Chapter 22 The sea does not shy away from water, so it can become great

The sea does not shy away from water, so it can become big; the mountain does not shy away from earth and rocks, so it can become tall; the master of the wise does not tire of people, so it can become numerous; scholars do not tire of learning, so they can become holy. ——"Guanzi Situation Solution" (excerpt) On the afternoon of March 14, 2004, at the press conference after the Second Session of the Tenth National People's Congress, Premier Wen Jiabao replied to a reporter from the Central People's Broadcasting Station about the specific goals of the current government's political system reform: "Last year here I once compared socialism to the sea, and the sea does not shun water, so it can become great. That is to say, socialism can only develop itself continuously by absorbing all the advanced civilization achievements of mankind. Today I want to compare socialism to mountains, mountains It can achieve its height without hesitating on earth and rocks. Only by constantly adjusting and improving itself can socialism make continuous progress.”

Premier Wen mentioned above that "the sea does not shy away from water, so it can become big" comes from "Guanzi·Situation Explanation". The book "Guanzi" consists of five thematic explanations, forming a group of its own, called "Guanzi Jie".The content of these explanations is to explain the text word by word. While explaining the meaning of the text, some extended comments are also added. "Shape" refers to the appearance or phenomenon of things; "potential" refers to the development trend of things.Demonstrating the phenomena and trends of things is like telling the regularity in modern times. Therefore, "Situation Chapter" and "Situation Explanation" are about regular problems in human society and nature.

What the excerpt at the beginning of the article talks about is one of the many laws, that is, the principle that the accumulation of less makes more.The so-called "ci" means to refuse, to refuse. "Disgusted" has two meanings, one is bored, and the other is "satisfaction", which means satisfaction.The two "disgusting" here both refer to the second meaning, which is "satisfaction".And "to be holy" is to reach the realm of a saint.The whole sentence is put together to say: the sea does not reject the trickle, so it achieves its own boundlessness; The support of the people; those who study tirelessly and are never satisfied can become people with profound knowledge and noble morals.As the saying goes, a thousand miles begins with a single step, and dust rises from high mountains, "If you don't accumulate small streams, you won't be able to form rivers and seas."In a word, being open-minded and learning from others' strengths is the source of strength for the development and growth of all things.

This text in "Situation Solution" is often cited by later generations because of its vivid expression and profound connotations. "Xunzi Encouraging Learning" once used its meaning: "Accumulate soil to form mountains, and wind and rain will rise; accumulate water to form abyss, and dragons will grow; accumulate goodness to become virtue, and gods will be proud, and the sacred heart will be prepared." It is used to discuss the accumulation in learning. importance.Li Si once ordered Qin Shihuang to expel Qin's "guests", and he said at the beginning: "The Taishan Mountain does not let the soil, so it can become big; the river and the sea do not choose the trickle, so it can be deep; the king does not reject the people, So you can understand his virtue." ("Historical Records Biography of Li Si") It is said that Qin Shihuang read this book and immediately sent people to chase Li Si who had left, chased him back in Liyi, and entrusted him with a heavy responsibility.In Cao Cao's "Duan Ge Xing", he also sang "Mountains never tire of being high, and water never tires of being deep; Zhou Gong spits out his chest, and the world returns to his heart", in order to express his desire to seek talents and recruit heroes from all over the world.And the famous aphorisms derived from this are innumerable: "Taishan does not establish likes and dislikes, so it can become high; Jianghai does not choose small helpers, so it can become rich" (Han Feizi's words); skin" (Liu Xiangyu); "Nine Renren's accumulation is still a failure" (Wei Zhengyu)...Behind these incisive epigrams, it is not difficult for us to see the shining light of Guanzi's thinking.

This philosophical expression in "Situation Explanation" is suitable for all levels of social life: as subtle as personal morality and cultivation, as grand as the development of the country and the soundness of the social system.The development and progress of anything, as long as we have an attitude of humility, the small streams will eventually converge into a vast ocean, and the hills will accumulate into thousands of peaks.At the press conference held after the Second Session of the Tenth National People's Congress, Premier Wen Jiabao borrowed this sentence from "Guanzi · Situation Explanation" to give a visual commentary on the development of the cause of socialism with Chinese characteristics, that is, socialism can only absorb Only the achievements of all advanced civilizations of mankind can make itself develop continuously; socialism can only progress continuously if it constantly adjusts and improves itself.