Chapter 31 Do unto others, do not impose on others

Zhong Gong asked Ren.The Master said: "When going out, it is like seeing a great guest, and making the people like receiving a great sacrifice. Do not do to others what you do not want yourself to do to yourself. There is no resentment in the state, and no resentment in the family." Zhong Gong said: "Although Yong is not sensitive, I ask you to speak like this. carry on." ——"The Analects of Confucius Yan Yuan" (excerpt) Zi Gong asked, "Is there a man who has a word that he can practice all his life?" The Master said, "Is it pardon? Don't do to others what you don't want yourself to do to yourself."

——"The Analects of Confucius Duke Ling of Wei" (excerpt) On the evening of May 9, 2004, during Premier Wen Jiabao’s official goodwill visit to the UK, at the Chinese embassy in the UK, Premier Wen emotionally told everyone about the origin of the Chinese embassy in the UK: In 1876, the Qing government signed a treaty agreement with the British government. In the Treaty of Yantai, one of the items was that the Qing government sent an imperial envoy to the UK to "apology" and serve as a minister in the UK.The Qing government sent a team of more than 30 people led by Guo Songtao, who was proficient in Western affairs, to sail from Shanghai to Britain in December 1876 and arrived in London in January 1877.The Guo Songtao Mission lived in a four-story building at No. 45, Pokranbury, which has since become the Chinese Embassy in the UK.After telling this unusual history, Premier Wen was full of emotion: "At that time, our country was poor and weak, and we could not hold our head up abroad. But there is one thing that even Europeans can see clearly, that is, China Human virtues are fully displayed even in the age of humiliation.... Chinese people are hard-working, self-improving, and be kind to others; do not do to others what you do not want. These virtues are also reflected in modern people living abroad."

"Do unto others as you would have them do unto you" quoted by Premier Wen comes from.In the verse, this famous saying appears twice, which shows that Confucius attaches great importance to this character. The Zhong Gong mentioned in the paragraph 1 of the excerpt at the beginning of the article is Ran Yong, a student of Confucius.Zhong Gong was famous for his virtue.When he asked Confucius about the virtue of "benevolence", Confucius explained it from three aspects.First of all, respect yourself.That is to say, no matter when you go out or when you are envoys, you should be like seeing a great guest and receiving a great sacrifice.Going out, that is, going out of the house, or traveling far, or visiting friends, are all private acts; making the people, that is, governing the people, is a public affair; a guest of honor, a state guest; a grand sacrifice, a major sacrifice, such as the sacrifice of heaven and earth, 禘祫Festival etc.These two sentences mean that whether it is a private act of going out or a state affairs of the people, one should be as courteous and courteous as meeting a distinguished guest, and be as cautious as attending a major memorial ceremony.Second, forgive yourself and others.That is, don't impose on others what you don't want.This is an extension of the Confucian-emphasized concept of "respecting oneself and others".If the first two sentences are about being loyal to one's own heart, these two sentences are about the way of "forgiveness" that extends oneself to others.If you can extend yourself to others, you will use your own heart to understand others, and you will be able to do what you don't want, and never do to others. Therefore, Zhang Zai said, "Love others with the heart of love, and benevolent."Third, the above two points can be achieved, and the effect is obvious, that is, no one will complain whether in the state or in the family.Confucius' explanation of benevolence made Zhong Gong feel enlightened and suddenly realized, so he said: "Although I am not smart, I must do what you say seriously."

In the second paragraph of the first article, Zigong asked Confucius for a warning that would benefit him for life. What Confucius gave him was the eight words "Do not do to others what you do not want to be done to you" which explains the way of "forgiveness".If speaking of Zhong Gong’s teachings, Confucius only put forward requirements from the perspective of building a system of benevolence and morality, then for Zi Gong, he further emphasized that the virtue of “forgiveness” is a moral standard that a person should abide by throughout his life. In the political and cultural system of ancient China, Confucianism has always occupied the central dominant position.The moral concept of Confucianism has also penetrated into every cell of the country and family. Chinese people are not only familiar with such famous warnings as "Do not do unto others as you would have them do unto you, but have internalized them into a conscious code of conduct for people in the world.Therefore, Premier Wen Jiabao regards the eight-character warning as "the virtue of the Chinese people". No matter how time and space change, Chinese people have never given up this virtue.Of course, before advocating this virtue, Premier Wen traced back the tragic history of China’s diplomacy in the era of poverty and weakness. He not only admired the people’s persistence in this virtue, but also seemed to have another level of deep thinking: what you don’t want is of course Don't do it to others, do what you want?Not all of them can be applied to people.However, the Western powers headed by British imperialism in those days forcibly imposed what they wanted on the kind-hearted Chinese people, which aggravated the deep suffering of modern Chinese society.This may be the overtones of quoting these two sentences.