Chapter 40 Yao said the twenty-2

The rule of man and the rule of law Combining these two sentences together, I think there is a very serious problem. Now the whole world is following the Western culture.For example, it is used in factory personnel management. Because the effect is very good, this set has been expanded to administrative aspects.The United States attaches particular importance to this aspect.There is also a book written by a Danish person. Some of us have translated it as "The Art of Leadership" or "The Technique of Leadership". The title of this book is quite novel, and the content in it is personnel management. , is the "judgment of the law."But when this kind of management is used in administration, we take a calm attitude and do not mix anything with it. It has a very serious problem, that is, people follow the system and become soulless. In the future, this thing will cause great harm.It can be asserted that the future will definitely change, and it will be unbearable to stay the same.To do things according to the law, people will become machines without souls. After all, people are not machines, they have souls.

Looking back at China's past politics, it emphasized "rule by man", and the problem with rule by man is that it often turned into a dictatorship. The so-called "I am the country, and the country is me." system.Why do we focus on the citation and development of Chinese history and culture?Talking about the experience of history and personnel, to be honest, the culture of our country has been much more than that of foreigners for thousands of years, so only our history is worthy of pride.Comparing our history with the scientific methods of personnel management under Western democratic and free systems, I think that if we make statistics, there are still fewer problems in China's governance by people.In ancient times, there were many tyrannical emperors who caused many wrong leaders, but their scourges were still few.That is, at present, why did the United States get such a result with regard to Vietnam?It cannot be said that there are no far-sighted and cosmopolitan politicians among Americans.But under the current system in the United States, no politician, thinker, or military leader can do anything about it.Because they talk about "scientific management", the laws of the spirit of democracy and freedom have stumped them.For example, there is an old saying commonly used in military affairs in China: "The general is outside, and the emperor's order is not subject to it." A general who is fighting in the front may not necessarily obey the emperor's command. Understand the changing situation ahead at any time, the soldiers in the front are for the country

For the benefit of the emperor, he can decide the strategy according to the actual situation ahead, and he can refuse to listen to the emperor's orders that are not suitable for the situation, which is not considered a crime of disobedience.But it doesn't work in Western personnel regulations.But having said that, there are also many examples in Chinese history. It is not wrong for a general to make a temporary response when he is away. After we understand these thoughts and viewpoints, and then look back at Chinese culture, at the time of Yao and Shun, personnel and systems were not biased, and these two aspects were "respectful of power" like a balance. Laws and personnel were very well coordinated.We can often see it in our society now. Sometimes when we go to the government office to do business, we get nailed and come back full of complaints. I have done in-depth research and caused a lot of trouble for the people below.In our ancient thinking of the rule of man, the principle that laws and regulations change due to human affairs, the situation is different. It is indeed difficult to draw a conclusion on who is good and who is bad.This is an introduction to the many associations generated in the two sentences of "respect the power and judge the law."

The third sentence is "repair and abolish officials".In ancient times, officials were in charge, that is, those who were in charge.Strictly studying it, the so-called officials in ancient China became a special class after the Qin and Han Dynasties. In ancient times, as the father of the country said, it meant management, and the nature of service was for those in charge of something. "Repairing and abolishing officials" also has two meanings.The first level of meaning is that after Yao, Shun, and Yu, after the Yin and Shang Dynasties, politics was abandoned, and it was reorganized in the Zhou Dynasty.The second level of meaning, a system, a law, an administrative measure, according to our Chinese principles, is not the same.A very good plan, carry it out, reach the lower level, pass through space or time

Relationship, this method is right today, but it will not be right tomorrow if the situation changes. It must be changed, and problems will arise if it remains unchanged. Grasp these three key points and understand the general scale of political thought in the Zhou Dynasty, and it will be easy to handle. "What is the administration of the Quartet?" Why do you say "the Quartet"?In ancient China's political system, although the centralization of power was said, the four sides were princes, and the local governments were divided. In fact, it was "centralization of power".

Inherit the past and usher in the future According to Western culture in recent decades, China was like the Zhou Dynasty in ancient times, but the central government did not centralize power, and the power of the localities was very strong.The so-called centralization is only moral leadership and ideological leadership, while administrative command mostly belongs to the localities.Therefore, he said that "respecting the power, judging the law, and revising and abolishing officials" noticed the three points, and the administration of the four directions would naturally work.To narrow it down, it is the same for individuals, and it is also the same for dealing with things in a family. Chinese culture has always been a patriarchal society-clans have clan rules, families have family rules, and the way of governing the family is the same.

Prosper and destroy the country, inherit the peerless world, and lift up the people, and the people of the world will return to their hearts. This is the key point of Chinese culture. Americans also want to take this route. To be honest, they do not have a deep cultural foundation, so it will not work.The few sentences quoted here mean that after the Zhou Dynasty, this was the practice.The ancient Chinese political thought came from the basis of the patriarchal society. come out.Therefore, after King Wu of Zhou unified China, he enfeoffed two or three hundred countries, but not all of them were the sons of King Wen of Zhou. For example, the Song State at that time was the descendant of Yin and Shang. Many of them were once extinct. King Wu re-established feudalism and re-established this kind of country.

This kind of thinking has been affecting later generations. For example, Liu Bang and Xiang Yu rose up to overthrow the tyranny of Qin Shihuang. When the Xiang family first started, they did not dare to claim the title of king themselves. Emperor Yi.It seems strange to us now, the Xiang family rose up immediately, why did they find a child to come out as emperor?This is the idea of ​​a patriarchal society, and we must find a hat to wear.This is certainly a trick of the Xiang family, but from a moral point of view, the Chinese have always had this spirit of "prospering and destroying the country and continuing to die".Later, when Liu Bang proclaimed himself emperor, he enshrined the Xiang family and many descendants of the Warring States period. This is the lovely and respectable aspect of the early rise of the Han Dynasty.

I told my foreign friends that this is impossible for them. Take the United States as an example. Although they have no territorial ambitions, they still have economic market ambitions. In the past, China helped a country, especially a vassal country, and leveled its In case of civil strife, if he establishes or stabilizes his own good regime, he will withdraw his soldiers. There is only one condition, that he will come to court every year.For example, at the beginning of the Tang Dynasty, in the era of "all nations dressed in clothes and hats and crowns", we actually posted a lot of property, and we had absolutely no territorial or economic ambitions. This is the unique political philosophy of "prosperity and destruction of the country, and succession to the world" in Chinese culture.Now the United States is neither kingly nor domineering, so it is impossible to follow this path. As a result, many countries have been cut in half by him like cutting watermelon.So I said that they only have a history of two hundred years. If you want to come to China to be a student, you have to study for at least one hundred years. With our own culture, the spirit of studying the history and culture of the world is compared. We can figure out what path human beings should take.The Zhou Dynasty took the traditional and correct path.

"Ju Yimin", the so-called "Yimin" refers to the era of King Zhou, many people disagreed with King Zhou's actions and fled to escape from the world.After King Wu of Zhou unified the world, he brought all these people back, gave him a good position, and made use of their strengths and ideas as much as possible, so that people's hearts would be submissive.From these three points, we look at our own history. In the past, we talked about benevolence, but now it is very difficult to talk about it.In the past, when someone's family had a problem, his friends picked up the family's burden. This is righteousness, and it is also a Chinese tradition for thousands of years.In the past, we neglected two things: one is the organization of a special society, and the other is the destruction of the patriarchal society.This is very important. In the ancestral halls of the Chinese people, on the first and fifteenth day of the new year, young people in the clan were called to read the instructions. Even though they read the imperial edicts of the Qing Dynasty at that time-the Guangxun written by Kangxi taught people how to be filial to their parents, How to be a good person and good deed was originally used as a political stability force, and later became a very good central idea in a patriarchal society.We neglected these things at the time, and only those who love their own culture felt very serious.Now it's even more about the separation of thoughts, and these things are destroyed.So in these places, we need to understand that these spirits are very common in patriarchal societies, working hard for friends and carrying burdens for friends.Why did you do this?It is the result of thousands of years of profound cultural education of "prosperity and destruction of the country, succession to the peerless world".

No regrets for health and death Emphasis: people's food, funeral sacrifices. This sentence, the punctuated sentence in the ancient book reads: "The people who pay attention to the people eat funeral sacrifices." I don't agree with the reading of this sentence.Don’t think that what the great Confucians of the ancients said must be right. We are for the truth and seeking the truth.For those of us who are not qualified to be Confucians, students often write wrong characters and don't explain them when they see them. Later, they find out and ask them why they don't explain?They said that what the teacher wrote could be wrong, such an attitude is bad, the teacher is not necessarily right, and more opinions should be raised.Even if I'm right and the students don't understand, it's not wrong to ask for more opinions. Why are you just obedient?so to ancient People should also pay attention.This sentence means that the focus of governance is on people's food and people's life; secondly, funeral sacrifices are to send to death.In other words, the focus of politics.It is to preserve one’s health and send one’s life to death, which is about economics. If you are lenient, you will win the people; if you are trustworthy, the people will be responsible; if you are sensitive, you will make merit; Here are four more principles.Politics in ancient times has always been lenient, which is what Confucianism advocates.Taoism advocates both leniency and fierceness.When we read history, we read that the era of fierceness is the rule of law and strict management; lenient is the rule of ritual, such as the famous Han and Tang Dynasties in history. Speaking of this, another question comes to mind. In the past 40 to 50 years, ordinary people like to study the history of the Ming Dynasty, and they like to study the history of the second half of the Ming Dynasty. This is very strange. Why do people like to study the history of the Ming Dynasty?Is it related to the Qing Dynasty?Something to do with our revolution that overthrew the Qing Dynasty?In fact, these are not reasons. I think this is a historical trend. If we look at it from the perspective of morality, this is a strange phenomenon.Why do we focus on these things instead of studying how the Han Dynasty prospered, how the Tang Dynasty prospered, why don’t we study these prosperous phenomena? The governance of Wenjing in the Han Dynasty advocated leniency, and the laws were also lenient. At the beginning, Emperor Gaozu of the Han Dynasty went to Bashang, because the first emperor's laws were too strict, and he only made three chapters with the common people. The simplest three points can be seen from the rise of the Han Dynasty. It's wide from the start.When a society has gone through years of wars and the common people have been ruled by torture, the best policy is to provide relief.After the Han Dynasty came to Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, when the rule of law was emphasized, cruel officials came out, and gradually tightened up and became stricter.This is because the psychology of the public is too lenient, and it is easy to let things go, so they must use force and strict management. In politics, it is up to the people to use leniency and force.Confucian lenient can win the masses, but "credibility is the responsibility of the people", if the leaders at the top keep their word, the people will trust you completely. "Swiss makes meritorious deeds". If you are quick and smart, you can make meritorious deeds. "Public rules say", everything is just and fair, and everyone is convinced. The narration of this book from the beginning to here seems to have nothing to do with Confucius or even Confucius’ disciples. It only records the materials of ancient history. The traditional culture of ancient China came from these places, so the second half of the article puts forward the thought of Confucius. Politics Paradigm Zizhang asked Confucius, saying: "How can you be in politics like this?"The Master said: Respect the five beauties and reject the four evils, so you can be in politics.Zi Zhang said: What are the five beauties?The Master said: A gentleman is beneficial but not wasteful, labors but not complaining, desires but not greedy, prosperous but not arrogant, powerful but not fierce.Zi Zhang said: What is benefit without cost?The Master said, "Isn't benefiting the people because of what they benefit from?"Who can complain if you choose what you can work and work hard?Desiring benevolence and obtaining benevolence, how can you be greedy?A gentleman has no crowd, no small or big, no dare to be slow, so is he not arrogant?A gentleman straightens his clothes, respects his gaze, as if people look at him and fear him, isn't this also majestic but not fierce?Zi Zhang said: What are the four evils?The Master said: To kill without teaching is called cruelty, not to abstain from being regarded as violence is called violence, and to be slow to order is called thief, just like treating others. Being stingy with cashiers is called being responsible. The text in this paragraph is easy for us to understand, but the remaining problem is that it is difficult to do. "Benefit without cost" is easy to do when you are in politics.There is an old proverb among the people: "It is easy to cultivate in the Gongmen".Being a civil servant is sometimes easy to do good deeds, and often one matter or one case is decided.It is unimaginable that a suggestion or a method that is thought up while sitting at the desk is implemented after being decided by the higher authorities.Therefore, the most brilliant politicians often have this kind of opportunity to give good benefits to others, and everyone gets benefits without sacrificing or harming themselves.But some people often don't do this kind of thing, for example, if someone comes to handle an errand or ask for something, and some civil servants don't even say a word to instruct others, which causes many people to complain. All blame goes to the leaders.So for the way of politics, many things that "benefit without cost" have been done!But sometimes it can't be done.The same is true for making friends. We often find that helping a friend is "benefit without cost", but now a popular saying among young people is "nosy, eat more farts." In fact, what's wrong with meddling?Among friends, we should do more things that "benefit without cost". This kind of thing that benefits without cost can be done at any time, and it is not just for politics! The most difficult thing is "working without complaining".It is often said that it is necessary to accept complaints when doing things. Experience tells us that it is easy to bear hardships and difficult to accept complaints.But when you do one thing, you have to be ready to be scolded as soon as you do it. "Working without complaining", I think it is difficult to bear complaints. The saying "desire but not greed" is very reasonable. If a person wants to be absolutely clean and honest, he can demand himself, not anyone else.There are instinctive desires in life, and you can do what you want, and you should not be too greedy.Chinese culture, whether it is Confucianism or Taoism, all advocate great justice, but they also allow some selfishness to exist. "Thai but not arrogant" refers to being broad-minded and not arrogant in terms of attitude and mood. "Majestic but not fierce", you need to be powerful to others. Power is not vicious. If a person's self-cultivation is truly mighty, people will naturally be afraid when they see it. This is power. The fear of others is not fear, but a kind of awe. , the meaning of respect.If the "power" makes people really afraid, it is fierce.We have seen many people in history, once they made a serious mistake, they all failed. These five beauties include the principles of governing and being a human being. After we have explained the five beauties, we read Confucius' explanation. It is equivalent to the current democratic politics, benefiting from the needs and welfare of the common people. This is benefiting without costing, taking from society and using it for society. "Choose what is available to work and work, who will complain?" In the same way, when labor is used to work on things that are related to the interests of the people, no one will complain. "If you want benevolence and get benevolence, how can you be greedy?" What is desired is benevolence, but if benevolence is obtained, what other greed is there?The proper duty required, and the goal is achieved, there is no extra greed. "A gentleman has no number, no smallness, no daring to be slow, so is he not arrogant?" A gentleman has no concept of more or less in any environment, such as the amount of treatment, the level of benefits, etc. , There is no concept of the size of the position, and he is not contemptuous of anything. For a small matter, he often uses his best.There is a very good saying in Buddhism: "The lion fights the beast". The lion is the king of all beasts. Why is the lion the king of all beasts?Because he is very respectful and serious about everything. When a lion wants to eat people, he uses all his strength and never relaxes. When a lion catches a little mouse, he also uses all his strength. This is the spirit of a lion. , that is, there is no big or small, no daring to be slow, when a matter is in hand, no matter how small or big it is, don't think it is easy, if you think it is easy, it will often go wrong, this is how to be peaceful and not arrogant.The following is about attitude: "A gentleman straightens his clothes, respects his gaze, as if he is feared by others. Isn't this also majestic but not fierce?" This is still in terms of appearance, and we have said about the inner meaning.Now according to the surface of the text, when a person is well-dressed, polite and majestic, no matter whether he looks at it from a distance or a close look, he will feel awe. This is the principle of being majestic but not fierce. Four evils Regarding the five beauties, we have learned from our own research and Confucius’ own explanation. The following is Confucius’ explanation of the four evils: "Killing without teaching is called abuse." This is true for subordinates and students. If you don't teach him, he has done something wrong, and we have to take responsibility for it.People don't necessarily have experience in everything, and after being taught, they can't correct themselves, so they can be punished. "Don't watch as so-called violence", this "precept" is a warning.If you don't warn your subordinates beforehand, and then ask him to produce results, the demands are too high, unreasonable, and not allowed. This is a very bad thing. "Slow orders are called thieves", treat regulations and orders with a contemptuous attitude, and don't care. "Slow order" is now called playing with the law. "Slow orders to meet deadlines", playing with laws and regulations by oneself, and hoping that others will achieve their goals and complete tasks service.As you'd expect, it's a thief. "It's like being with people, but the cashier's stinginess is called having a secretary." The way of government, everything must be thought of, what I need, others also need, if something happens to me, I will be very unwilling, it will happen The same is true for others, this is "just like being with others", compared to being the same as being with others. "Cashier's miserliness"—separation of government and economy—is how to save or let go. This scale has a dedicated person in charge, and it is used when it should be used, and the province is saved. The conclusion of learning to know The above is Confucius' reply to Zi Zhang's five virtues and four evils, and the following is the conclusion of all twenty articles. Confucius said: If you don't know your destiny, you can't think of yourself as a gentleman.If you don't know etiquette, you can't stand up.If you don't know words, you can't know people. The ancient Chinese talked about the three principles. Originally, the "reasons" of the three principles were rituals. There are three rituals in Chinese culture, that is, "Zhou Li, Book of Rites, and Yi Li" are the three rituals.After the Song and Ming Dynasties, there was a saying of the Three Principles, and scholars must understand the Three Principles, which are "medical theory, numerology, and geography (geography)." This comes from the concept of filial piety.Intellectuals must understand these three principles. Because their parents are sick, they must know how to take care of them. This requires understanding medical principles. "You must know the year of your parents", you must know fortune-telling.Parents have problems this year, so be careful with your children.In case something goes wrong, if you want to find a good Feng Shui, you have to understand geography. Therefore, a friend who is good at fortune-telling quoted this sentence, saying that Confucius advocated that intellectuals must know fortune-telling. In fact, this sentence of Confucius did not mention fortune-telling. Fortune-telling arose in the Tang Dynasty, and strictly speaking, it only existed in the Southern and Northern Dynasties earlier, with the culture from India added in the middle, such as the animal zodiac signs of the twelve earthly branches such as Zi, Chou, Yin, and Mao, which were passed down from India. It turned out that there were only earthly branches, without these animals. After the Eastern Han Dynasty, this method was passed down from India, and it was not until the Tang Dynasty that the knowledge of fortune-telling was formed.There are many schools of fortune-telling, and the same horoscope is good with one school, but bad with another school. According to fortune tellers, the best fate in history is Qianlong. The four characters in the inner branch of his horoscope are "Zi, Wu, Mao, and You", which are called Sizheng's fate. Qianlong's fate is good. The emperor, there is no one more comfortable than him. The Taiping Emperor of sixty years lived to be in his eighties, so he called himself a perfect old man. Worrying.However, there is a person with the same horoscope as Qianlong, who was born as a beggar at the same time on the same day of the same month.So how do you count this fate?There are many fortune-telling examples like this, but the fortune-teller said that because of the different regions, Qianlong was born in the north, while Huazi was born in the south.In terms of space, there are still differences between those born on two beds in the same room, which is called changing form and step.If you change one step, the form of the object you see will change, and if the form changes, the conclusion will be different.If you want to talk about this, then a person dare not even walk the road, there is a truth in this, the so-called "devils are created from the heart, and demons are created by people." The real meaning of the fate mentioned by Confucius refers to a certain law of the universe, the fate of human affairs, physics, history, time and space. When this force is formed, people have no way to change it. This is fate.Now we call it "the trend of the times".When the momentum is there, the moving force like a car has not yet ended, and there is no way to stop it. The historical era has its causes and effects. Why is our era formed like this?So this "fate" is hard to say.As far as modern times are concerned, our horoscope has already been calculated, but it is not the horoscope of birth, but the horoscope of "born in sorrow, and died in sorrow".In ancient China, there is another interpretation of "fate" that "the destiny is called nature". It is interpreted as the destiny of life in the universe. If we interpret this sentence as the destiny of life, it involves philosophical issues again, and the destiny of destiny Including philosophical and scientific issues, it is also very difficult to study.Confucius said here, "If you don't know your destiny, you can't be a gentleman." In other words, a person who doesn't know the trend of the times, doesn't understand the environment, can't have foresight, and can't be a gentleman. "If you don't know etiquette, you can't stand." This etiquette includes culture. We have explained it repeatedly before, so I won't say more.To put it simply, you need to understand all the etiquette, the philosophical principles of traditional Chinese culture, and the principles of life. If you don't understand, you will not be able to stand in this world, and you will always follow the environment, and you will not be able to stand alone. "If you don't know how to speak, you can't know people." According to the literal explanation, if you don't know how to speak, you can't be a person.How can people not speak?Everyone can speak, and this "word" represents language culture. For example, what the ancients and sages told us, if we can't understand deeply, we can't behave in the world.For example, it is Confucius' life experience that tells us that if you don't understand, you don't know how to behave. This is the end of this section of the book, since the beginning of "Zi said: Learn and learn from time to time." All twenty chapters together are all knowledge.Learning is not knowledge, not words, learning is to experience life cultivation, to learn anytime and anywhere, to achieve the state of "knowing destiny" and "self-reliance".Only in this way can it be regarded as "knowledge", and it is not a waste of reading.I think the spirit is roughly the same.Right or wrong, I don't know.My knowledge is limited to this, and if I have further studies tomorrow, that's another story. ——Smile——.