2022.06.24 Friday Qing D174
"Zhidao Le Xue·Chinese Classics" D674
"Cai Gen Tan" Encouraging Learning Chapter
11 Things have no definite quality, and it is necessary to understand the principles and interests first
Original text: The qin, calligraphy, poetry and painting are used by the wise to nourish the soul, while the mediocre people only appreciate their signs; the mountains, rivers and clouds are used by the masters to help their knowledge, while the common people only use them to help their knowledge. Play with its glory. It can be seen that things have no fixed quality, and they are judged as superior or inferior according to people's opinions. Therefore, when reading to understand the truth, we must put interest first.
Translation: Qinshu, poems and paintings are used by wise and intelligent people to cultivate their spirituality, while mediocre people only know how to appreciate the surface without appreciating the content contained in them; beautiful scenery such as mountains, rivers, clouds and objects, wise people Learn from it to improve your knowledge, while ordinary people only know how to enjoy the scenery. It can be seen that things themselves do not have fixed qualities, but differ in quality depending on people's knowledge. Therefore, when reading books and studying affairs, you must first improve your own interests.
Interpretation: Wise people use elegant things such as music, chess, calligraphy and painting to cultivate their own temperament and cultivate their spirituality. If you only know how to appreciate the surface and only grasp the form, you will not be able to realize the real fun. Wise people can learn something and realize some truths while admiring the beautiful scenery of mountains and rivers, but ordinary people only know how to enjoy the scenery. There is no distinction between good and bad things in the world. It is up to people to make distinctions between them based on their own value choices. Some people may benefit a lot from reading the same book, while others may read it like a passing cloud and leave little impression. For the same scenery, some people only appreciate its beauty and elegance, while others can study the habits of flowers, plants and trees, or the geology and landforms while appreciating the scenery, and still others can understand the principles of life from admiring the scenery. Therefore, things themselves are not good or bad, they are all determined by people. Only wise people can discover and gain something from ordinary scenery.
12 Don’t be too harsh when attacking people, don’t teach too high when teaching others
Original text: Don’t be too harsh when attacking people’s evil, think about how hard it is to endure; don’t be too high when teaching people to be good. Make it available.
Translation: When you accuse others of their mistakes, don’t be too harsh, think about whether others can bear it; when educating others to do good deeds, don’t be too demanding, think about whether others can do it. .
Interpretation: Confucius said: "There is no greater good than being able to correct your mistakes." It is not terrible for a person to make mistakes. As long as he knows how to repent and correct his mistakes, his virtue will not be harmed. Just correcting mistakes is not very easy. Sometimes you know that you are doing something wrong and you know that you have certain shortcomings, but it is not easy to correct mistakes. Correcting mistakes and overcoming shortcomings requires a strong will. Some people are relatively weak-willed. Under such circumstances, we cannot strictly require them to correct their mistakes. There are also some people who are not weak-willed but cannot correct their mistakes because they simply do not realize that they have made mistakes. If you severely criticize their mistakes, it will not only hinder them from correcting their mistakes, but will also arouse their resentment. Therefore, when pointing out other people's mistakes, you should not be too strict, but should use an appropriate method to make the other party accept it.
During the Three Kingdoms period, Sun Quan of Wu State liked drinking very much. He often drank with his officials by the pool and became very drunk. After getting drunk, he was asked to pour water on the officials. The drunk ministers got up and continued drinking. Sun Quan often pointed to the pool and said, unless you fall in, you will have to continue drinking. The ministers were drunk and staggered around in an unseemly manner. Some ministers cannot stand this approach. Whenever this happens, Zhang Zhao gets very angry and angrily walks outside, not wanting to mess around like them. Sun Quan sent someone to invite Zhang Zhao back and said that everyone should play together and Zhang Gong should not be angry. Zhang Zhao said: In the past, King Zhou of Yin and his officials drank all night long in the wine pond and meat forest. Everyone enjoyed themselves and did not think it was a bad thing. Sun Quan listened silently. Although the banquet was removed at that time, Sun Quan felt a little unhappy after all. Another minister, Gu Yong, took a much gentler approach. Gu Yong didn't drink either. When he saw Sun Quan gathering people to drink, Gu Yong didn't just throw up his sleeves and leave. He sat aside and watched everyone drink. He never admonished Sun Quan as sternly as Zhang Zhao did, he just sat and watched. Drunk people behave in many funny and unrestrained ways.
When Gu Yong saw someone behaving impolitely, he would write it down. When the person sobered up, Gu Yong would describe to him the way that person acted impolitely when he was drunk. In this way, everyone will have some scruples and not dare to be too presumptuous.
13 In adversity, one must practice discipline, but in good times, all the sacrifices can be made
Original text: When one is in adversity, one’s body is covered with needles and stones, and one does not realize it; in good times, one’s troops are exhausted before one’s eyes. The sword is a sword, the spear is used, and the bones are burned without knowing it.
Translation: When you are in adversity, you are surrounded by good medicine and weapons that temper your character, and your character is unknowingly sharpened to be very pure; when you are in good times, you are surrounded by all kinds of things. Weapons unknowingly erode people's fighting spirit and lead them to the path of failure.
Interpretation: A person's life may be in good times, or he may encounter setbacks and be in adversity. Whether we are in bad times or good times, we need to stay awake. Don't be too intoxicated in good times, and don't be too sad in adversity. If you can stay awake and look at problems dialectically, it is also a good thing to be in adversity. Adversity can temper people's will. Sometimes when encountering problems, people's fighting spirit and creativity can be stimulated. Faced with various setbacks and problems, people look for solutions. This process is a good exercise for people's ability to analyze and solve problems, as well as their willpower. Being in adversity can make people see problems clearly and abandon bad habits such as laziness, laxity, glitz, vanity, luxury, etc. Of course, when we are in adversity, we need to work hard. If we only feel sad and disappointed or blame others when we are in adversity, we will not be able to change our environment. In good times, enjoying comfort and not thinking about making progress will weaken people's ambition. If you keep a clear head in good times, don't be fooled by the easy life in front of you, and maintain a positive fighting spirit, then good times can also help people succeed.
14 Literature is advanced through clumsiness, and Tao is achieved through clumsiness.
Original text: Literature is advanced through clumsiness, and Tao is achieved through clumsiness. The word "clumsy" has infinite meaning. Like the barking of dogs in peach fields and the crow of cocks in the mulberry trees, what a pure atmosphere! As for the moon in the cold pond and the crows on the ancient trees, they feel rusty despite their skillful craftsmanship!
Translation: Only by being honest and unpretentious in writing can you make progress, and only by being sincere and unpretentious in practicing and enlightening can you gain something. The word "clumsy" contains infinite meanings. Like the barking of dogs in the peach blossom garden and the crow of cocks in the mulberry forest, what a simple and fulfilling scene this is! As for the moon shadow reflected in the cold pool and the crows on the ancient trees, although they are exquisite, they also contain the atmosphere of decay and desolation.
Interpretation: Dogs bark in the Peach Blossom Spring and cocks crow in the mulberry forest. These scenes have the atmosphere of simple life. Although it is not elegant and exquisite, it is not as chilling and extraordinary as the Cold Pond Ancient Moon and the Old Wooden Crow. Just the barking of dogs in Taoyuan and the crow of cocks among mulberry trees make people feel more business and warm. It is simple and unremarkable, although it makes people feel ordinary, but it has its own precious value.
Modern education emphasizes educating children to be smart, self-respecting, strong, and competitive people. Parents are worried if children are clumsy in giving in, not good at competition, and do not adapt to the competition in modern society. In a competitive society, weakness, lack of fighting spirit, and lack of intelligence and wit will make people unable to adapt to the development of society. In ancient my country, Lao Tzu, the founder of Taoism, believed that people were too smart and too strong, which would cause pain and disputes. If everyone can remain honest and simple, be willing to be weak, and not be competitive, people's lives will save a lot of trouble. On the surface, Laozi's views seem to run counter to modern society. In fact, the view that weakness is better than strength and simplicity is better than cleverness is not inconsistent with modern society. Modern people's understanding of these principles will be very helpful for people to adapt to modern society. Staying simple does not mean denying a competitive society, but rather avoiding useless fights. Staying simple does not mean denying the importance of wisdom, but it means abandoning those little cleverness and cunning techniques.
15 The adversity of poverty is a furnace for training the mind and body.
Original text: The adversity of poverty is a furnace for training heroes. Those who can be exercised by it will benefit physically and mentally; those who are not exercised by it will be harmed physically and mentally.
Translation: Poverty, hardship and twists and turns are tools for tempering heroes. Being able to accept this kind of tempering is good for the body and spirit; if you cannot endure this kind of tempering, both body and spirit will be damaged.
Interpretation: Mencius once said: "When Heaven assigns a great responsibility to a person, he must first strain his mind, strain his muscles and bones, despise his body and skin, deplete his body, and disturb his actions. Therefore, Tempting one's mind and forbearance can help one achieve what he cannot." That is to say, when God wants to impose a major task on someone, he must first have something distressing in his heart, causing his muscles and bones to be constantly fatigued and suffering from frequent hardships. Hungry, sleepy his body, and makes him unable to do things as he wishes every time, in order to temper his will, cultivate his tenacious temperament, and increase his abilities. Therefore, when encountering hardships and setbacks, and in adversity, I might as well regard these hardships and setbacks as a great responsibility that God will entrust to me, so use them to temper me. It is not a good thing if a person has never experienced setbacks. Society is not a paradise with blooming flowers and spring breeze. When living in society, we will always encounter difficulties of one kind or another. If a person has never encountered setbacks and difficulties, he often does not know how to deal with them when he actually faces them. So encountering difficulties and setbacks is not a bad thing. If we can withstand difficulties and setbacks, cultivate strong willpower and endurance, and maintain a positive fighting spirit no matter what kind of adversity we face, then it will be easier to overcome big problems in the future.