of the basis for ritual and music culture inherent in human nature in the early development of Chinese culture. Change establishes a fundamental spiritual direction. Therefore, for Confucius, as a cultural giant, "standing at thirty" not only constitutes a very important link in the growth of individual life and personality, but its content is also closely related to the direction of change in Chinese cultural tradition. The reason why it can produce The widespread and long-lasting impact is not difficult to understand.

So, today, what is the purpose of being thirty? From the theoretical standpoint of Pingzhang, Han and Song Dynasties, we can at least draw lessons from the following three aspects from the tradition of "standing at thirty" since Confucius.

First, the pursuit of ideal personality should become an important part of self-life growth. According to Confucius, cultivating virtue and studying can be said to constitute the main content of "standing at thirty", and thus achieves the four stages of progress in the process of self-cultivation of personality, that is, the state where benevolence is revealed (standing at thirty) , the state of benevolence and wisdom (at forty, no confusion), the state of understanding heaven (at fifty, you know destiny), and the state of doing whatever you want (at seventy, you can do whatever you want without violating the rules). The pursuit of ideal personality has thus become the common orientation of people with lofty ideals in traditional Chinese society. Today, although times have changed, it is neither necessary nor possible for us to completely copy the traditional so-called "gentleman and sage" personality. However, Confucianism advocates the principle of promoting people's moral subjectivity and consciousness and being a virtuous person. Advocacy should still be our basic value orientation that cannot be ignored. The declaration of "being an upright person" by Lu Jiuyuan, a scholar in the Song Dynasty, is still the basic requirement that people should practice as a human being today.

Second, the advancement of "morality" and "ability" is an important foundation for self-reliance in the world. Will and reason constitute the two basic aspects of human life, and they are related to "morality" and "energy" respectively. Confucius went from "standing upright at thirty" and "standing upright with benevolence" to "not being confused at forty" (a wise man is not confused), which can be seen as encompassing an original structure in which both benevolence and wisdom advance side by side. Today, although the specific contents of "benevolence" and "wisdom" are different from those in traditional times, "morality" (morals, values) and "energy" (skills, knowledge) formed by the will and reason related to life are still It is still an important foundation for individual life and even group life (the Chinese nation) to stand on its own in the world. How to achieve the simultaneous advancement of "morality" and "ability" is the fundamental factor that determines the "establishment" of one's own life.

Third, etiquette norms are an important form of demonstrating the degree of civilization in life. Being able to regulate one's sight, hearing, words and actions according to etiquette norms in order to conduct oneself in society is an important criterion for measuring the degree of civilization of an individual or a group of people in China, which is known as a country of etiquette. Today, if we want to pursue the modern renaissance of Chinese culture in the wave of globalization, we must not only comply with the "etiquette norms" of the contemporary world, but also contribute our unique and excellent resources to contemporary society to form a more reasonable Code of conduct for one’s conduct in life. This is also an important aspect related to whether individual life and even group life (the Chinese nation) can stand on its own in the world today.

Postscript

This is "Standing at Thirty: Traditional Evolution and Contemporary Interpretation" published by Mr. Li Xianghai, professor and director of the Department of Philosophy at Nankai University, in Guangming Daily. At that time, it was an article that was subsequently discussed in response to the question raised by Mr. Yan Huiwen: “What is the purpose of ‘standing at thirty’?” (see Guangming Daily, Chinese Studies Edition, September 6, 2007).

September 29, 2007 (the 19th day of the eighth lunar month) was my 30th birthday. On that day, I received many blessings from bloggers. Among them, the teacher "Wandering Rabbit" recommended me to read several books in the Chinese Studies Senior Circle. There are several blog posts about "standing at thirty", including "What does "standing at thirty" stand for? 》"Standing at Thirty: Traditional Evolution and Contemporary Interpretation"

The reason why I pay so much attention to "Standing at Thirty" is that I have just entered my thirties. How to "stand" and what to "stand" has always been Questions I ponder.

After reading "The Analects of Confucius" Xiangdang, I also have the same ideal as Zeng Dian - in late spring, spring clothes are ready, there are five or six crown princes, six or seven boys, bathing in Yi, and the wind is blowing Dance and chant and return.

Today is January 3, 2008, the beginning of the new year. It has been exactly 30 years since China’s reform and opening up in 1978 to the 2008 Beijing Olympics. I have also entered the thirtieth spring and autumn of my life. !

It is recorded here as "Thirty and Standing".