The pre-Qin philosophers, who are basically contemporary with Mencius, are

The pre-Qin philosophers who were basically contemporary with Mencius were Xunzi. Xunzi (about 286-238 BC) occupies an important position in the history of education in China. He is a famous scholar in the pre-Qin period, an outstanding materialist philosopher in ancient China, and an effective educator. Xunzi's "Encouraging Learning" and "Learning Record" in the Book of Rites are both representative works of pre-Qin Confucian teaching works, and they are like two treasures in the ancient educational treasure house of China, which reflect each other. Xue Ji focuses on summing up the experience of teaching, while Encouraging Learning focuses on the principles and methods of research. In today's teaching theory in China, there are many aspects of research teaching and few aspects of research, and our students need guidance in learning. Therefore, it is of practical reference for us to study the exposition of learning in the books "Encouraging Learning" and "Xunzi". "Encourage Learning" clearly stated at the beginning that "learning can't be done" and said that "green, take it from blue, and green is blue; Ice, water for it, but colder than water. " It is a metaphor that only by studying without stopping can people deepen their understanding and reach a new height. Later, "shine on you is better than _" has become a popular motto, indicating that students can surpass their teachers as long as they study hard. Xunzi believes that the purpose and function of learning is to cultivate people's moral conduct, change people's quality and exercise firm will and belief. He takes a straight wood as an example to show that learning can transform people. He said that if a person can study without stopping and extensively, he can make himself have profound knowledge. If he often tests and examines his words and deeds at any time according to the truth he has learned, he will not only increase his intelligence, but also make his behavior blameless, so that his knowledge and morality can be developed and improved, and he can be "a saint at the top and a gentleman at the bottom." Starting from the materialistic thought of "man will win", Xunzi put forward the glorious proposition of "using fake things for use" in teaching. He said in the article "Persuade to Learn": "Those who pretend to be horses are not profitable, but cause thousands of miles; Those who pretend to be boating will not be able to swim, but will never (definitely) river. A gentleman's life is not different, and good is false to things. " It means that people who use chariots and horses may not walk faster than others, but they can walk more than a thousand miles; People who row wooden boats are not necessarily better at water than others, but they can cross rivers; People with knowledge and morality are not born different from others, but are just good at using the accumulated knowledge of their predecessors. Xunzi also explained the truth of "using fake things for use" with his own practical experience. He said: I used to think hard all day, not as good as what I learned later; I once stood on tiptoe and looked into the distance, not as broad as standing on a high place; Standing on a high place and waving, the arm is not lengthened, and people in the distance can easily see it; Call with the wind, the voice is not increased, and the listener can hear clearly. Therefore, people must be good at learning and learning to use the accumulated knowledge of predecessors in order to learn effectively and innovate. Source: People's Education