Original text:

The gentleman said: You can’t stop learning. Green is derived from blue, and green is from blue; ice is derived from water, and is cold from water. The wood is straight and the rope is in the middle. It is shaped like a wheel and its curve is regular. Although there is violence, those who no longer stand up are the ones who make it happen. Therefore, if wood is supported by a rope, it will be straight; if metal is sharpened, it will be beneficial; if a gentleman is knowledgeable and examines himself every day, he will know how to act without making mistakes.

Therefore, if you don’t climb a high mountain, you don’t know how high the sky is; if you don’t go to a deep stream, you don’t know how thick the earth is; if you don’t listen to the last words of the past kings, you don’t know how great knowledge is. The sons of Qian, Yue, Yi, and Raccoon were born with the same voice, grew up and had different customs, and they were taught to do so. The poem says: "Sigh, gentlemen, there is no eternal rest. I am in charge of your position, and it is good and upright. God listens to you, and you are blessed." God is not greater than the Tao, and blessings are better than the absence of disasters. (There are no textbooks for this section)

It is not as good as what I have learned in just a moment if I think about it all day long; it is not as good as gaining insights from climbing high while I stoop and look at it. When you climb high and make moves, your arms are not lengthened, but the sight is far away; when you call along the wind, the sound is not faster, but the sound is louder. A fake horse can travel thousands of miles without benefiting from its feet; a fake boat can run a thousand miles without benefiting from the water. A gentleman's life is not different, he is good at things and fake things.

There is a bird in the south, called the Mongolian dove. It uses its feathers as a nest, braiding them with hair and tying them with reeds. When the wind blows, the eggs break and the eggs die. The nest is not endless, but it is tied to it. There is a tree in the west, called Shegan, with a stem four inches long. It grows on a high mountain, near the abyss of hundreds of feet.

The fluffy hemp grows upright without support; the white sand grows black in Nirvana. The root of the orchid locust tree is Zhi, and as it gradually becomes damper, gentlemen will not approach it and common people will not accept it. Its quality is not unattractive, but it is so gradually. Therefore, when a gentleman lives, he must choose a hometown, and when traveling, he must find scholars. Therefore, he must guard against evil and stay close to the right.

The origin of things must have a beginning. When honor and disgrace come, they must be like their virtues. Insects appear in the rotting meat, and beetles appear in the fish. If you neglect yourself and forget yourself, you will cause disaster. Strength takes its own pillars, softness takes its own bundles. Evil and filth are in the body, and resentment is the cause. If the firewood is applied in one layer, the fire will be dry; if the flat ground is in one layer, the water will be wet. Plants and trees grow everywhere, birds and animals flock together, and everything follows its own kind.

It is the openness of the ancient nature, but the bow and arrow reach far; the trees are lush, but the ax reaches far; the trees form shade, and the birds rest. The acid is sour, and the gnats are gathered together. Therefore, words can bring disaster, and actions can bring disgrace. A gentleman should be careful about where he stands! (There are no textbooks for this section)

When soil accumulates, mountains become the wind and rain; when water accumulates, the abyss becomes abyss, dragons emerge; when good deeds accumulate, virtue becomes, and the gods are satisfied with themselves, and the holy heart is prepared. Therefore, if you do not accumulate steps, you cannot reach a thousand miles; if you do not accumulate small streams, you cannot reach a river or sea. A horse can't take ten steps with one leap; a horse can ride ten times, but it's hard to give up. If you persevere, the rotten wood will not break; if you persevere, the metal and stone can be carved. An earthworm has no sharp claws and teeth, no strong muscles and bones, it eats earth and drinks from the underworld, it is all about the same intention. A crab with six knees and two pincers is not a snake and eel whose cave has nothing to rely on, so it is a sign of impatience.

Therefore, those who have no deep ambitions will not have clear enlightenment; those who have no shameful things will have no great achievements. Those who follow the road will not come, and those who serve the two kings will not tolerate it. The eyes cannot see both ways and the ears cannot hear both ways. The tan snake has no legs and can fly, and the mole has no skills. "Poetry" says: "The corpse dove is in the mulberry, and its sons are seven. A gentleman's manners are one. His manners are one, and his heart is like a knot!" Therefore, a gentleman is tied to one.

In the past, the gourd played the harp, and the floating fish came out to listen; Boya played the harp, and the six horses raised their heads. Therefore, even if the sound is not small, it will not be heard, and if the action is not hidden, it will not be visible. Jade is in the mountains while the grass is moist; pearls grow in the abyss but the cliffs are not withered. Do good deeds without accumulating evil? Is there anyone who doesn’t hear this?

Is this the beginning of learning evil? The end of evil? He said: The number begins with reciting sutras and ends with reading rituals; the meaning begins with becoming a scholar and ends with becoming a saint. If you really accumulate strength for a long time, you will enter, and you will stop learning until you are almost gone.

Therefore, learning numbers has an end, and if its meaning is true, it cannot be abandoned even for a moment. To do it is a human being; to leave it is a beast. The old book is the discipline of political affairs; the poem is the end of the sound; the ritual is the division of the law and the discipline of the class.

Therefore, learning only ends with etiquette. This is what is called the ultimate morality. The respect of etiquette and writing, the harmony of music, the breadth of poetry and calligraphy, and the subtleties of spring and autumn are all in between heaven and earth. The learning of a gentleman enters the ears, sticks to the heart, spreads throughout the four bodies, and takes the shape of movement and stillness. To put it simply, creeping and moving can be the law.

The learning of a villain enters the ears and leaves the mouth; between the mouth and the ears, four inches of ears are enough to beautify a seven-foot body! Scholars in ancient times were for themselves, but scholars today are for others. A gentleman's education is for the sake of beautifying his body; a villain's education is for the purpose of beautifying his body. Therefore, if you don't ask, you will tell you that you are proud; if you ask one question, you will tell others that you are embarrassed. Proud, not, 囋, not; a gentleman is like Xiang.

If you don’t learn from others, then you will get close to them. The rituals, music and laws are not mentioned, the poems and books are not specific, and the Spring and Autumn Festival is not fast. If the people learn what a gentleman says, they will respect it and spread it throughout the world. Therefore, it is said: If you don't learn, don't approach others.

The best way to learn the classics is to be a good person, and the second best is Taungri. The person above cannot be kind to him, and the person below cannot be courteous. Ante will learn from miscellaneous knowledge, and just follow the poems and books. Then in the last days and in the poor years, one will inevitably become a crude scholar. The original king was benevolent and righteous, and his meridian and latitude were straightened out. If you pull out the fur collar and pause with five fingers, there will be countless people who obey.

If you don’t follow the rules of etiquette and use poems and books to do it, it’s just like measuring a river with a finger, pounding millet with a spear, or using a conical dining pot. You can’t get it. Therefore, if the rituals are not clearly understood, he is a Dharma scholar; if the rituals are not extended, although he is observing and debating, he is a Confucian scholar.

If you ask for help, don’t complain; if you ask for help, don’t ask; for those who tell you, don’t listen. Don't argue with those who are ambitious. Therefore, you must arrive at the path and then pick it up; if it is not the path, avoid it. Therefore, courtesy and respect can then be related to the way of speaking; obedience in speech can be related to the principle of speaking; color can be related to the way of speaking.

So if you can't talk about it, it's called pride; if you can talk about it but not talk about it, it's called hiding; if you don't look at your complexion, it's called blindness. Therefore, a gentleman should not be arrogant, hidden, or blind, but should obey his own conduct. The poem says: "The bandit makes peace with the bandit, it is given by the emperor." This is what it means.

To miss one out of a hundred shots is not a good shot; to miss a step a thousand miles away is not a good control; to be inconsistent with ethics and benevolence and righteousness is not a good study. Those who study hard must learn one thing firmly. As soon as they come out and enter, they are the people in Tuxiang. There are few good people and many bad people. They are Jie and Zhou who steal the plant. If they are all eliminated, then they will be scholars.

A gentleman knows that incompleteness and purity are not enough to be beautiful, so he should recite it several times to understand it, think about it to understand it, deal with it for others, and maintain it to eliminate its harm. Make your eyes have no desire to see what is not right, make your ears have no desire to hear anything not right, make your mouth have no desire to speak anything not right, and make your heart have no desire to think about anything not right. When it comes to good things, the five colors are good for the eyes, the five sounds are good for the ears, the five tastes are good for the mouth, and the mind is good for the whole world.

That is why power cannot be dumped, the masses cannot be moved, and the world cannot be shaken. Life depends on it, death depends on it. This is called moral conduct. Moral ethics can then be determined, and if one can be determined, then one can respond. Being able to calm down and respond is called an adult. The sky sees its brightness, the earth sees its light, and a gentleman values ??all of it.

Vernacular translation:

The gentleman says: Learning can never stop. Indigo is extracted from indigo, but it is greener than indigo; ice is condensed from water, but it is colder than water.

The wood is straight and conforms to the ink line, but (extraction with fire) makes it bend into a wheel, (then) the curvature of the wood (then) conforms to (round to) the general standard of a compass, even if it is When it is dried up by the wind and the sun, (the wood) will no longer be straight, and it is made like this by extracting it with fire.

So wood becomes straight after being measured with an ink line, and a metal sword becomes sharp when it is ground on a whetstone. A gentleman learns extensively and examines and reflects on himself every day, then he will Be wise and sensible and behave without fault.

Therefore, if you don’t climb the mountains, you don’t know how high the sky is; if you don’t face the deep streams, you don’t know how thick the earth is; if you don’t understand the teachings of the previous emperors, you don’t know the breadth of knowledge. The children of Qian, Yue, Yi and Raccoon all cry the same when they are born, but their customs and habits are different when they grow up. This is due to education.

The "Book of Songs" says: "You, a gentleman, don't always be greedy for ease. Treat your duties with respect and love upright virtues. When the gods hear all this, they will bestow you with great blessings and auspiciousness." There is no greater spiritual cultivation than being influenced by morality, and no blessing is more lasting than being free from disasters.

I used to think hard all day long, (but) it was not as good as the knowledge (gain) gained in a moment; I once stood on tiptoe and looked into the distance, (but) it was not as good as climbing to a high place. wide. When you reach a high place and wave, your arms are not lengthened, but people in the distance can see it; when you shout along the wind, your voice is not louder, but the listeners can hear you clearly.

People who use cars and horses are not good at walking, but they can reach thousands of miles away; people who use boats and boats are not good at swimming, but they can cross the Yangtze and Yellow Rivers. A gentleman's qualifications and temperament are no different from those of ordinary people, (it's just that a gentleman is good at using external things).

There is a bird in the south named "Mengjiu". It makes a nest with feathers and braids the nest with hair. It ties the nest to the flower spikes of tender reeds. When the wind blows, the reed spikes break. The bird's nest fell and all the eggs were smashed. It’s not that the nest wasn’t made properly, it’s that it shouldn’t be tied to the reeds.

The grass grown in the West is called "Shegan". It is only four inches high. It grows on high mountains, but it can overlook hundreds of miles away. It is not that grass can grow tall, but because it grows on The top of the mountain.

The fluffy grass grows in the hemp field and can stand upright without support. When the white sand is mixed into the black soil, it will no longer turn white. The root of the orchid locust tree is called fragrant mugwort. Once it is immersed in the smelly water, the gentleman will not come near and the servants will not come close. wear.

It’s not that the moxa itself doesn’t smell fragrant, but that it smells bad after being soaked in it. Therefore, a gentleman should choose a good environment to live in, and choose moral people to make friends, so that he can guard against subtle changes and maintain his moderation and integrity. Things happen for a reason, and honor and disgrace come in response to virtue. When meat rots, maggots will grow, when fish die, insects will grow. If you are lazy and neglectful and forget the principles of life, you will be in trouble.

Objects that are too hard will break easily, objects that are too soft will be easily restrained, and being unkind to others will arouse resentment. If they are both firewood, the fire will spread to dry places. Even if the ground is flat, water will flow wherever it is moist. There are lush vegetation, swarms of wild animals, and all things flock together. So when the target is set, bows and arrows will be fired, when the trees grow into a forest, axes will be chopped down, and when the trees are lush and shady, birds will come to stay.

When vinegar becomes acidic, it will attract mosquitoes. Therefore, words may bring disaster, actions may lead to humiliation, and a gentleman must be cautious in his conduct. The accumulation of earth and rocks creates high mountains, and wind and rain rise from here; the accumulation of water flows creates abyss, and dragons emerge from here; the accumulation of good deeds develops noble character, and one's mind will naturally become clear, and one will have the spiritual realm of a saint.

So without accumulating one and a half steps, there is no way to reach a thousand miles; without accumulating small flows, there is no way to form rivers and seas. A good horse can reach the distance less than ten steps with one leap; an inferior horse can reach the distance by taking a carriage for ten days, and its achievements come from walking non-stop. (If) it stops after a few carvings, (then) the rotten wood will continue to carve.

(If) you keep carving, (then) you can carve gold and stone successfully. Earthworms do not have sharp claws or teeth, but they have strong muscles and bones, but they can eat soil upwards and drink water from the soil downwards. This is because they are single-minded. A crab has six legs and two claws. If there are no caves for snakes or eels, it will have nowhere to hide. This is because it has impetuous intentions.

Therefore, without the will to study hard, there will be no significant achievements in study; without the practice of hard work, there will be no great achievements in career. If you walk on the wrong road and cannot reach your destination, and if you serve two monarchs at the same time, neither party will tolerate you. The eyes cannot see two things clearly at the same time, and the ears cannot hear two sounds clearly at the same time.

The tan snake has no legs but can fly; the mole has five abilities but still can't do anything. "Poetry" says: "The cuckoo builds its nest in the mulberry tree, and its young birds have seven. Kind gentlemen, their behavior is single-minded and not biased towards evil, and their behavior is single-minded and not biased towards evil, so their will will be as strong as a rock." Therefore. A gentleman's will is firm and single-minded.

In ancient times, when Gourba played the harp, the fish in the water surfaced to listen. When Boya played the harp, the horse pulling the cart stopped eating and raised its head to listen. Therefore, the sound will not go unheard because it is weak. If the jade is buried in the mountains, the vegetation will be moist. If the pearl falls into the abyss, the cliffs will not dry up. Good deeds can be accumulated. How can one accumulate good deeds and become virtuous without being widely recited?

Where should I start learning? Where does it end? Answer: In terms of its approach, it ends with the "Book of Rites"; in terms of its meaning, it starts from being a scholar and ends with becoming a saint. Learn to die before you can survive. Therefore, although the course of study has an end, the desire to make progress cannot be slackened for a moment.

Only by being eager to learn all your life can you become a human being; if you abandon learning, you are no different from an animal. "Shangshu" is the record of political affairs; "The Book of Songs" is the ultimate in the voice of harmony; "Book of Rites" is the premise of the legal system and the general outline of various regulations, which reaches the pinnacle of morality.

The "Book of Rites" respects etiquette, the "Book of Music" talks about the voice of harmony, the "Book of Songs" and "Shangshu" are broad and broad, and the "Spring and Autumn" talks about great meanings. They have included all the great knowledge in the world. . A gentleman learns by listening to his ears and remembering it in his heart, and manifesting it in his dignified behavior and actions that conform to etiquette.

Every action, even the smallest words and deeds, can set an example for others. When a villain learns, he listens in his ears and out his mouth. The distance between his mouth and his ears is only four inches. How can he perfect his seven-foot body? Ancient people studied for their own moral cultivation needs, but people nowadays study just to show off to others.

Gentlemen study in order to improve themselves; villains study in order to show off and impress others. Therefore, teaching others when no one asks you is called impetuous; asking one question and answering two questions is called wordy; being impetuous is wrong, as is wordiness.

It's wrong. A gentleman's answers should be like echoes in the empty valley, no more, no less, just right.

There is nothing more convenient for learning than being close to a good teacher. "The Book of Rites" and "The Book of Music" have laws but are sparse; "The Book of Songs" and "The Book of Documents" are simple but not close to reality; "Spring and Autumn" is subtle but not thorough enough. To imitate a good teacher and learn the knowledge of a gentleman is both noble and comprehensive, and it can also lead to understanding of world principles.

So: There is nothing more convenient for learning than being close to a good teacher. Respecting a good teacher is the most convenient way to learn, followed by advocating etiquette. If you don't respect your teacher at the top, don't show courtesy at the bottom, and just read some miscellaneous books and explain the "Book of Songs" and "Shangshu", then you will be nothing more than a humble scholar throughout your life.

To study the wisdom of saints and seek the foundation of benevolence and righteousness, starting from etiquette is the shortest way to understand it. Just like bending your fingers to lift the collar of a leather robe, then pull it down for a moment, and the hair will be completely smooth. If we ignore etiquette and rely only on the Book of Songs and the Book of Documents to conduct our affairs, it will be like measuring the water in a river with your fingers, pounding millet with a hammer, or taking food from a rice pot with an awl. It is impossible.

Therefore, those who respect etiquette, even if they are not clear about knowledge, can still be regarded as moral and cultivated people; if they do not respect etiquette, even if they are perceptive and eloquent, they are just simple Confucian scholars with a loose mind and body and no real cultivation. If someone comes to ask you about something that is not in line with etiquette, don't answer; if someone comes to tell you something that is not in line with etiquette, don't ask;

If someone talks about something that is not in line with etiquette and law in front of you, don't participate; it's good to have a rude attitude Don't argue with someone who is trying to impress you. Therefore, only those who are in line with etiquette and righteousness can be received; those who are not in line with etiquette and righteousness should be avoided; therefore, only those who are respectful and polite can be discussed with them; Only those with a sincere attitude can discuss the profound meaning of Tao with them. Therefore, talking to people you cannot talk to is called impetuous; not talking to people you can talk to is called laziness; talking casually without looking at the other person's response is called blindness. Therefore, a gentleman must not be impetuous, nor negligent, nor blind, but must treat everyone who comes to seek advice with caution.

The "Book of Songs" says: "Only those who are not impetuous and careless are praised by the emperor." This is the truth. If one of the hundred arrows missed misses the target, it cannot be regarded as a good shot; if one drives a chariot and horse to travel a thousand miles and only misses half a step but fails to complete the journey, it cannot be regarded as a good driver;

If you are unable to fully understand the ethical norms and adhere to the principles of benevolence and righteousness, of course, you cannot be considered good at learning. This is something that requires great concentration. They study for a while and stop for a while. They are ordinary people in the market. They have few good behaviors and many bad behaviors. Jie, Zhou and Tuo are like that.

Only one can be considered a scholar if he can comprehensively and thoroughly grasp the knowledge he has learned. A gentleman knows that he is not perfect if he does not learn everything and masters it, so he reads a lot of books in order to gain a comprehensive understanding, uses thinking and exploration to understand, imitates good teachers and friends to practice, and gets rid of his own wrong habits and temperament to maintain it.

If your eyes are not right, you will not want to see; if your ears are not right, you will not want to hear; if your mouth is not right, you will not want to speak; if your heart is not right, you will not want to think. When you reach the ideal state of being completely absorbed in learning, you will be like your eyes that love the five colors, your ears that love the five sounds, your mouth that loves the five tastes, and your heart will be greedy to own the world.

If this is achieved, then there will be no evil thoughts in the face of power and selfish desires, there will be no succumbing to the power of numbers, and nothing in the world will be able to shake their faith. This is true in life, and it will remain the same until death. This is called being virtuous and ethical. Only with virtue and integrity can we be steadfast, and only with steadfastness can we respond randomly.

If you can be firm and responsive, you are a mature and perfect person. At that time, the sky will show its brightness, the earth will show its vastness, and the value of a gentleman will lie in the perfection of his virtue.

This article comes from the extended material of "Encouraging Learning" by Xunzi in the Pre-Qin Dynasty

Writing background:

"Encouraging Learning" was created by Xunzi, a thinker and writer during the Warring States Period An essay, the first chapter of the book "Xunzi". The article systematically discusses the theories and methods of learning, and comprehensively and profoundly discusses the issues related to learning from the aspects of the importance of learning, attitude towards learning, and the content and methods of learning.

The full text can be divided into four paragraphs. The first paragraph explains the importance of learning, the second paragraph talks about the correct attitude towards learning, the third paragraph talks about the content of learning, and the fourth paragraph talks about how learning should start and end well. The full text has in-depth reasoning and rigorous structure, representing the mature stage of pre-Qin essays.

During the Warring States Period, the slavery system further collapsed, the feudal system gradually formed, and history experienced epoch-making changes. Many thinkers expressed their own opinions on the social changes at that time from different standpoints and perspectives, and gradually formed different sects such as Mohism, Confucianism, Taoism and Legalism, which were historically known as "the Hundred Schools of Thought".

A hundred schools of thought wrote books one after another, promoted their own ideas, criticized others, and a situation of "a hundred schools of thought contending" emerged. Xunzi was a representative figure of Confucianism in the late Warring States Period. He believes that the existence of nature is not dependent on human will, but people can use subjective efforts to understand it, adapt to it, and use it. In order to reveal the importance of acquired learning, he wrote the article "Encouraging Learning".

About the author:

Xunzi (about 313 BC - 238 BC), whose name was Kuang, was respected as "Qing" by people at that time. In the Western Han Dynasty, in order to avoid the taboo of Liu Xun, Emperor Xuan of the Han Dynasty, Also known as Sun Qing, because the two characters "Xun" and "Sun" have the same ancient pronunciation. At the end of the Warring States Period, he was born in the Zhao Guoyi family (now Anze County, Shanxi Province) and was a representative figure of the late Pre-Qin Confucian period.

He twice went on study tours to Jixia (now Linzi, Shandong), the cultural center of Qi State at that time, and served as a sacrificial wine (leader of the academy) for the great officials. He also visited the State of Qin and paid homage to King Qin Zhao.

Later he came to Chu State and served as the commander of Lanling (now Shandong). Xunzi developed Confucianism and advocated the "theory of evil nature". His theory is often compared with Mencius' "theory of good nature" by later generations. Xunzi also made a significant contribution to the rearrangement of Confucian classics. He and his disciples wrote the book "Xunzi".