Confucius attaches great importance to the role of friends in a person’s growth process.

He advocates that we make good friends, people who are useful to us. But this usefulness does not mean that your real life conditions can be improved through it. On the contrary, Confucius never suggested that you make friends with rich and powerful people. You should make friends with people who can improve your character, improve your cultivation, and enrich your connotation.

Confucius taught his students to make good friends and not to make bad friends.

He said that there are three kinds of good friends who can help him in this world, which are the so-called "Three Friends of Benefits", namely, friendliness, friendliness and understanding.

First, you are straight. Straight refers to integrity.

This kind of friend is sincere, magnanimous, upright, and has a cheerful personality without any hint of flattery.

His personality can affect your personality. He can give you courage when you are timid, and he can also give you decisiveness when you are hesitant. So this

is a good friend.

Second, be friendly and understanding. "Shuowen Jiezi" says: "Forgiveness means trust." Trust means honesty

Trust.

This kind of friend is sincere and does not lie. When we associate with such friends, our hearts

will feel appropriate and stable, and our spirit can be purified and sublimated.

Third, friends are well-informed. This kind of friend is well-informed, which in today's terms means broad-minded.

In the pre-Qin era when Confucius lived, we did not have computers, the Internet,

such advanced information, and various forms of media like we do today. What should people at that time do if they wanted to broadcast television? The simplest way is to make a good friend who is well-informed and knowledgeable, and let the books he reads turn those indirect experiences into your direct experience.

When you feel hesitant and difficult to make a decision on some issues, you might as well go to a friend

. Maybe his extensive knowledge can help you make a choice.

Making a knowledgeable friend is like having a thick encyclopedia dictionary. We can always get useful lessons from his experience.

The three beneficial friends in "The Analects of Confucius" are upright friends, honest friends, and knowledgeable friends.

Educated friends.

*The most direct and obvious watershed - Gentleman friends: Being generous and decent will make people who are far away or close to you feel natural and comfortable. (Warning: People who often like to be around others

whispering, whispering, and chattering.)