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The first article "Encouraging Learning" was written by Xunzi. Also known as persuasion.
Comment and analysis
"Encouraging Learning" is the first article in Xunzi. Also known as persuasion. Persuasion is to encourage learning. This paper systematically discusses the theory and method of learning. The first part (the first paragraph) discusses the importance of learning; The second half (the second and third paragraphs) discusses the steps, contents and methods of learning.
The central idea of the full text of "Encouraging Learning" is as follows: 1. Learning is not enough; Second, the heart, and third, people who learn will learn. Xunzi believes that learning first needs to cultivate moral temperament, maintain the quality of single-mindedness, specialize in learning a technology to achieve a crash (learning a crash), and then maintain perseverance and perseverance is the correct learning direction; Only by starting from the beginning to the end and never giving up halfway can we achieve a complete and pure spiritual realm.
Creation background
During the Warring States period, slavery further collapsed, the feudal system gradually formed, and epoch-making changes took place in history. Many thinkers expressed different opinions on the social changes at that time from different positions and angles, and gradually formed different factions such as Mohism, Confucianism, Taoism and Legalism, which was called "a hundred schools of thought contend" in history. A hundred schools of thought contend and wrote many books, publicizing their own views and criticizing others, resulting in a situation of "a hundred schools of thought contend". The important representatives of Confucianism in the Warring States period were Mencius and Xunzi. Mencius advocated the idea of "those who do things govern the people, and those who do things govern the people" to defend the ruling class, while Xunzi believed that the existence of nature is independent of human will, and people can use subjective efforts to understand it, adapt to it and use it to avoid misfortune. His disciples Han Fei and Li Si became important representatives of legalists at the end of the Warring States Period.
Brief introduction of the author
Xunzi (AD? 238) In the past, when people addressed him respectfully, they called him "Qing". In the Western Han Dynasty, in order to avoid Han Xun, it was called Xun because it was homophone with Sun. At the end of the Warring States Period, Zhao Zhouyi (now Anze County, Shanxi Province) was a famous thinker, writer and politician, and also the last representative of Confucianism in the pre-Qin period. He visited Xia Ji (now Linzi, Shandong Province), the cultural center of Qi State, twice, and offered sacrifices to doctors (leaders of Gong Xue). I have also been to the State of Qin and met Zhao Haoqi of the State of Qin. Later, he came to Chu and was appointed commander of Lanling (now Shandong Lanling). Xunzi developed Confucianism and advocated the theory of evil nature, which was often compared with Mencius' theory of good nature. Xunzi also made outstanding contributions in sorting out Confucian classics. He and his disciples wrote a book called Xunzi.