Full text and interpretation of "Mingde's Way to University"

The way of university is to be moral, to be close to the people and to stop at perfection. Zhi Zhi then has a decision, then he can be quiet, then he can be quiet, then he can be safe, then he can think about it, and then he can get it. Things start and end, and things end. If you know the order, you will find a shortcut. . The first chapter of "University" says: The way of a university is to be virtuous and close to the people, and stop at perfection. "Mingde", "being close to the people" and "stopping at perfection" constitute the basic idea and "program" of the university. Academic circles have always had different views on what is "Ming Ming De". Neo-Confucians in Song and Ming Dynasties, such as Zhu and Wang Yangming, all understood "Mingde" as an empty but not ambiguous heart, and thought that "Mingming Virtue" was the invention of the original heart, but the difference was that the former regarded it as "sex" and the latter regarded it as "heart". Some contemporary scholars often associate "Mingde" with Meng Si's theory of good nature, thinking that "Mingde" is the expression of "Mingde" in The Doctrine of the Mean, and saying "Mingde" means that "Mingde" is manifested in the heart and sex is presented in the heart through practice. "(3) These views are obviously difficult for people to agree with and may not conform to the original meaning of the university. Because from the perspective of ideological history, although the concept of "Mingde" appeared earlier-the university quoted Gao Kang and Ke Mingde to explain "Mingde" as proof-from the perspective of human nature, "Mingde" appeared later. Judging from the full text of Daxue, the word "Mingde" is still in the stage of being unconnected with human nature and not regarded as intrinsic, which is an important feature of "Mingde" of Daxue and a reflection of its early publication. Without this, it is obviously not in line with the reality of university thought. On the other hand, Mr. Mou Zongsan thinks that the words "virtue" or "monarch virtue" quoted in "University" refer to the theory of virtue, and it seems that he didn't realize its inherent essence at that time. (4) Mr. Xu also said that "the virtue in universities can only be explained by wise behavior, not by heart." (5) From the perspective of the era of "University", it is not an exaggeration to say that "Mingde" contains the meanings of "virtue" and "wise behavior", but this is not the focus of "Mingde" in "University", because "Virtue" and "wise behavior" are rarely mentioned in the full text of "University", on the contrary, it repeatedly emphasizes "integrity". "Because the above is a conditional hint, this passage is actually saying: If you want to clarify the virtue in the world, you must first fix your body, and then unite your family and rule the country. Obviously, "Ming Ming De" means "repairing his body", and "Ming Ming De is in the world" means that everyone in the world can repair his body on this basis. Confucius' interpretation of "Ming Ming De" means "expressing one's own virtue is more obvious", which points out this point. Since "Mingde" mainly refers to "self-cultivation", it should include "integrity", "sincerity", "attitude" and "knowledge". We should understand "Mingde" in universities from this point of view.