When making friends, keep your word. Although I say I haven’t learned yet, I will definitely call it learning. "
Original text
1·7 Zixia (1) said: "The wise and wise (2) change their colors; they can do their best to serve their parents; they can do their best to serve the king ( 4); When making friends, keep your word. Although I say I haven’t learned yet, I will definitely call it learning. ”
Notes
Zixia: surname Bu, given name Shang, courtesy name Zixia, a student of Confucius, 44 years younger than Confucius, born in 507 BC. After Confucius died, He promoted Confucius' ideas in Wei.
(2) Xianxian: The first word "xian" is used as a verb, which means to respect the wise.
(3) Yi: There are two interpretations; one is the meaning of change, this sentence means respecting the virtuous and changing the lustful heart; the other is the meaning of contempt, that is, valuing the virtuous and despising the women.
(4) Zhiqishen: Zhi means "to offer oneself" and "to do one's best".
Translation
Zi Xia said: “A person can value virtuous virtues rather than women; he can serve his parents with all his strength; he can devote his life to serve his monarch; he can be honest and keep his word when dealing with friends. For such a person, even though he himself says that he has not studied, I must say that he has studied. ”
Commentary
In the previous chapter, there is a sentence: “If you have enough energy to practice, you should study literature.” This passage from Zixia in this chapter is actually a further development of the previous chapter. Zixia believes that whether a person is knowledgeable or not, the quality of his knowledge does not mainly depend on his cultural knowledge, but on whether he can practice traditional ethics such as "filial piety", "loyalty" and "faithfulness". . As long as he does the following points, even if he says that he has not studied, he is already a morally cultivated person. Therefore, by reading and analyzing this chapter in conjunction with the previous chapter, we can see the importance of Confucius’ education. In the basic characteristics of virtue