Chapter 9 Two, the beauty of personality

Confucian aesthetics basically has two propositions, the first is the beauty of humanity, and the second is the beauty of personality.It was Confucius who advocated the beauty of humanity, and Mencius who advocated the beauty of personality. The two are different.The beauty of humanity can be found in many places.To put it simply, the beauty expressed by humanistic cultivation is the beauty of humanities.This kind of self-cultivation is not only reading and seeking knowledge, but also poetry and music teaching; in today's era, it includes the love and appreciation of music, painting, film, drama, novels and other arts.Taking Confucius as an example, he emphasized the Five Classics of "Poetry", "Li", "Yue", and "Yi". "Poetry" is ancient Chinese literature, and music is ancient Chinese art or music. Cultivation or humanistic accomplishment.Confucius said: "Prosper in poetry, establish in ritual, and succeed in music." To become a real person, one must have the cultivation of poetry, ritual and music.Poetry teaches people's primitive emotions, expressing them can discover the interlinkage between people and me, and naturally care for and sympathize with others.Music education can make people sing to each other, and not only communicate with each other, but also further form harmony.Confucius educated his disciples and paid attention to poetry teaching.He said: "If you don't study poetry, you can't speak." If you don't study poetry, you can't talk to others, because the ancients liked to use metaphors or allusions to express emotions in an appropriate way.Confucius said: "When you enter a country, you can know its teachings. As a person, it is gentle and honest, and poetry is also taught." When you go to a country and see the gentleness and honesty of the people, you will know that this is achieved by the education of poetry. The importance of teaching.

As for music education, Confucius himself had a very high level of musical accomplishment and was proficient in musical instruments such as the qin, zi, and chime.In the process of traveling around the world, he still kept singing strings. After listening to Shaoyue in Qi State, "I don't know the taste of meat in March, and I said: 'I don't want to be happy here.'" His disciples recorded his daily life , "The son cries every day, but he doesn't sing", as long as he doesn't cry that day, Confucius may be able to sing, which shows his love and obsession with music.Such profound artistic accomplishment makes him the embodiment and crystallization of the beauty of humanity.His disciples said that he was "gentle, kind, courteous, frugal, and accommodating", "looking at him as if he is gentle", "gentle and fierce, mighty but not fierce, respectful and peaceful", he advances and retreats well, well-regulated, and has a graceful manner , just right.It is recorded that Confucius was responsible for sending guests out in the imperial court, walking with "wings like wings", like a bird flying; even the posture of walking and the posture of swinging hands have undergone special training.As soon as you see such a person, you feel that it is a wonderful result of the nature of the universe, and it is "harmonious" everywhere, which is very harmonious.Zigong described the statue of Confucius as "the beauty of the ancestral temple and the wealth of all the officials", which is really very appropriate.However, the realization of this "humanistic beauty" requires many conditions, and not everyone can do it.For example, if a person does not have the opportunity to receive education, it may be difficult to acquire artistic accomplishments such as poetry and music.If he still wants a kind of beauty, he can only go to the beauty of personality, which is exactly the route Mencius took.

Mencius emphasized that people have their own conditions, and they don’t have to rely too much on tradition or rely on other people’s education, but to achieve the beauty of personality through some kind of cultivation of their own personality.That is to say, to achieve the beauty of personality, no external conditions are needed. Regardless of whether one has received education or not, even if one is illiterate, one can also pursue the beauty of personality.What is the basis of the beauty of personality?The theory of human nature towards goodness.Beauty is not an innate quality, but a state of perfection expressed through long-term hard work and practice of inner goodness requirements.This state is manifested in the six states of goodness, faith, beauty, greatness, sageness, and divine personality.

Said: "What is desired is called goodness, and what is good is called faith. What is full is beautiful, what is full and brilliant is called great, what is big and transformed is called holy, and what is holy but unknowable is called god." ("Mencius. Do your best") Mencius said: "A deed that is worthy of love is called goodness; one who is truly good is called true; one who is completely good is called beauty; one who is completely good and shines on others is called great; The power to influence the masses is called holy; the holy to the extent that people cannot understand is called god.”

These few sentences sound simple, but it is easy to cause misunderstanding.An American scholar translated it into English and said that what one desires is good, so steak is good.We all felt strange when we heard it. Why did Mencius suddenly talk about eating steak?Therefore, the "desire" here does not refer to the sensory world that the body is facing, such as food and sex.Mencius regards the body as the "small body" of human beings, and regards the mind as the "general body" of human beings.Desirability refers to the objects of the mind, such as filial piety, fraternity, loyalty, and faith.For example, when I am in a car and see a young man give up his seat to an old lady, I like it very much. Although I don't know him, but he does good deeds, I feel happy when I see him.This shows that human nature is good, any kind of good behavior, you don't need others to tell you, you will like it very much.

Second, having your own is called faith, "faith" means "truth", and "having your own" is in myself, and I have achieved it, which is called truth.Explain that I was only doing good, but if I really do good, I am a real person.In other words, generally, when we interact with others, we just interact in society, and we may not be sincere, nor may we actually perform those good deeds.I like goodness and I do goodness are two different things.Mencius emphasized that you are a real person if you really do these kind deeds.Interesting to say, Confucianism emphasizes that real people should do good deeds.Zhuangzi of Taoism also invented a word called "real person".He has many descriptions of real people: What is a real person?The real people of ancient times do not go against the widows, do not become great, and do not plan for things.If so, if you pass by without regret, you should not be complacent;It is the same for those who know that they can fake Taoism. ("Zhuangzi·The Great Master") You can tell that you can't do it just by looking at it.Confucianism says that real people are relatively easy to do, and it is based on goodness. If I do good deeds, it means that I am a real person.

The third step is called "fullness is beauty", which is the key sentence to understand the beauty of personality. "Enrichment" refers to being able to do good to anyone at any time, anywhere, without any gaps or regrets.For example, respect your parents and love your brothers at home, respect your teachers and love your classmates at school, and lend a helping hand to strangers who have difficulties outside.If you are good in all your actions, then your personality will have no flaws, and you can be called "beautiful". However, this is not enough, you are only benefiting yourself, and you still need to achieve the fourth step "fullness and brilliance are called greatness".After you have achieved goodness yourself, and shine light on others, making people want to learn from you after seeing it, this is "big".We have seen that many great figures, especially religious figures, have a halo on their heads, which means that they can emit brilliance.This is the practice of all nations. It seems that a person has wisdom due to reason, and has virtue and good cultivation. When the whole person appears, it can emit light to shine on others.Mencius once said, "Your benevolence is governed by righteousness, and the affairs of adults are prepared." "Adults" are people with complete virtues. What should adults do?Four words: benevolence and righteousness; benevolence is the main thing in every heart, and everything is done in accordance with righteousness.To put it bluntly, Confucianism goes all the way from benevolence and righteousness, until an ordinary person becomes an adult in the end.After becoming an adult, Mencius has many descriptions, such as "A grown-up is one who does not lose his innocent heart", like a child, with a very pure heart.But children are pure in heart, why not adults?Because you may be naive and naive, but adults are called adults if they can still maintain a pure heart after understanding the truth of all changes in things.

The fifth state is "to be big and transform it is called sage". A saint can generate a kind of power, influence the masses, and "make it big and transform it".Today we talk about "big and big" is a different way of saying, it seems that this person doesn't care about small things, and many things don't matter.But Mencius' original intention was to have the power to influence the people and turn them into customs.The sage implements benevolent government above, the wind blows the grass below, and the scenery changes, the whole era and the whole group of people have changed, and they can do good and avoid evil. This is the merit of the sage.Zhuangzi has a saying called "inner sage and outer king". Only when I am a saint on the inside and an emperor on the outside can I generate power.Otherwise, you are just a saint without the throne, and you cannot shine on the people even if you have brilliance, and you cannot move the people even if you have power.

The last realm is the most wonderful, "the holy but unknowable is called God".What is mysterious and unpredictable?What is "unknowable"?There are many realms in life, don't draw the boundaries first, the realm cannot be limited.When a person's self-cultivation reaches a certain level, he appears to be the same as everyone else on the surface, but you can't understand the level he has reached in his heart, because you have no experience.When talking about the highest state in Buddhism, a word is often called "inconceivable".The late Christian Middle Ages also talked about that the highest god is a god that cannot be understood, a hidden god that cannot be known by reason.Whether it is Buddhism, Christianity or Confucianism, they all believe that the highest state of life cannot be understood by human reason.People must keep this infinite space for self-cultivation of personality. At the end of the cultivation, I am afraid that it will make us feel that people can become very close to God, can make sacrifices, can die, and can not care about personal interests at all. Gains and losses, is such a person possible?possible.In any era and in any society, there are people working in this direction.

Goodness, Faith, Beauty, Greatness, Holyness, and God are the six realms of personality beauty.Can it be done?not easy.Mencius had a good student named Le Zhengzi. Mencius said that he only achieved the level between faith and greatness, "below the four and middle of the two", and he didn't even fully achieve the beauty of fullness.Most people are like this. Sometimes they miss everything, and sometimes they can't do what they want.But the beauty of personality, according to Mencius, is something that everyone can and should do. When I was a child, I read Wen Tianxiang's "Song of Righteousness": There is righteousness in the world, mixed with manifolds.The lower part is Heyue, and the upper part is the sun star.Yuren said Haoran, Peihusai Cangming... The first sentence is "Heaven and earth have righteousness".Later, when I went to the United States, I saw Americans translate this sentence into: There is "correct air" between heaven and earth. I really thought it was too outrageous.Because what the Chinese call "Qi" refers not only to air, but also to spiritual power. "Heaven and earth have righteousness" refers to a kind of spiritual power of justice, and this idea comes from Mencius.

Mencius had many students, and the students asked him for advice. Teacher, what is your advantage over others?Mencius said, I am different from others in two ways. First, "I know words", can distinguish speech, have a strong logical thinking ability, and know how to judge the intention of others' words; second, "I am good at cultivating my noble spirit".The student further asked, what is awe-inspiring spirit? Said: "It's hard to say. It's Qi. It's big and strong. It's directly nourished and harmless. It's stuffed between heaven and earth. It's Qi, and it matches righteousness and Tao. It's nothing, it's discouraged. It's a collection of righteousness." Those who are born are taken without righteousness. If you don't do what you want, you will be discouraged." ("Mencius Gongsun Chou Shang") Mencius said: "It's hard to say clearly. Which kind of aura is the most grand and strongest, cultivated with integrity without hindrance, and it will fill the space between heaven and earth. That kind of aura must be in harmony with righteousness and righteousness. Without these, it will atrophy. It is produced by the continuous accumulation of righteousness, and it cannot be disguised by accidental righteousness. If the behavior does not satisfy the heart, it will shrink." The ancients believed that "Qi" was originally a substance, a common factor of all things in the universe, and it was also possessed by the human body.Since human beings are a whole of body and mind, they can condense their body and energy through the cultivation of their minds, and then break through the limitations of their bodies to reach the realm of connecting with heaven and earth.Mencius said: "What a gentleman passes by is transformed into a god, and what remains is a god, and the upper and lower flow together with the heaven and the earth." A true gentleman will influence the people wherever he passes, and what is stored in his heart is mysterious and unpredictable, and the power of good fortune runs with the heaven and the earth.Many people find it difficult to understand such words.What does it mean that the upper and lower flow together with the heaven and the earth?Man is an individual, and the world is so big, how can I be in the same boat as him?This is the awe-inspiring spirit mentioned by Mencius. The awe-inspiring spirit is to exert the vitality of human beings to the limit, communicate with all things, and be inserted between heaven and earth.To cultivate this qi, there are three conditions: the first is to use "straightness" to cultivate, "straightness" contains two meanings, one is sincerity, and the other is integrity; the second is to use "righteousness" to cultivate; It represents the legitimacy of your words and actions in various situations, that is, you must use reason to make judgments at any time; the third is to use "Tao" to cultivate, "Tao" represents the bright road of life, such as doing good and avoiding evil, being filial and trustworthy, etc. .Therefore, cultivating awe-inspiring qi is, in essence, a moral practice.If a person can be sincere and upright in everything he does, everything he does is justified, and the path he walks is the path that human beings should walk, then he is cultivating awe-inspiring spirit.This kind of unity of inside and outside, and unity of body and mind, makes people feel the power of life as a whole over time. It has a long-lasting impact. Mencius reminded us that the cultivation of "awe-inspiring spirit" must be "born from the collection of righteousness". It must be done step by step, from small to large, from far to near, and it must be done slowly throughout the year, every day, and continuously for a long time, in order to achieve success naturally.If it's just a sudden cold, take a vacation a few times, or do it when someone is around, it will not be effective if you only do superficial work.Confucianism particularly emphasizes "being cautious in solitude". When a person is alone, one must be able to endure loneliness, face the complete self, and recognize one's true intention. All cultivation efforts in life begin with "being cautious in solitude".More importantly, "collecting righteousness" must come from the heart and have its original roots. It must not be measured from an external perspective, let alone help it achieve it by external forces.Because of this kind of qi, "There must be something, don't correct it, don't forget it in your heart, don't encourage it", you must work hard in action, but you can't expect results; you can't forget it in your heart, but don't actively encourage it.Mencius gave an example, saying that there was a man in the State of Song who was always worried that his seedlings were growing too slowly, so he went to pull them up a little every day, and as a result, the seedlings withered.Mencius said that there are very few people in the world who do not help the seedlings. Those who think that nourishing Qi is useless and give up are those who do not weed for the seedlings;Because there is absolutely no room for chance in terms of moral achievement.We can experience this desirable state only if we make up our minds and make up our minds to cultivate our spirit. The Confucian view on "Qi" has undergone a change from Confucius to Mencius.Confucius believed that people have "blood energy", and blood energy will cause problems.The so-called "a gentleman has three precepts: when he is young, the blood energy is not fixed, and the abstinence is in the color; when he is strong, the blood aura is strong, and the abstinence is fighting; "Fang Gang and Decline" are not good.Mencius further explained that qi has two levels. The first kind of qi is related to the body and represents various possible desires, which is what Confucius called blood qi.Blood energy does not represent the essence of human beings. If blood energy is excluded, human nature may be inherently good.The second kind of qi is related to aspiration and aspiration. If a person can lead with the aspiration, cooperate with the body and actions, and persevere, he can eliminate distracting thoughts and be filled with awe-inspiring aura. combined strength.How to combine it?It's a bit mysterious to say.When it comes to self-cultivation in life, many things cannot be explained clearly, you have to experience it yourself.For example, from now on, do some good deeds seriously every day. You don’t need to have immediate results, and you don’t need to become a different person right away. What exactly is "awe-inspiring spirit". "Benevolence, wisdom, and courage" are the "three virtues" of Confucianism.Confucius said: "The benevolent must have courage, but the brave need not be benevolent." ("The Analects of Confucius Xianwen") Those who practice benevolence must have courage, but those who are brave may not be able to practice benevolence.What does that mean?Courage comes from the practice of benevolence. If a person is determined to practice benevolence, he will show such beautiful qualities as bravery, justice, honesty, and filial piety.On the contrary, it is not necessarily the case. A brave person may not be called benevolent.But what is bravery?this is a problem.When it comes to bravery, many people think of "Historical Records: Biography of Assassins" written by Sima Qian.The assassins he described are all extremely brave and fearful of death.Mencius also talked about three kinds of bravery, the first kind of bravery is similar to that of an assassin. Bei Gongzuo cultivates courage, he doesn't scratch his skin, he doesn't run away.Thinking of frustrating others with a hero is like stinging at the market; not being judged by the broad and broad, nor being judged by the king of ten thousand chariots; looking at the king of ten thousand chariots, it is like stabbing a brown man; without strictness to the princes, evil voices come , it must be the other way around. ("Mencius Gongsun Chou 1") Bei Gongzuo cultivates courage in this way: he does not shrink back when his skin is pricked, and he does not escape when his eyes are poked; he feels a little setback, just like being whipped in a public place; He regards the assassination of the monarch of a big country as the assassination of ordinary people; he is not afraid of the princes, and he will fight back when he hears the voice of scolding. Bei Gongzuo is an ancient warrior. His way of cultivating courage is very cruel. He is not afraid of pain and suffering.And "whenever evil sounds come, it must be opposed", when someone scolds him, he must fight back.Such a person is indeed very strong. If a person is not afraid of death, there is nothing you can do about him.As Lao Tzu said, "The people are not afraid of death, so why are they afraid of it?" The common people are driven to nowhere, and they are no longer afraid of death. It is useless for you to scare them with death.But this kind of bravery sounds like it is going to die together, and it needs too many conditions, martial arts must be outstanding, and the body must be strong.This is not something everyone can do.This is a kind of courage that radiates outward.The second kind of bravery, Mencius took Meng Shishe, another warrior, as an example: Meng Shishe raised bravery, saying: "When you are invincible, you are still victorious; if you measure the enemy and then advance, and after thinking about victory, you are afraid of the three armies. How can you be brave?" To be victorious? To be able to be without fear is all it takes!" ("Mencius·Gongsun Chou 1") Meng Shishe cultivated courage in this way. He said: "Treat what is invincible, just like treating what is enough to be conquered; if you measure the enemy's strength before advancing, and consider that you can win before fighting, you are afraid of many armies. How can I do that? What about victory? It’s just being fearless.” Meng Shishe's method of cultivating courage is a kind of psychological construction, self-motivation, self-motivation, thinking that I can definitely win.Just like many direct sellers now, before selling something, they will tell themselves: "I can succeed, if others can do it, I can do it too." This kind of psychological construction sometimes produces a positive effect .Compared with Bei Gongzui's bravery, Meng Shishe's bravery is more introverted, it is a kind of self-demanding bravery.But neither kind of bravery is appreciated by Mencius.What he appreciates is the third kind, which is what Confucius called bravery.Confucius’ words were passed down through Zeng Shen. Mencius quoted Zeng Zi’s words: In the past, Zeng Zi said to Zi Xiang: “Is your son so brave? I have heard that he is more courageous than Master: I am not shrinking, even though I am brown and broad, I am not worried. If you shrink back from yourself, even if there are tens of thousands of people, I will go." ("Mencius Gongsun Chou 1") Once upon a time, Zeng Shen said to Zi Xiang (a student of Zeng Zi): "Do you like bravery? I once heard Confucius talk about the style of bravery: I feel wronged when I reflect on myself. How can I not be afraid even if I face ordinary people? Reflect on what I feel Lizhi, even in the face of thousands of people, I will move forward." It turns out that bravery is not just an external behavior, but has an internal basis. "Although there are tens of thousands of people, I will go on" is such a touching spirit.This kind of boldness is most obvious when the two armies are facing each other and fighting fiercely on the battlefield; but when sticking to ideals and refusing to compromise, the realization is truly profound.However, why do I think that "tens of millions of people" are wrong, and what I insist on is right?All it relies on is the words "self-reflexive shrinkage". "Shrinking" means "straight", which means integrity and reason.When I reflect on myself and find that I am upright and reasonable, and my actions are in line with justice, then I don't have to fear the oppression of external forces.Even if you sacrifice your life for justice, it is a worthy death.This quote is instructive for today's political leaders.Because when many leaders see the opinions of the masses, they feel that I should respect them, but don’t forget that the opinions of the masses are like running water, which changes frequently. If you have no principles and just look at the number of people on the outside, you may be overwhelmed in the end. Lost morality. However, we can't ignore the first half of this sentence, that is, what should we do when we "do not shrink back from ourselves"?We cannot always stand on our side for all truths and justice every time!We may also stray from the path of justice through ignorance, misjudgment, or ill motives or will.At this time, we don’t need to consider whether there are “tens of millions of people”, but as long as the other party is only one person, even if it is a trafficker like “Brown Kuanbo” who has no status, power, or wealth, we will still feel uneasy. In other words, true bravery is measured by inner self-judgment.People all over the world say that I am reasonable, but I may not really be reasonable.Conversely, if the people of the world rise up against me, I may not be wrong.However, here we must avoid the temptation to fall into "egocentrism", that is, to use the self as the only measure of everything; but we must sincerely reflect on it with an open mind and a humble attitude. The word "reflexive" reminds us to conduct strict self-examination and often assume that we may have made intentional or unintentional mistakes.Only by passing this test can we develop self-confidence and courage. The three types of bravery mentioned by Mencius: the first type spreads out, and I have to fight for my life anyway; this kind of bravery is sometimes too reckless, a bit like the bravery of ordinary people. Although it can be an assassin, it will not end well.The second kind of bravery is psychological construction, thinking that one can succeed, having more self-confidence and self-demand.The third kind of bravery is the thought of Confucius, which is really worthy of our study.Because real bravery is not asking how many people are in the other party, weak or strong, but just asking yourself whether it makes sense. If I do what I should do and say what I should say, I don’t care about others; I did something wrong, and I lost morally to others, so I have to admit my mistakes and apologize to others. This is true bravery.True bravery is based on morality, starting from the inner expectations of oneself, seeking to be consistent with the outside and inside, to be able to correct past mistakes, and to respect each other with an equal heart. The cultivation of personality must achieve "unity of knowledge and action".Otherwise, if you just study without practice, you will only gain some knowledge, which will not improve your life.On the one hand, learn the truth, on the other hand, practice it, and finally reach the ideal of the saint as advertised by Confucianism, which can be regarded as the perfection of personality cultivation.However, when it comes to saints, many young people joked that they are "the rest", as if it is difficult to be a saint, and it becomes a very strange state to do so.Can everyone be a saint?Confucius said: "If I am holy and benevolent, I dare not." I dare not be holy and benevolent, but I just try to do it.This is not because Confucius is modest, because his so-called sages refer to ancient sage kings.When it came to Mencius, he changed the concept of "sage" and expanded the scope to include ancient ministers and ordinary scholars such as Confucius as the scope of sages, and believed that in principle everyone can become a sage.He mentioned four saints, each with its own characteristics.Boyi, the first one, is very noble: Boyi, he is not a gentleman unless he is a king, and he is not a friend unless he is a friend.Do not stand in the court of the wicked, and do not speak to the wicked.Standing in the court of the wicked, talking to the wicked, is like sitting in the charcoal with the court clothes and the crown.Pushing away the evil heart, thinking of standing with the villagers, if the crown is not correct, if you look away, if you will lose it.That's why even if the princes came to him with good resignation, they would not accept it.Those who don't accept it, just disdain it. ("Mencius Gongsun Chou 1") Boyi, if you are not an ideal monarch, you will not serve, and if you are not an ideal friend, you will not make friends.Don't serve in the court of the wicked, and don't talk to the wicked.To be an official in the court of the wicked, and to converse with the wicked, is like wearing a coat and hat and sitting on mud and ashes.Generalizing this distaste for villains, he would think that if he stood with a countryman who didn't wear his hat right, he would walk away angrily, as if defiled.Therefore, even if the princes have nice words to invite, he will not accept them.If you don't accept it, you just don't bother to approach it. Boyi and his younger brother Shuqi, the sons of Lord Guzhu, gave way to each other and fled the country.Boyi later fled to "Zhou", when Zhou was still a prince.When he saw King Wu of Zhou rise up to make a revolution, he dissuaded him, saying, you'd better not make a revolution, it's a matter of rebellion.But King Wu of Zhou said, no, the people of the world are suffering.After the successful revolution of King Wu of Zhou, Boyi stopped eating "Zhou millet", thinking that after the Shang Dynasty changed to the Zhou Dynasty, even the food changed the dynasty.As a result, the two brothers starved to death on Shouyang Mountain.An act like this has very high requirements on people and things, and never compromises. In Mencius' view, it can meet the standards of a saint, which is called Qinggao. The second sage is very responsible and is called Yi Yin.Yi Yin was the prime minister of Shang Tang. He assisted King Shang Tang to overthrow the tyrant Xia Jie and establish the Shang Dynasty.Yi Yin's style is different from Boyi's. "What is not a king, why is it not a people; governance also advances, and chaos also advances: Yi Yin also." ("Mencius Gongsun Chou") can serve any monarch, and can order any common people, and the world is stable. Even if the world is in turmoil, he will come out to be an official. This is Yi Yin's style.The reason why Yi Yin did this is because he emphasized: the people are born of heaven, so that the first perceives and then knows, and the first perceives and then perceives.Yu, the forerunner of the people of heaven; I will use Si Dao to feel the people of Sidao, but who will if I don't realize it? ("Mencius Ten Thousand Chapters") Heaven gave birth to these people, so that those who knew first would enlighten those who then knew, and those who were awakened first would enlighten and then awakened.I am the first to awaken among the people born in heaven, and I will use the ideals of Yao and Shun to make the people awaken.If it is not I who make them enlightened, who else? "Be aware before you know, and be aware before you are aware", Yi Yin's words are still catchy to us.Some people in this world are smarter, and they can easily realize what to do in life and where human nature is going to develop; there are also some people who only care about their own lives and have no time or interest to think about these issues.Therefore, talents need to be educated, and those who are the forerunners in front of them will educate the people who are later.Most of us are hindsight, and we need a teacher to teach us.After we understand it, we also try to practice what we have learned, so that the whole society will gradually improve.Yiyin used to be an official several times. If others don’t want him, he will step down; if others need him, he will come out to be an official. He has a very sense of responsibility. I got it, as long as there is a common person who has not received such care, I should come out to do things and help everyone.This kind of behavior involves the sense of mission of intellectuals.The third sage is very easy-going, named Liu Xiahui. Liu Xiahui is not ashamed to defile the king, and she does not resign from petty officials.If you don't hide the virtuous, you must follow the way.Don't complain about what's lost, don't show mercy when you're poor.When I was with the villagers, I couldn't bear to go there. "You are for you, I am for me, even if you are naked by my side, how can you beat me?" Therefore, those who hear the wind of Liu Xiahui are humble and generous. ("Mencius Ten Thousand Chapters") Liu Xiahui is not ashamed of being a bad monarch, nor is he humbled by a low official position.When you become an official in the court, you don't hide your talents, but you must follow your own principles.Lost an official and resigned without complaining, unlucky and poor without worrying.When he gets along with uneducated country people, he has an easy-going attitude and can't bear to leave. "You are you, I am me, even if you are naked next to me, how can you defile me?" Therefore, people who heard Liu Xiahui's style became narrow-minded and cheerful, and mean-spirited became honest. Liu Xiahui and Boyi are just in contrast.Boyi is lofty, and he is unwilling to compromise if he dislikes a little bit.Liu Xiahui is easy-going and completely informal.Both of them met the requirements of a sage in Mencius' mind.Explain what?Everyone has his own personality and style, as long as he persists in sincerity, kindness and hard work, he can become a saint.After Mencius said this, many intellectuals have hope. Saints are no longer just a few emperors like Yao, Shun and Yutang. Ordinary scholars can become Confucian saints as long as they can serve the people and adhere to certain ideals.The evolution of Confucianism can be seen here. Of these three saints, the first one is very noble and clear; the second one is very responsible and responsible; the third one is very easy-going and kind.The fourth kind of sage, Mencius thinks is Confucius, "the one who is holy at the time", is the most appropriate among the sages.Here we need to distinguish the word "time".In ancient times, "time" is an opportunity and an appropriate time.That is to say, you have to judge when to do something and how to do it, when you should be high-minded, when you should be responsible, when you should be responsible, when you should be easy-going and easy-going, this requires judgment.Mencius described Confucius like this: When Confucius went to Qi, he followed Xi.Going to Lu, he said: "It's too late for me to go, and the way to go to my parents' country." It can be done quickly, it can be done for a long time, it can stay in place, and it can be an official official, Confucius also. ("Mencius Ten Thousand Chapters") When Confucius left Qi, he picked up the rice he was washing and started on the road; when he left Lu, he said: "Let's go slowly, this is the attitude of leaving the motherland." If you live at home, you should be an official if you should be an official. This is the style of Confucius. Leaving a country means that Confucius has not been reused.When leaving Qi, Confucius picked up the rice he was washing and left, unable to wait for a meal.Because Qi State was not the homeland of Confucius, he left without nostalgia.But when he left the state of Lu, he said, students, please go slowly. This is the attitude of leaving the country of our parents, which shows that Confucius hopes that the king of the state of Lu will invite him back again.So when to go fast, when to stay, when to be an official, and when to live in seclusion, Confucius has wise judgments on these.Mencius then told two parables, saying that Confucius was a collection of sages.The so-called mastery is like playing music in ancient times. At the beginning, the bell is struck first, and the jade chime is struck at the end; the melody and rhythm are played at the beginning, it depends on intelligence, and the melody and rhythm are played at the end, it depends on holiness.Wisdom is like skill, sanctity is like strength.Like archery, it is not easy to shoot the arrow to the target area from a hundred steps away, which means that the person has enough strength, but to hit the bull's-eye, it not only depends on strength, but also wisdom.This is the characteristic of Confucianism.Many people learn from Confucianism and often talk about cultivating virtue and doing good deeds, but it should not be a simple or monotonous effort to do good deeds. Many times you have no judgment and cannot distinguish, and good things can also become bad things.That's why Westerners emphasize that if you want to do the right thing, you have to do it right.Pay attention to the method.Confucianism emphasizes "observing scriptures and achieving power". You have principles, but when you do it, you have to choose according to various situations.Confucius was such a saint in the mind of Mencius. Confucius once said that he is different from others, he is the five words "nothing is necessary".It means that he doesn't have to do something, and he doesn't have to do something.Some people say, isn't this very slippery?Like grass on the wall, it falls with the wind.wrong!This is to let us try to cope with various external situations from the aspect of wisdom. If you just hold on to the incomplete and stick to the glue, in the end, I am afraid that it will be difficult to move forward, and no matter how good your ideal is, you will not be able to realize it.Confucianism reminds us to keep our minds very sharp, noticing when and what to do is appropriate.Scholars in the Song Dynasty said that a person should learn from a cat in self-cultivation. The cat catches the mouse, the eyes watch, the ears listen, and the whole body is alert; See what other people expect of you, and see what you can do to be more appropriate.Therefore, as the "timer" among the saints, Confucius is most respected by Mencius.Mencius said, if I had to choose, I would learn from Confucius.It's a pity that Mencius didn't exist until more than a hundred years after Confucius passed away.Mencius could only find some materials by himself, study them hard, and he learned very well.He divided the sages into four types, and taking Confucius as the master is a good evidence, and it also continued and constructed the Confucian tradition.