Looking at Confucius' life, he did not actually have any earth-shattering careers, but he started the most influential Confucian school in Chinese history with his example and words, and became the greatest "holy teacher" in the past two thousand years.What is the wisdom of Confucius? Confucius, named Qiu, styled Zhongni, was born in 551 BC, at the end of the Spring and Autumn Period, when the history of the Zhou Dynasty declined, rituals and music collapsed, and cultural traditions were on the verge of extinction.The ancestor of Confucius was from the state of Song (descendants of the Yin Dynasty), and later moved to the state of Lu to settle down.He was born in Yanyi, Lu State (now Nishan, near Qufu City, Shandong Province). When he was three years old, his father, Shu Lianghe, died; After a while, he determined to learn by himself, and finally became famous for his knowledge and courtesy.

When Confucius was seventeen, his mother died.At the age of twenty, he married Jiguan (a native of the Song Dynasty) as his wife, and gave birth to a son Kong Li the following year.The occupations that Confucius has done include appointing officials (managing warehouses), taking fields (managing pastures) and supporting funerals (undertaking funerals).Around the age of 30, some students asked for advice and followed him, forming a unique teacher-student group, with the goal of teaching, cultivating morality and governing the country for the benefit of the people.Confucius never tires of learning and teaching, and his knowledge and knowledge gradually become a system. At the age of forty, he can "not be confused", and at the age of fifty, he can "know the destiny", and he understands that his natural mission is to inherit the cultural tradition.From the age of fifty-one to fifty-five, Confucius was engaged in politics in the state of Lu. He successively served as Zhongduzai (county magistrate), Xiao Sikong (deputy chief of the engineering department), and Sikou (chief of the judicial department). excellence.However, due to political disagreements with those in power and dissatisfaction with Lu Dinggong's indulging in beauty, etc., he finally resigned and left his hometown and began to travel around the world.This trip lasted for fourteen years, traveling through Wei, Cao, Song, Zheng, Chen, and Cai countries, promoting enlightenment, knowing what to do, and even facing life-threatening twice.At the age of sixty-eight, the new ruler of the state of Lu formally summoned him to return home.At the age of seventy, his only son, Kong Li, died.At the age of seventy-one, Yan Yuan, his favorite disciple, passed away.At the age of seventy-two, Zilu, a loyal student, passed away.At the age of seventy-three, Confucius passed away.

Looking at Confucius' life, he did not actually have any earth-shattering careers, but he started the most influential Confucian school in Chinese history with his example and words, and became the greatest "holy teacher" in the past two thousand years.What is the wisdom of Confucius?The first is "sincerity".If a person is sincere, he will be able to perceive that there is a force of self-demand in his heart, expecting himself to do good deeds.The so-called "doing good" refers to striving to achieve "appropriate relationships between people", which includes the five ethics in ancient times and the complex and diverse interpersonal relationships today.The social care triggered by sincerity will go from near to far with the change of personal roles, and its highest goal is the ambition described by Confucius himself: "The old are safe, the friends trust, and the young cherish it." This seems impossible. task, which precisely reflects the highest value of human life.As long as you are sure that you are moving towards this goal, you can naturally feel at ease.

Secondly, Confucius attached great importance to knowledge and education, and gave a high evaluation to rational thinking.After he made up his mind, he was very eager to learn, and he persisted all his life.He said: "In a city of ten families, there must be someone who is as loyal and trustworthy as Qiu, and he is not as good as Qiu who is eager to learn." I am so studious.In fact, why should he judge?It is because he is reading and studying all the time.He said: "When three people walk together, there must be my teacher." In the world, as long as a person lives in the world, as long as he has ears and eyes, and can open his heart, then the whole universe and mankind can be his teacher.In the end, such a person is often the most outstanding, because he has obtained the advantages of all goodness, just like all rivers converge into the river and sea, this is the situation of Confucius aspiring to learn.

Confucius' learning has three characteristics: 1. Learning from tradition.Tradition includes the Five Classics of "Poetry, Book, Book of Changes, Rites, and Music".Poetry refers to literature, book refers to history, Yi refers to philosophy, etiquette refers to social norms, and music refers to artistic cultivation. Music, archery is archery, imperialism is driving, and book and number are writing, calculation and other skills.At that time, as long as people met these six conditions, they could gain a foothold in society.Confucius not only learned the crystallization of traditional wisdom, but also acquired traditional skills. By the time he was thirty, he had become a model of talent.

Second, pay equal attention to learning and thinking.Confucius knew that it is not enough to rely on learning alone, but also to think, otherwise, blindly accepting foreign materials and information, without a central idea to integrate, will inevitably lead to confusion.He said: "Learning without thinking will lead to nothing, and thinking without learning will lead to peril." ("The Analects of Confucius·Weizheng") If you study without thinking, you will have no experience in the end, and you will learn for nothing; conversely, if you only focus on yourself If you think about your own life experience without reading and studying, you will fall into confusion; if you don’t talk about anything else, you will not be able to understand the retribution of good and evil.

Three, pay equal attention to learning and practice.Confucius' learning is not just a theory, but also a kind of moral practice.Confucius said: "A gentleman has nothing to eat, nothing to live in, and nothing to live in. He is sensitive to things but cautious in his words. He has the way and is upright. He can be said to be eager to learn." "First of all, we must reduce the desire for material enjoyment, secondly, we must temper ourselves in words and deeds, and then humbly ask for advice from good teachers, so that we can go on the right path.In addition, Confucius also said: "Students are filial when they enter, and younger brothers when they leave. They are sincere and trustworthy, love everyone, and be kind. If you have spare power, you should learn literature." ("The Analects of Confucius Xueer") Do what you should Do things well, do your best, and then work hard to learn the knowledge in books.Once Duke Ai of Lu asked him, among your many students, who is the most "student"?Confucius said that there was only one student, Yan Yuan, who was eager to learn, and it was a pity that he passed away.Why is Yan Yuan the only one who is studious?Because Yan Yuan "doesn't vent his anger, and doesn't make mistakes".This is a manifestation of moral practice, and it also shows that eagerness to learn is related to specific actions.

Confucius was determined to learn, not for the sake of self-improvement, but for the purpose of "establishing himself and helping others". Therefore, after he "never tires of learning", he also "never tires of teaching", teaching from learning, being a teacher by example, and enlightening others. The pioneer of civilian education.He taught without distinction, with three thousand disciples and seventy-two sages.These people made achievements in virtue, language, politics, and literature, and became the backbone of the intellectual class at that time, and they gathered into the Confucian school, affecting all aspects of Chinese life until today.

Confucius knew very well the significance of time in the development of life. Everyone has a potential. As long as they are alive, they may reach a higher level.Therefore, the first step on the right path of life is to know how to cherish time. Walking on the road of life, many people feel that time passes quickly, and everything in the past cannot be kept if they want to, and it is difficult to grasp the future.Confucius once stood by the river and said: "The dead are like gentlemen, never giving up day and night." ("The Analects of Confucius·Zihan") Everything that disappears is like this, day and night without rest. "The dead" refers to time, and it is also an event in time, and of course human life is also included in it.Human life unfolds in time, and only by grasping the time can your life not be wasted.And what is the purpose of not wasting life?If you put all your goals on external career achievements, that is also a choice; but in Confucius' view, the purpose of man's grasp of time is to "cultivate himself".

When Confucius was young, he had a special understanding of time.Others praised him as "the sage of heaven", Confucius said, it is not like this, on the one hand, "I am not born to know, I am fond of ancient times, and I am quick to seek it" ("The Analects of Confucius Shuer"), it is because of I worked hard to learn from the ancient sages, gradually reviewing the past, learning the new, and mastering the new, and then I achieved the immediate achievements; on the other hand, because "I am cheap when I am young, so I can despise things more", when I was young, my family was poor and I had no social status. In order to support my family, Had to learn some trivial skills.According to the records of Mencius, Confucius once took care of the warehouse for others, and wrote the accounts clearly; later he was sent to manage the pastures. After one year, the cattle and sheep were strong and multiplied, so he was trusted by others.

Despite all the odd jobs and menial jobs, Confucius never forgot one thing: learning.He uses all the time to learn knowledge and improve his cultural accomplishment.In the time he lived, the children of ordinary families could no longer study at the age of fifteen, and universities were specially opened for the children of nobles.Confucius not only taught himself all the contents of the university, but also learned better than ordinary noble children, so that the Meng family, a nobleman in the state of Lu, asked Confucius to be a tutor to teach his children etiquette.After "30 years old", Confucius still did not give up the opportunity for self-growth.He said: "I don't try, old skills." I have never been used by the country, so I learned some skills.The purpose of learning skills is to get a job in an official position, so that I can give full play to my strengths and contribute to the community; now I have failed, so I have to continue to cultivate various specialties and wait for the time to mature.This attitude is very instructive for us modern people.When a person is young, he must understand that life has stages. You must first enrich yourself; if there is no opportunity, you must first cultivate the conditions for yourself, and when the opportunity arises, you will naturally be able to grasp it.Confucius said that wealth and honor are what everyone wants.But the question is, are you good enough for this?If the conditions are not enough and the time is not ripe, then you have to settle down and do your own things well first.How to do it?Cherish the time, cultivate yourself, "Don't worry about what others don't know, worry about what you can't". Confucius mentioned that the two situations of wasting time are "difficult", and it is difficult to get on the right path of life.The first is: eat all day long and do nothing.Difficult!There are no gamers!For this, I am still worthy. ("The Analects of Confucius Yanghuo") It is very difficult to get on the right track of life if you are full of food all day long and don’t pay attention to anything!Isn't there a game of craps and chess?It's better to have fun than to be bored like this! People are most afraid of two words: boring.Once a mother chatted with me about how she raised her children.She said to the children in the fifth grade of elementary school, if you were a mother, how would you teach a child like you?As a result, the child said, just as long as you don’t make me bored.In other words, from childhood to adulthood, everyone is afraid of being bored.What do you do when you're bored?Maybe it will be "full of food all day long, with nothing to do."Confucius suggested that you might as well play games. Be careful not to use the word "game" as "gambling".Confucius advised us to gamble, so what?Gaming means games.Why do humans need games?Because people live in the world and are restricted by various conditions, most successes and failures are fixed, and few people can change it.At this time, a rule is set through the game, whether it is the boss or the employee, everyone has equal opportunities. Play according to the rules, everyone has a chance to win, and the pressure of life may be resolved a little in the game.That's why Confucius said, when you are bored, you can even play games, whether it's chess, basketball, golf, whatever you play, it's better than just wasting time. The second time-wasting situation is: It's hard to live in groups all day long, to talk less than righteousness, and to practice Xiaohui! ("The Analects of Confucius Duke Ling of Wei") A group of people get together all day, talk irrelevant words, and like to show off their cleverness. It is really difficult to get on the right track in life. I have a friend who teaches in a middle school. One day during his lunch break, he sat under a big tree on the campus. There were three or four classmates on the other side of the tree. They didn’t know that there was a teacher listening on the other side, so they chatted.My friend said that he listened to the students chatting for half an hour, and finally came to the conclusion that none of what they said was meaningful.I listened to him and told him that the students have worked very hard in get out of class, and you ask them to talk meaningful words after class, isn’t it too strict; and whether it is meaningful or not cannot be judged by the teacher’s standards.However, no matter what, we have to remind ourselves that it is best to speak with substance. What you say, what thoughts or emotions you express, must be specific and clear; It is very difficult for me to walk on the right path of life because of my own petty cleverness. Confucius knew very well the significance of time in the development of life. Everyone has a potential. As long as they are alive, they may reach a higher level.Therefore, the first step on the right path of life is to know how to cherish time.If a person knows how to grasp time when he is young, he is likely to have an extraordinary future.Confucius said, "Young people are awesome", young people deserve respect, because you don't know how they will perform in the future.We sometimes see young people seem to be inferior to one generation, and they don’t study hard and don’t grow; I suddenly figured it out, so "how do you know that the comer is not now?"?However, Confucius added a sentence after this sentence, "Forty or fifty is unknown, and this is nothing to be afraid of." If a person has no good reputation at the age of forty or fifty, then there is nothing good. It deserves respect.Why?Because fame is cultivated slowly. By the time of forty or fifty years old, more than half of life has passed. If he has not cultivated a good reputation at this time, it means that he did not pay attention and did not work hard in the process of growing up. This is very serious. pity. Regardless of any country, all the great figures did not like to concentrate on studying when they were young. If they want to be better than their contemporaries and find their own direction in life, they must study hard. If you know how to cherish time, you must make good use of time to study.What is the secret to learning?Focus on it. Confucius said: "If you don't learn well enough, you are still afraid of losing it." ("The Analects of Confucius Taber") Confucius said: "When you study, you should act as if you can't catch up with something. If you catch up, you worry about losing it." In Confucius' view, studying is like catching a train. You are afraid that you will not catch up, and you are afraid that you will lose if you catch up.After the train catches up, you don’t have to worry about it, and you can reach your destination naturally; but studying is different. You are most afraid of forgetting when you are studying for the exam.Read it again.A lot of knowledge practice makes perfect, read it several times and gradually become familiar with it, and then practice it, and it will become a kind of ability for you over time.We often say that knowledge and ability must be combined, and the ability to "know" and "do" is the real learning experience. Confucius had a student named Zixia who said a very good word.What did he say to be eager to learn? "Know what you are dying every day, and never forget what you can do every month. It can be said that you are eager to learn." Learn something new every day, review what you have learned every month, and hope that you will not forget what you have learned. This is easy to learn.Another student of Confucius, Zi Gong, was very smart and eloquent. He liked to make comparisons, saying who was better than who, and who was better in which aspect.Confucius advised him, "Is it worthwhile to give it? My husband and I have too much time." Zi Gong, are you already outstanding?If it were me, there would be no free time.In other words, you don’t have time to meddle in other people’s business. If you want to meddle in endlessly, there are so many gossip news and inexplicable things every day. If you care about these things, how much time do you have left to concentrate on studying?Just like many people nowadays like to watch TV and surf the Internet, chasing a lot of new information every day, maybe they will find out that the information is wrong or fake in a few days, so why spend so much time caring about it in the first place?That's why Confucius said, instead of meddling in other people's business, comparing who is good and who is bad, and chasing new information, it is better to be quiet, cultivate yourself, and devote all your time to studying. I know of all the great men of any country who, in their youth, did not like to devote themselves to study.Maybe he has achieved something later, there are too many things to do, and he can concentrate on his studies when he is young, but when he was young, he had to study hard if he wanted to surpass his contemporaries and find the direction of his life.For example, Napoleon said that when he was young, any book he picked up was like a sponge absorbing water, and he read it desperately; because he was born in a bad background and had no chance to learn, he read the book as soon as he got it, and he was able to digest and absorb it after learning. , Become your own experience, so you can build great achievements later.Another example is Alexander the Great in Greece. Although he only lived in his thirties, he was lucky enough to meet a good teacher when he was a child: Aristotle.Aristotle, the great Greek philosopher, went to the Macedonian court to teach a thirteen-year-old prince who later became Alexander the Great.The reason why Alexander the Great was able to have a concept of globalization at such an early age and to spread his achievements to all continents of the world is related to the fact that he devoted himself to studying with a great teacher since he was a child.Knowledge broadened his mind and widened his horizons beyond those of his contemporaries.It's a pity that he went astray later, and only knew to use force to conquer other countries.Therefore, when a person is young, it is very important not to meddle in other people's business and develop the habit of concentrating on studying.Because young people are relatively simple-minded and have a good memory, it would be a pity not to study at this time.Learning at a young age is equivalent to accumulating resources and laying the foundation for future work and life. Once you have the opportunity to apply what you have learned, you will burst out with potential and make people look impressive. There is a story mentioned in "Mencius", which says that there are two people with similar IQ who studied under the master of Go player Yiqiu at the same time, but their academic performance is very different. What is the reason?Because the first student concentrated and listened carefully; the second student was thinking wildly, thinking that a swan would fly, and was going to shoot it with a bow and arrow, but of course the learning effect was different in the end.There is also a story in the book, saying that Confucius saw an old man sticking cicadas, his skills were superb, and he quickly filled a sack like picking leaves on the ground.Confucius asked him, old man, how do you have such abilities?What the old man said is very simple: I concentrate with my heart, and the world is so big that I can't exchange it with me for cicada's wings.Why?Because of all kinds of temptations, I don't look at all, just look at the cicada's wings.In other words, you have to be like what you do, do it well today, read this book now and don’t think about other books.If you learn to drive, you think about swimming; when you learn to swim, you think about typing;I remember when we were studying, we read English in math class and math in English class. Why?Because I have to take that subject in the next class.As a result, I didn’t do well in the class I was supposed to attend, and I tried my best to prepare for the next exam. In the end, I didn’t pay attention to each subject in class, just coping with the exam.So, no matter when you are studying or doing something, you may wish to ask yourself, can I concentrate?Can you regard learning as catching a train like Confucius did?If you can catch up, are you still afraid of losing?If you can do this, you can learn anything. In fact, there is no secret in life, it depends on how you seize the opportunity, "learn and learn from time to time", focus on it, continuously improve your ability, and let yourself continue to grow.This kind of life will surely become richer and richer. "Learning while learning from time to time is not easy to say." For more than two thousand years, all Chinese scholars have been catchy with this sentence since they were young.What does this mean?I once said to my students: "Please translate it in vernacular." When the students heard it, they didn't respond.Why?Such a simple question, I am afraid there is fraud.After my repeated encouragement, a student stood up and said: "This sentence means that after learning, you often go to review, don't you also feel happy?" After he finished speaking.I said, please raise your hand if you oppose it.No hands were raised.I said: "Okay, let me ask the second question. From elementary school to university, who is happy to review often after learning, please raise your hand." No one raised their hands.what happened?Is Confucius wrong?Or do we not understand?I think we read it wrong. The Master said: "Study and learn from time to time, isn't it also said?" ("The Analects of Confucius") Confucius said: "Don't you also feel happy after learning the principles of life and dealing with things, and practicing them at the right time?" The "time" here does not mean "often", but "at the appropriate time".For example, if you are filial to your parents, you can only be filial if your parents are present; if you learn to swim, you can only practice in a swimming pool or in rivers and lakes.Whether a person is learning anything, or being a person or doing things, he must verify and practice what he has learned at the right time, so that he will feel happy.why?Because through practice, you have gained experience and experience, and you feel that you understand what you didn’t understand before, and you know what you didn’t know before, and you feel that your life has grown, of course you are happy.In fact, this is not only true for learning, but also for governing the country.Confucius said that in order to manage a country, one must "enable the people to use the right time" and choose the right time to conscript the common people for labor.In ancient times, it was an agricultural society. Spring plowing, summer cultivation, autumn harvesting, and winter storage allowed the common people to build the Great Wall and dams in the spring. What about the farmland?In autumn, there is no harvest, what will happen next year?That's why Confucius said that when the common people are sent to labor, we must find the right time and not violate the basic principles of the agricultural society. Confucius taught students to be able to call at any time and teach students in accordance with their aptitude.Once he led his disciples through a bridge on a mountain, and saw a few pheasants, "Sesi lifted up, and then they flew together" ("The Analects of Confucius Xiangdang"). The people's expressions changed slightly, and the pheasants flew up. , After hovering in the sky for a while, they got together again.Why does the pheasant fly away when the face of the person changes?Friends who have fed pigeons in places like tourist attractions or squares will probably have a similar experience.Sometimes these ornamental pigeons can't be chased away. They jump around you, hoping you will give them some food to eat, but if you think about it, I will catch one to eat roasted pigeons, and it will fly away immediately. up.Why?Because pigeons can read people's faces.As soon as a person has an idea, there is a kind of power manifested.For example, when we read martial arts novels, we often see murderous intent coming before a person appears, because this person has the idea of ​​killing; thoughts are also a kind of power, which is the so-called "thought power". Animals are very sensitive. As soon as his face changed, he knew that this person might be against me, so he flew away immediately.After flying away, check that everything is fine, and then fly back.Seeing this situation, Confucius praised these female pheasants who can read their faces, "Shanliang female pheasants, the time is right", saying that they know the right time, fly when they should, stop when they should, and can judge the timing.After Zilu heard the teacher praise the pheasants, he bowed his hands to these pheasants.As a result, he cupped his hands, and the pheasant flew away again. From this story, we can see that Confucius observes the phenomena of nature anytime and anywhere, and uses them as teaching materials to teach students after processing.Confucius reminded us through this story that people should also act according to the timing and understand the importance of judging "time".Mencius once recommended Confucius as the "sage of the time", who can adjust his concepts and behaviors as the "time" changes, advance when it is time to advance, and retreat when it is time to retreat. It is not a high degree of wisdom and wisdom to do everything properly. Self-cultivation is impossible.When we study Confucianism, we must also pay attention to the importance of "timing", and look for opportunities to inspire ourselves anytime and anywhere.Because the teacher may not always be by your side, you have to cultivate a more sensitive mind. When looking at problems and things, think about what kind of inspiration you can get from them and what kind of lessons you can learn.As long as there is any point that you can learn, you must cherish it, and then practice it in your life.In fact, there is no secret in life, it depends on how you seize the opportunity, "learn and learn from time to time", focus on it, continuously improve your ability, and let yourself continue to grow.This kind of life will surely become richer and richer. For example, if you study well but not enough, it means you can study better; if you do things well but not enough, it means you can do better.As long as thinking is not enough, people have the motivation to work hard. "Never tire of learning, never tire of teaching" we all know since childhood.I myself have been teaching in universities for nearly thirty years, and I am ashamed that I am tired of learning and teaching.Why?Because the book is endless, it is really difficult to find both experience and originality at the end of reading.If you want to have real experience in learning, you must cooperate with practice; without practice, you are just a nerd.As for "teaching is tiring", it is because teachers teach in schools, "students are passers-by, teachers belong to others", students come and go, teachers face different students every year, and teach the same teaching materials, it really takes a lot of effort patience.But Confucius is different. He never gets tired of learning and teaching, so he is admirable. The Master said: "Knowing it silently, never getting tired of learning, and never getting tired of teaching others, what is it for me?" ("The Analects of Confucius") Confucius said: "Contemplating what I see and hear in silence, studying hard without getting bored, teaching others without getting tired, how much have I accomplished?" The characteristic of Confucius is that he silently writes down what he sees and hears, learns without getting bored, and teaches without getting tired.Then he said: "What's wrong with me?" There are two explanations for this sentence. The first one is a bit exaggerated. Confucius is a very humble person and would not be so proud; the second explanation is "what can be for me", as if I have not done these things, which is too modest and does not conform to Confucius' style.Confucius said "know what you know, know what you don't know, and know what you don't know". He is very sincere, and he will not deliberately be modest about what he knows or does.So, my understanding is "what's wrong with me", how many of these things have I done?Here, "how much" is focused on "degree", which means that you have done a good job, but you have to remind yourself to keep working hard and strive for perfection.In life, we must always remember the phrase "good but not enough", which is also one of my mottos.For example, if you study well but not enough, it means you can study better; if you do things well but not enough, it means you can do better.As long as thinking is not enough, people have the motivation to work hard. "Teaching without weariness" is also mentioned in another place. Confucius said: "If you are holy and benevolent, how dare I? If you don't get tired of it and teach people tirelessly, it can be said to be nothing." "The Analects of Confucius Shuer" Confucius said: "How dare I be like the realm of sage and benevolence? If you say If I take this as my goal, practice hard without getting bored, and teach others without getting tired, then maybe I can still do it.” Confucius said this on behalf of someone who praised him.Because many of his students taught in the state of Lu had outstanding performances later on, some people said, Mr. Kong, you should be considered a sage and a benevolent man.After Confucius heard this, he said, "How dare I?"This is not a polite remark. Confucius was neither arrogant nor self-effacing.He said that where there are ten families, there must be someone who is as faithful as me, but not as studious as me.It can be seen that he is very confident that he is more eager to learn than others.But the two realms of sage and benevolence are too high. He said that I dare not be, all I can do is to take sage and benevolence as the goal, keep practicing without getting bored, and keep teaching students without getting tired. "Never get tired of learning" and "never get tired of it", if you know how to do it, you won't get bored in both learning and practice; if you don't get bored in learning, it's not easy if you study well and cooperate with practice; that's "good but not enough" "It's even better when it's good, and always strive upwards. But is "teaching tirelessly" just the teacher's job?No, there are at least three cases where this is relevant.The first is that teachers teach students, the second is that parents teach children, and the third is that chiefs or bosses teach subordinates or colleagues.You yourself have a lot of experience and wisdom, but do you get impatient when teaching others?If you know how, you must remember Mencius's saying, "The problem of people is to be a teacher." People's problem is that they like to be other people's teachers, and they like to teach others to do this and that, but have you done it yourself?uncertain.Mencius told a parable, saying that the biggest problem with a person is that he doesn’t plow his own field, he goes to plow someone else’s field, and in the end it is someone else who reaps the harvest, and his own field is left barren, which is a pity.Therefore, if you want to teach others, you must first cultivate yourself. This is Confucianism.How to cultivate it?Confucius reminds us of four words: be tireless.There are actually a lot of learning content. You can learn different subjects, different knowledge, and ask different people for advice. This way, the learning becomes diversified and diverse, which makes people feel very rich and interesting, and will not feel bored; On the other hand, in practice, if you don’t do it well once, do it again; if others do it once, I will do it a hundred times;As for teaching others, you must remember Mencius’ words, “One’s trouble is to be a good teacher.” If you teach others to do things, you must first do it yourself. If you fail to do it yourself, you must at least tell others clearly. There is a priority.” A teacher may not do better than a student, but if we encourage each other and make progress together, we will be able to work towards the goal together. Everyone's best teacher is himself.You have to be your own teacher and at the same time be your own student, learn about your own personality from past experiences, and reflect on your own characteristics. Although Confucius "taught people tirelessly" and "taught people without discrimination", there were also students who could not be taught.Western scholars say that there are three professions that especially require cooperation.The first type is a farmer. No matter how hard a farmer works, if God does not cooperate or help, no matter how hard he works, he will not have a good harvest. The second type of occupation is a doctor. If you are willing to take medicine on time and refuse to do what you are told, you will not be cured. The third profession is a teacher. A teacher teaches a class of students, and the results are different. Some students will benefit from it for life, while others You forget it.Why?Students have different qualifications.Confucius believed that there are two kinds of students who do not need to be taught and cannot be taught.The first type is people who are unwilling to reflect on themselves and know themselves. The Master said: "If you don't say 'what is like it, what is it like', I am not like what it is." ("The Analects of Confucius Wei Linggong") Confucius said: "If I don't say 'what to do, what to do' to remind myself, I don't know what to do to him." In other words, if you want to learn something from the teacher, you must first ask yourself "what should I do", because the person who can answer the question is often the person who asked it.I have been teaching for a long time, and sometimes students ask questions, and after I finish answering, the students say, this is not what I mean.But his problem is obviously like this.It can be seen from this that the person answering the question sometimes cannot hit the level that the questioner really cares about.Besides, no matter how good the teacher is, it is impossible to be by your side every day. You ask questions in the classroom, and you encounter problems in real life. If you can’t reflect on yourself and find the answer, the teacher can’t help you.Therefore, everyone's best teacher is himself.You have to be your own teacher and at the same time be your own student, learn about your own personality from past experiences, and reflect on your own characteristics.There is a sentence engraved on the Temple of Delphi in the Greek era: "Know yourself." This is a motto to explore the mysteries of life.Until now, many psychologists like to tell people this sentence.You must first know yourself, understand yourself, and think about what you want to pursue in this life.You can’t want everything in life. If you choose this goal, you may have to give up other desires.So only after a person asks himself "what should I do" first, can others give you advice.This is what the so-called "God helps those who help themselves" means. There is another kind of student that Confucius cannot teach, that is Xiangyuan. Confucius said: "If you pass through my door and don't enter my room, I don't regret it, but the hometown is willing! The countryside is a thief of virtue." ("Mencius: Do Your Heart") Confucius said: "I don't feel sorry for walking past my door and not entering my house. Probably only Xiangyuan! Xiangyuan is a person who harms morality." Why is Xiangyuan a person who harms morality?Because he is the so-called good man, who looks honest but actually has no principles (maybe this is his principle), and none of them can offend them, who are kitsch on the surface but have no ideals in their hearts.For example, when he sees someone quarreling, he says stop arguing, you are both right.This kind of attitude of calming down and being a peacemaker will lead to no distinction between right and wrong, good and evil, and I just hope that everyone can make do with it and continue to live.With more people like this, is there still justice in society?To put it more clearly, Xiangyuan is an insincere person, while Confucianism emphasizes "sincerity" the most, emphasizing self-reflection, and always paying attention to whether the relationship between oneself and others is appropriate.Therefore, although Confucius taught without discrimination, there is a kind of students who do not teach, that is, Xiangyuan, because he is not sincere. In fact, Xiangyuan himself would never ask Confucius for advice, because he thought he had already recognized the standards of right and wrong, good and evil, and knew "under what circumstances, to whom, what to say, and what to do". They are all used to observe words and expressions, send them to welcome them, so not only will they not offend people, but everyone will be satisfied with him, good people are like this, and so are bad people.像子贡这么杰出的学生，都难免觉得困惑。他请教孔子：“乡人皆好之，如何？”古人安土重迁，一乡之人久居一地，不难互相认识。如果乡人都喜欢他，这个人怎么样？反之，“乡人皆恶之，何如”？孔子的回答令人惊讶。他说：“不如乡人之善者好之，其不善者恶之。”让好人喜欢我，坏人讨厌我，这是最理想的。 不过，在今日资讯流通的时代，真正的乡愿要想面面俱到，讨好每一个人，其实是不太可能的。以大家熟知的“利益团体”一词来说，往往不分是非，只看利益，而利益必然是互相冲突的。要做乡愿，势必十分辛苦，让人同情。即使如此，乡愿的心态仍然到处可见，如“见人说人话，见鬼说鬼话”，对上级唯唯诺诺、奉承讨好，对部属疾言厉色、端出架子。做不成乡愿，却做成了小人。这样的人，孔子不教，是一点遗憾都没有。 有些人做坏事的时候，怀着侥幸心理，心想下一次祭献的时候多准备一点贡品，神就不会惩罚我吧，甚至还可能喜欢我。但是神如果真能被你买通，又怎么能算神呢？ 每一位老师都希望教出好学生，就像父母都希望孩子成龙成凤一样。历史上最令人羡慕的老师是谁呢？苏格拉底。苏格拉底没写过一个字，却成为大哲学家，就靠他教到的一位好学生：柏拉图。柏拉图的《对话录》把老师苏格拉底的思想用文字表达和记录下来。 孔子也有一位非常杰出的学生叫冉有，列政事科第一名。孔子的学生分：德行、言语、政事、文学四科。政事科是当官从政的学生，第一名冉有，第二名子路，而子路年纪比冉有大得多，孔子却把他放在冉有后面。孔子多次称赞冉有“艺”，多才多艺，能力很强。后来孔子推荐他做官，但是做得好不好呢？对于领导来说，非常好；对于底下人，就不一定了。结果，冉有当了官，反倒变成了孔子学生中的反面教材。 季氏旅于泰山。子谓冉有曰：“女弗能救与？”对曰：“不能”。子曰：“呜呼，曾谓泰山不如林放乎？”《论语·八佾》季氏将去祭祀泰山。孔子对冉有说：“你不能阻止他吗？”冉有回答：“不能。”孔子说：“呜呼，难道你们认为泰山之神不像林放一样懂得礼吗？” 林放也算孔子的学生，曾经向孔子“问礼之本”。孔子听了很高兴，说你提的真是大问题。“礼，与其奢也，宁俭；丧，与其易也，宁戚。”（《论语·八佾》）一般的礼，与其铺张奢侈，宁可俭约朴素；至于办丧事，与其礼仪周全，不如心中哀戚。这就代表“礼”的本质在于内心情感是否真诚，而不在外在那些形式。当时冉有担任季氏的总管，按照礼的规定，只有天子与诸侯可以祭祀境内的山川，而季氏只是鲁国的大夫，本来是没有资格去祭祀泰山的。所以孔子让冉有劝季氏不要去，这是违背礼仪的事情。冉有也很诚实，他说，我劝不了。孔子说，呜呼！你以为泰山的神不懂得礼吗？ 整部只有这个地方出现“呜呼”二字，代表孔子非常难过，对冉有很失望。“泰山”代表泰山的神。有些人做坏事的时候，怀着侥幸心理，心想下一次祭献的时候多准备一点贡品，神就不会惩罚我吧，甚至还可能喜欢我。但是神如果真能被你买通，又怎么能算神呢？柏拉图的《对话录》里说，一件事情因为神喜欢才是好事，或一件事情因为是好事所以神喜欢。泰山的神当然属于第二种，你做了好事我才喜欢，而不是只要我喜欢你，你做的坏事也可以变好事；没有这样的神，有的话也不是善神，因为神的本质一定是赏善罚恶的。 孔子让冉有劝阻季氏不要去泰山祭神，冉有说，劝不了。他进一步解释说：“非不说子之道，力不足也。”子曰：“力不足者，中道而废，今女画。”（《论语·雍也》） “我不是不喜欢老师的人生观，只是我的力量不够。”孔子说：“力量不够的人，走到半路才会放弃。你现在却是画地自限。” 冉有为自己辩解，他说我不是不想劝阻季氏，而是我的力量不够，做不到，说了季氏也不会听。孔子怎么回答呢？他说你如果真的力量不够，总要去劝告一下，实在劝不动，你再放弃；但是你现在根本还没开始劝，就说劝不成，这不是画地自限，为自己找借口吗？等于孔子根本不想听冉有的解释，对这个政事科第一名的学生很失望。 后来，冉有做的事就更加不能让孔子接受了。他帮季氏聚敛财富，以致于最后季氏的财富超过了鲁国的国君。孔子看了真的很生气，他说冉有“非吾徒也，小子鸣鼓而攻之可也”（《论语·先进》），冉有不再是我的同道了，各位同学可以敲着大鼓去批判他。“鸣鼓而攻之”，孔子说出这么严厉的话，等于承认自己教学失败，希望其他弟子找一个机会去批判冉有，好让他及时悔悟。孔子认为读书人做官是为了造福百姓，而不是去讨好长官。结果冉有让他的长官越来越富有，这就代表百姓受到的盘剥愈来愈大。孔子对自己教出的这么个不争气的学生，实在是非常失望。 儒家推崇“礼教”的目的，是为了让人的内心感受有一个表达的形式，这个形式是社会人群所共同接受；而不是教人礼乐之后，变成一种包袱，反而束缚了人的自由天性。 教学相长。老师教导学生，学生有时候也会启发老师，就像韩愈说的：“弟子不必不如师，师不必贤于弟子，闻道有先后，术业有专攻。”在孔子的学生中，谁能带给孔子启发呢？里提到的只有一个子夏。 子夏问曰：“'巧笑倩兮，美目盼兮，素以为绚兮。'何谓也？”子曰：“绘事后素。”曰：“礼后乎？”子曰：“起予者商也！始可与言诗已矣。”（《论语·八佾》） 子夏请教说：“'笑眯眯的脸真好看，滴溜溜的眼睛真漂亮，白色的衣服就已经光彩耀目了。'这句诗是什么意思？”孔子说：“绘画时，最后才上白色。”子夏接着说：“那么，礼是不是后来才产生的？”孔子说：“能够带给我启发的，是商啊。现在可以与你谈诗了。” 子夏，姓卜，名商，字子夏，比孔子整整小四十五岁，是文学科的高材生。他对于文献知识、诗经书经都特别熟悉。有一次他请教老师说，里有一句话我不太懂，“巧笑倩兮，美目盼兮，素以为绚兮”是什么意思呢？前两句“巧笑倩兮，美目盼兮”出自《诗经·卫风·硕人》，是在形容一个女孩子天生丽质，一笑起来眼珠滴溜溜转，很好看；可是后面又加上一句“素以为绚兮”，穿上白色的衣服，非常光彩耀目。子夏觉得奇怪了，为什么非要穿上白色的衣服，才会很吸引人呢？ 孔子回答了四个字：绘事后素。古代的绘画是先上各种颜色，最后以白色分布其间，使众色突显出来。这与后来的绘画不一样，后来人们能造出很好的白纸，画画是在白纸上绘彩色。而现在挖出来的汉帛都是有颜色的，接近咖啡色或树木的颜色，所以孔子那个时代画画要最后上白色，白色一上，前面黄的、红的、绿的、黑的全都突显出来。换句话说，白色本身没有颜色，却可以突显其他彩色。 孔子回答“绘事后素”，意思是说一个女孩子丽质天生，底子好，不必多作装饰，只要穿上白色的衣服就很漂亮了。本来这时候可以下课了。子夏突然心血来潮，接着问了一句，“礼后乎？”“礼”是不是也是后来才产生的呢？孔子一听，非常高兴，“起予者商也”，能够带给我启发的是子夏啊，现在可以跟你谈谈诗了。为什么孔子听到子夏的问题很高兴？这与他对人性的观察有关。很多人认为人是一张白纸，学了“礼”之后，等于是加上了彩色，说话有礼貌，行事有分寸，文绉绉的。事实不然，按照孔子的理解，人性向善，本身就有各种各样的颜色，而礼是后加上去的，是白色的，学礼是为了使人性原有的美质展现出来。因为任何彩色都需要真诚的情感，“礼”就是把人真诚的情感恰到好处的表现出来。由此可知，儒家推崇“礼教”的目的，是为了让人的内心感受有一个表达的形式，这个形式是社会人群所共同接受；而不是教人礼乐之后，变成一种包袱，反而束缚了人的自由天性。 里有一个“贲卦”，卦象上面是山，底下是火，亦即“山火贲”。 《序卦》说，贲，饰也。代表它可以作为装饰。讲贲卦时，有一句“上九，白贲，无咎”。易经每一卦分六爻，最后一爻叫上九或上六，这一爻大部分都有凶兆或不利之兆，但在贲卦里却是“无咎”的意思。意思是：你占到贲卦，本来是要装饰的，但记得用白色来装饰，就没有灾难了。Why?因为白色是最好的装饰，能让你纯朴的本质和内在的本性突显出来。孔子认为，礼就是白色的，它不是要给人性加上什么色彩，而是把人内在向善的本质表现出来。