original text

Confucius said, "The knower is not confused, the benevolent is not worried, and the brave is not afraid." ("The Analects of Confucius Zi Han IX")

language translation

Confucius said, "The wise will not be confused, the wise will not be sad, and the brave will not be afraid."

Discussion and analysis

In Confucian traditional morality, wisdom, benevolence and courage are three important categories. The Doctrine of the Mean says: "Knowledge, benevolence and courage are the virtues of the world." Confucius said that "the wise are not confused, the benevolent are not worried, and the brave are not afraid", hoping that his students can possess these three virtues and become real gentlemen, so as to achieve the goal of sanctification.

Confucius clearly pointed out: the highest accomplishment of wisdom is not to be confused; The highest accomplishment of benevolence is not worrying; The highest achievement of courage is not being afraid. Although the requirement of sanctification is extremely high and difficult to achieve, it can still be achieved through practice. Because, if a person really understands the real purpose of being a man, he will improve his mind because of his self-requirement, break the mystery of life, and then face the fun of life calmly without disturbing others, and also exercise his fearless real courage to face the difficulties and tests he encounters.