In China culture, the sheep is a mascot. Many words with beautiful meanings are all related to sheep. For example, beauty means that sheep are beautiful. For example, auspicious Xiang is also a sheep on its right.
why is the sheep a symbol of good luck in China culture? First of all, sheep is a very docile animal. Unlike other wild animals, it can live in harmony with human beings. In addition, there is a saying that the horns of sheep are bent inward, and such a struggle will not be fatal. According to Confucius, this is the dispute between gentlemen. Like sheep, there is also a gentleman's demeanor. Therefore, many Chinese characters in China express auspicious and beautiful words, which are related to sheep.
let's answer the second question. Why does Laozi say that goodness is like water? What is the position of water in Laozi's Taoist philosophy? What enlightenment can the characteristics of water provide for our lives?
goodness is like water, which comes from Laozi's Tao Te Ching:
goodness is like water. Water is good for all things without arguing, and it is evil for everyone, so it is a few words. Live in a good place, be kind-hearted, be kind-hearted, be good at words, be good at politics, be good at things, and be good at times. The husband is only indisputable, so there is nothing special.
Translated into modern Chinese:
The highest level of goodness is like water. Water is good at nourishing all things without contending with them, and stays in places that people don't like, so it is closest to Tao.
I live in a place where I am good at choosing, my mind is good at keeping calm and unfathomable, I am good at treating people sincerely, lovingly and selflessly, I am good at keeping my word, I am good at being methodical in my administration, I am good at exerting my ability and grasping the opportunity in my actions.
It is precisely because he is peaceful with the world that he won't provoke resentment, so there is no fault, and there is no blame.
in Laozi's philosophy, Tao is the most essential thing in the world, and it is the internal basis and driving force of everything. The Tao is invisible and inaction, and it is natural, and it will not be intentional. Everything is the result of nature, spontaneity and consciousness. On the basis of this philosophical thought, Lao Tzu believes that both governing the country and being a man should follow the principle of Tao.
Politically, Lao Tzu advocates inaction. Don't run amok, everything takes nature as the highest standard, so what Lao Tzu advocates is the governance mode of governing a big country like cooking small things and doing nothing.
in people's life, Lao Tzu advocates indisputable. Lao Tzu thinks that fighting for power and profit with others is the beginning of disaster. If you are not the first, if you don't fight with others, then others won't fight with you, so you are invincible.
In addition, Laozi's philosophy of life advocates softness, weakness and the way of keeping the profit and protecting Thailand. Don't do anything too full or too much, otherwise the water will be full and the moon will be full, and he will always move in the opposite direction of things.
So, in nature, is there anything more in line with Laozi's philosophy than water? Definitely not.
First of all, water has no fixed shape, that is, it has no limit. It can be changed into any shape, which is the natural state.
secondly, water is soft. It is the weakest thing in the world, which completely conforms to Lao Tzu's noble and soft thought.
thirdly, water is the most tolerant. It can contain all the dirt and all the unpleasantness in this world, which is also closely related to Laozi's thought.
fourthly, water has indisputable characteristics. Everything else goes up, while water goes down. It never fights with others, which is in line with Lao Tzu's indisputable thought.
fifth, water has a benevolent heart that moistens everything. Laozi believes that we should have kindness and love when dealing with others, be as good as water, be unknown, seek nothing in return, and strive with an indisputable heart.
sixth, water always moves according to the law, so should people, follow the rules and follow the trend.
These characteristics of water perfectly fit Lao Zi's political and ethical thoughts, so Lao Zi regards water as the most perfect goodness.
In fact, Confucius likes water very much, too. He once said a lot of good things about water, which perfectly explained Laozi's thought of being good as water. In Xunzi Youzuo, Confucius told his disciple Zi Gong:
Confucius said, "Fu Shui is partial to all living beings and does nothing, which is like virtue.". Its flow is also falling, and the detention must follow its principles and be righteous. Its Tao Tao is unyielding, like a Tao. If there is a decision to do it, it should be quiet, and it will go to the valley without fear and be brave. The main quantity must be flat, similar to the law, and the profit does not seek to be approximate, but seems to be positive. About micro-reach, it seems to be observed. To go out and enter, to be fresh and clean, like goodness. Its ten thousand folds will also be eastward, like ambition. Therefore, a gentleman must look at the water when he sees it. "
It means:
The flowing water is vast, and it generally gives alms to all kinds of creatures without doing anything, as if it were virtue; It flows to a lower place, and it must follow the law of downward flow when it twists and turns, like righteousness; It is boundless, like Tao; If someone digs up the blockage and makes it pass, it rushes forward immediately, as if the echo should be the same as the original sound, and it is not afraid to go to a valley hundreds of feet deep, as if it were brave; It must be very flat when it is injected into the measuring device, as if it were a statute; It doesn't need to be scraped flat with a scraper after filling the meter, which seems fair; It can reach all the subtle places flexibly, as if it is clear; All kinds of things come out and go in the water to wash, and then they become delicious and clean, as if they were good at education; It twists and turns and must flow eastward, like a will. Therefore, when a gentleman sees the vast flowing water, he must watch it.
Here, Confucius regards water as his ideal gentleman personality image. Water has the personality of a gentleman, such as virtue, righteousness, Taoism, courage, law, integrity, observation, ambition and kindness.
therefore, goodness is like water. Be a man and learn the spirit of water.
Water is invisible
Not being strong is a kind of wisdom. Being strong thinks of conflict, and taking a clear-cut stand will always provoke disputes between right and wrong. You see those people who can only say three points are really natural and unrestrained, aloof from the world.
water is harmless
it is a kind of quality and accomplishment. Is the biggest difference between humans and animals!
Water is colorless
Clear and unchangeable opinions are mostly prejudice.
a wise man always doubts, but a fool speaks eloquently.
Mature people never dare to talk too much. In today's confusing right and wrong and wavering three views, we should stick to it, but many people don't understand what kind of persistence is to stick to our original heart and what is opinionated. People with great wisdom know that everything happens for a reason, can understand the extremes and stubbornness of most people, and also understand the fact that they are ignorant all their lives, so they won't have too bright views to avoid disputes with others.
For China people, the idiom "being kind as water" can be said to be familiar, well-known to all women and children. These four words are often hung on the wall and around the mouth, but there are many people who are arty, and how many people really know the true meaning?
most people understand the word "goodness" as goodness, beauty or goodness and beauty, thus understanding "being good as water" as the most beautiful and good quality, just like water, that is to say, water has the most beautiful and good quality. Baidu Encyclopedia explains that "goodness is like water": "goodness is like water, which is the highest virtue of people. Just like the nature of water, it is not disputed by all things." Is it really like this? Is water the symbol of the best conduct? So how do you explain the idioms of hot water, disaster, easy virtue and ruthless fire and water? To truly understand "goodness is like water", the key is to understand the true meaning of the word "goodness". I don't know the original meaning of the word "goodness", and all the explanations about "goodness is like water" are fallacious, so the wisdom of saints will not be truly understood by us.
In fact, the original meaning of "goodness" refers to the natural attributes of things, and there is no distinction between beauty, ugliness and good or bad. The original meaning of "goodness is like water" and "beginning of life, nature is good". When people are born, because they have not been influenced by society and education, their nature has natural characteristics, that is, natural attributes. The so-called "sex" refers to the inherent characteristics of things at a specific stage, including innate and acquired characteristics, while "goodness" refers to the innate and natural characteristics of things, that is, innate natural attributes. From the perspective of word formation, the word "good" is from the sheep, which means that those who talk about the sheep are "good". So why can sheep represent the natural attributes of things? We know that both human beings, cattle, sheep, chickens and dogs, and wolves, insects, tigers and leopards have the same natural attributes at birth. Except for being cute, they all open their mouths to cry (scream) when they are hungry, and they will bite their mothers' nipples when they are very hungry. They are happy when they are full, and their nature is basically the same, that is, "similar in sex", but it doesn't matter whether they are evil or not. However, when they grow up, most of their nature will change greatly. Only when sheep grow up, they don't change much, and they still basically maintain their natural attributes at birth, so sheep symbolizes their innate natural attributes. The natural attribute is a sheep, so the word is "good". Because sheep are naturally gentle, "goodness" also refers to beautiful qualities, as opposed to "evil". Note: the goodness of good and evil is the extended meaning, not the original meaning.
There are many such examples in Chinese characters, that is, the original meaning is neutral, and there is no positive or negative meaning. By extension, it refers to the positive or negative meaning, so we should pay special attention to the distinction in specific applications. The original meaning of "goodness" refers to the natural attribute of things, which means nothing but beauty. The original meaning of "smelly" refers to the sense of smell produced by the function of the nose, that is, smell, which does not matter whether it is fragrant or unpleasant, but it also refers to unpleasant taste. For example, the word "smelly" in "bad taste of wine and meat in Zhumen" means the original meaning, only referring to the smell, not the bad taste, because Zhumen people will not let the wine and meat have a bad taste. Another example is the word "auspicious", whose original meaning refers to the signs of things, and there is no difference between good and bad, and the extension refers to good omen. In the Book of Songs Daming, the word "auspicious" is used in its original meaning. As for good or ill luck, the king of Wen does not know it in his heart, but it is just a fixed ceremony.
knowing the original meaning of "goodness", it is easy to understand that "goodness is like water". The word "goodness is like water" comes from the eighth chapter of Laozi's Tao Te Ching: "goodness is like water. Water is good for all things without arguing, and it is evil for everyone, so it is a few words. " The general idea of this passage is that the natural property of water is that it flows from a high place to a low place, and when it is still, it is flat. Everything can't live without water. Water is beneficial to everything, but it never competes with everything. It must be in a place that everyone hates, so this natural attribute of water is close to the Tao. Laozi's so-called Tao refers to the origin of things and their natural laws. The natural attribute of water is close to the origin of things and their universal natural laws, so it is said that "goodness is like water". Confucius also explained: "Everyone is on the top, and the water is alone; Everyone is easy, and water is alone; Everyone is clean, and the water is alone. Who can contend with the evil that people do? This is why it is good. "
Taoism pursues the eternal way of nature, advocates letting nature take its course and governing by doing nothing, and opposes human intervention in nature. The natural attribute of water is that it flows from a high place to a low place, and when it is quiet, it is flat. This natural attribute of water is closest to the constant way of heaven, so it is said that "goodness is like water". Humanism should follow the example of Heaven, and when we strive for the Tao, we should not strive for heights, and heaven and man should be United and let nature take its course. This is the similarity between Taoism and Confucianism.
the original meaning of "goodness".
From the perspective of word-making, the inscriptions on bronze, which first appeared in the mid-Zhou Dynasty, are shaped like a "sheep" on the top and two "words" on the bottom, and this sheep has a noose tied around its neck. The juxtaposition of the two words "Yan" is actually an ancient word, and the sound of "light" means "arguing" and "unexpectedly saying". Later, the glyph changed, simplifying the following into a word "Yan". With the change of official script and regular script, it finally became what we see today.
This is a knowing word. Is that a sheep talking? That's not true. Instead, people are praising the gentle and beautiful character of "sheep", so the original meaning of "good" is "good", "good" and "docile", and later it has extended the meanings of "friendliness", "expertise", "approval", "easiness" and "familiarity".
goodness is like water
and Laozi's "goodness is like water" obviously means extension.
"Good is like water" is now an idiom, which means that "the supreme character is like water, so everything is neglected without striving for fame and fortune". At present, the public is more likely to understand "goodness" as "kindness" and interpret the whole sentence as "the best kindness moistens things silently like water, asking for nothing in return".
That's right. The extension and interpretation of an idiom in later generations depends on the environment and times, but how to interpret the original text in order to be as close as possible to Lao Tzu's original intention?
In Lao Tzu's eyes, there is no distinction between good and evil, only "inaction" and "promising". Inaction goes by and promising goes against it.
"Heaven and earth are heartless, taking everything as a straw dog". Everything in the world is just born and died according to the Tao, and there is no difference. "Good" and "evil" are just the positive and negative mappings between heaven and earth. People who truly gain the Tao don't care about good and evil according to the standards given by the world.
The so-called good and evil put forward by people are just fleeting in the minds of those who gain enlightenment, and will eventually belong to the avenue and mix with it.
So first of all, it is certain that the "goodness" in Tao Te Ching is not "goodness".
Lao Tzu refers to a state of Tao with "goodness", and "goodness" is a state very close to Tao. Because in Tao Te Ching, Lao Tzu also said that Tao is a silent, intangible and intangible thing, and its name is barely named Tao, so the unpredictability of Tao is really like water, and it is not limited to its shape. The characteristics of Tao are like water, which treats everything equally and gives birth to everything without knowing it.
the closer you get to the road, the more you find that the road is like water. All aquatic things are low-key and indisputable, and they are happy with the situation and are in a low position that everyone does not like. Therefore, it is a bit similar to the Tao that gives birth to everything in the world without being noticed.
here, we continue to expound seven similarities of water to Tao, which is actually to visualize Tao, so that everyone can learn from the various characteristics of water and pursue Tao.
"Living in a good place", the water flows downwards and never goes upstream, which is the compliance of "Tao"; "The heart is good and deep", and the water is empty, silent and unfathomable, which is the abyss of "Tao"; "Being kind", Shui Ze was subjected to all things without asking for anything in return, which is the great benevolence of Tao; "Good words and good faith", when water encounters obstacles, it will avoid them, and it will definitely follow the road. This is the trustworthiness of "Tao"; "Good governance by politics", water cleansing and balanced measurement are the governance of "Tao"; "Good things can be done", the water is square when it meets the square, and it is round when it enters the circle. This is the ability of "Tao"; When "moving well", water melts in winter and ice in spring, and there is a season when it is abundant and dry. This is the right time for "Tao".
If we don't argue with things, people, people, and heaven and earth like water, we will naturally have nothing to worry about if we treat external things in line with their natural development, conform to the rules of the road, and make them perfect and harmonious with ourselves.
water has seven virtues (seven characteristics of Tao) without worrying, so does our pursuit of Tao. In fact, all the "goodness" in this chapter boils down to the state of "indisputable", that is, "inaction".
Therefore, the "goodness" in being good as water actually refers to a state very close to the "Tao".
this has something to do with today's reason.