I heard of Mencius when I was very young. It is a book that instinctively teaches us how to be a man, and it is also a mentor. It is better to know someone than to be famous. Today, I was lucky enough to read this book that will benefit us for life.

I haven't read many books that teach us how to be human, but I have also dabbled in some books, such as Saint Amethyst and Disciples Rules. But this book has a great influence on me. This book mainly wrote some stories that happened around Mencius, a great thinker and educator in the Warring States period. I benefited a lot from reading it.

Several stories in this book are deeply imprinted on my mind. One of them is called "The Way of Teachers and Friends". This story is mainly about "birds of a feather flock together" in making friends. Mencius said that "father and son are related, ministers are righteous, husband and wife are different, young and old are orderly, and friends have a heart", which is "benevolence, righteousness, courtesy, wisdom and faith"

Through this story, I know that making friends can't be based on this person's property and status. It is important to see if this person is talented and worth learning, so that you can make real friends.

There is another story in this book that has benefited me a lot. This story is "mature yourself". In this story, it is about benevolence and righteousness. In Mencius' view, this frequently heard word is like a good seed. After planting, it will take root and sprout, take care of it patiently, and finally make it mature and harvest. If you plant it, but you don't get anything, it's no different from weeds.

This story makes me understand that everyone should pursue the goal of life and his ideal personality. If you give up halfway, no matter how hard you try, it is meaningless.

"There is a golden house in the book, and there is Yan Ruyu in the book." By reading Mencius, I really understood the truth of being a man. I like this book and I will never forget it.

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Thoughts on Reading Mencius

Monk's article is full of arguments and arguments, and he is good at reasoning. He doesn't know the logic of reading the whole book like the Analects of Confucius, and reading the Tao Te Ching is not mysterious and far-fetched. The most attractive thing about Mencius is that he starts with the general things first, and then slowly leads to the truth, so that others can unconsciously admit their mistakes.

Mencius said: "I am strong enough to lift three thousand pounds, but I can't lift a feather;" My eyesight is enough to see the tip of wild animals in autumn, but I can't see a car full of firewood. Will your majesty believe it? "What is said in the words is obviously unreasonable. Xuan Wang said, "No way." Mencius said, "Obviously, a feather can't be lifted because it refuses to exert itself. A car full of firewood is invisible because it refuses to use its sight; People will not be caressed by you, because they will not be kind. Therefore, the king failed to unify the world with benevolence, so he did not do it, not impossible. " In this way, Mencius made the monarch realize his mistake. Compared with outspoken remonstrators, what Mencius said was more acceptable to the supreme monarch. The truth is progressive, just like setting a trap for people to walk in unconsciously step by step. Another example is the "force" degree, and then know the length. Everything is natural and the heart is very important. "translation: once you weigh it, you will know the weight; Measure it and you'll know the length. Everything is like this, especially the human heart. Can you persuade people to explain the facts like this?

"the people are the most important, the country is the second, and the monarch is the second." This is Mencius' thought of valuing the people. Really, how can the broad masses of the people ignore it? "Xunzi Wang Zhi": "The monarch is also a boat; Shu Ren, water also. Water can carry a boat or overturn it. " Without the support of the people, how much can a country be saved? "People who enjoy the people enjoy themselves; People worry about people, people worry about people. " The monarch regards the happiness of the people as his own happiness, and the people will regard the happiness of the monarch as their own happiness; You take the worries of the people as your own worries, and the people will take your worries as their own worries. This idea has continued to this day. People-oriented, "Theory of Three Represents" and the party's purpose are the embodiment of "people first, country second, monarch first".

There are many philosophical sentences in Mencius. "Those who work hard govern others, and those who work hard govern others; Those who govern people eat people, and those who govern people eat people. " Translation: People with brains rule others, while people with physical strength are ruled by others; The ruled feeds others, and the ruled feeds others.

This sentence seems to be the current social division of labor. Think about it, people as far back as ancient times can have this idea, can people not admire it?

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Speaking of Mencius, we will also think of "the way of Confucius and Mencius". His inheritance and development of Confucius and Confucianism made later generations call Confucius and Confucius "Confucius" and "elegant sage". Mencius lost his father at the age of three, and Meng Mu raised him with great pains. Meng Mu was very strict, leaving a beautiful story of Meng Mu's three moves and Meng Mu's broken weaving for later generations, which became a model of mother education. Mencius was a representative figure of Confucianism in the Warring States Period. He became a master of Confucianism after Confucius. Mencius once imitated Confucius and led his disciples to lobby other countries, but it was not accepted by other countries at that time. He wrote books with his disciples after retirement. Based on the theory of good nature, his theory puts forward "benevolent governance" and "kingly governance" and advocates rule by virtue.

Mencius advocated "benevolence, righteousness, courtesy and wisdom" and thought that "benevolence" was the first of the four. Benevolence is generosity, sympathy, care and love; Righteousness is integrity, justice, integrity and morality.

Mencius is a gentleman who generously undertakes the responsibility of the world and has a sense of mission "If you are poor, you will be immune to it, and if you are rich, you will help the world." In the troubled times of the Warring States, he hoped to help the princes unify the world with his own ideal of benevolent governance. However, the reality is cruel. In an era of disintegration and centralization, force is the most effective way to resolve disputes and strive for interests. The "benevolence" advocated by Mencius is inevitably difficult to be accepted by the rulers. Although he can't make some achievements in politics, he won't give up on himself. "Heaven will be sent to Sri Lanka, so we must first suffer from its mind, work hard on its bones and muscles, starve its skin and empty its body, so we must endure its actions and get what it can't do." He still takes the world as his responsibility, "integrity, integrity, integrity, integrity, integrity, integrity, integrity, integrity,

In addition to familiar stories such as "Meng Mu's Three Movements" and "Meng Mu's Broken Machine", Mencius' Gong Sunchou said, "You can't get Michinosuke if you get Michinosuke. When you get little help, your relatives will be there; With more help, the world is peaceful. " Stand on the side of justice and you will get the support and help of most people; If you violate justice, you will be isolated. This aspect tells us that the starting point of doing things should be correct, so that you can get the support and help of others, get everyone's affirmation and recognition, and win the final victory. Otherwise, you will occupy a favorable form by some means, but you will eventually fail. As the saying goes, "the weather is not as good as the geographical position, and the geographical position is not as good as people." War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression and the war of liberation were able to win the final victory when the enemy was strong and we were weak because.

Mencius devoted himself to: "Confucius climbed the East Mountain and was small, and climbed Mount Tai and was smaller than the world. Therefore, it is hard to say that those who watch the sea and swim at the gate of saints. " Confucius boarded the Dongshan Mountain of Lu, and the whole territory of Lu was panoramic; People who have studied under sages are hard to be attracted by other remarks. On the surface, it refers to the height of Mount Tai, but in fact it refers to people's horizons. This tells us to constantly seek breakthroughs, constantly surpass ourselves, and constantly accumulate, so that we can stand higher and see farther and form a broader vision and life realm. On the journey of life and career, we often only see the development of things in front of us, or "a leaf is blind." We were blocked by a small obstacle. Because of the confusion of immediate interests, we can't see the long-term development, and we miss the opportunity because our vision is not broad enough. Therefore, we should strive to climb Mount Tai of life, look at the sea of career, abandon the mentality of "frog in the well", be a frog yearning for the world outside the well, and approach to a higher, farther and broader realm.

So Mencius said, "People do something but don't do it." Seeing those who can achieve great things, it is important to choose their own goals and behaviors, that is, to know what to choose and what to give up. If they have no goals, or do more useless things, they will inevitably fall into a busy schedule and become mediocre people. If "one hammer in the east and one hammer in the west", you can only pick sesame seeds and throw watermelons in the end, and you will never achieve anything. "It is a truth to decide first, then decide first, then decide first, then decide first, then decide first, and get it after considering first. Therefore, you must give up something, do what you should do, and have a calm mind of "I am weak in water, I only take a scoop of water". Then you can make a difference. In this society, some people do things that they can't do or don't like, but they accomplish nothing, and some people do things that they don't want to do.