A Thousand-Character Essay
Like the fragrance of orchids and the prosperity of pine trees.
A person should let his virtue and self-cultivation be as fragrant as bluegrass and as lush as green pine. "Lan" here refers to orchids, not orchids. The scientific name of orchid is Zeelandia. It is a perennial herbaceous plant of the Asteraceae family. It can be used as medicine. It has purple-red flowers. Its stems, leaves and flowers have a slight fragrance. It was used for incense in ancient times. There is a description in the Book of Changes: "It smells like orchid". "Xin" means a fragrance that spreads far away, which often refers to a person's virtue spreading far and wide and his reputation lasting forever.
The stream flows endlessly, reflected in the clear water.
These two sentences are closely related to the two sentences above. The virtues you have established should flow endlessly like a river, and will never stop flowing to future generations.
"Chuan" is a pictographic character. Its oracle bone shape has banks on the left and right and flowing water in the middle. The original meaning of the character Chuan is river. A person's virtues can be passed from father to son, and even to descendants for generations. The channel of inheritance is filial piety. If descendants are filial, they can enjoy the merits accumulated by their ancestors. If future generations are not filial, this path will be cut off. So the problem lies with us and has nothing to do with our ancestors. Like Fan Zhongyan, a famous politician, strategist, and writer in the Northern Song Dynasty. He commanded the army as a Confucian scholar, defended his family and the country, and was a high-ranking official. However, his family was impoverished. He adopted more than a hundred orphans with his salary. His coffin after his death was full of It was given by someone else. However, the profound blessings and virtues he accumulated have protected his descendants for more than a hundred generations. He died in 1052 AD. Until modern times, the Fan family is still full of talented people. This cannot but be said to be Fan Zhongyan's continuous flow of virtue.
"Abyss" is the place where the water stops, and the deep pool is called an abyss. The water in the pool is so clear that you can see your appearance and appearance like a mirror. The virtues established by our ancestors are as clean and clear as pond water. Later generations should take this as a lesson, and build their own virtues for future generations on this basis. Only in this way can it be passed down from generation to generation, which is called "continuous flow".
The tone is calm and thoughtful, and the words are calm.
These two sentences come from "Book of Rites? Qu Li". There is a sentence in "Book of Rites" that says, "Do not be disrespectful, look thoughtful, and be steady in your words." It is respectful and solemn. The appearance is respectful and solemn, and the behavior is calm and serene, which means "the look is still and thoughtful". "Rong" refers to a person's appearance and appearance, and "ruosi" means thoughtfulness. A person's appearance and behavior should be calm, calm and unhurried, and not careless.
"Stable speech" means that verbal responses must be stable and composed, and must have concentration. The ancients taught us that a gentleman should "cultivate himself to respect others, and be at ease with others." Only when you have respect in your heart can you be respectful, and only when you are serious can you be calm. Only when there is stability within, can one's appearance and behavior be stable on the outside. The root of "looking calm and thoughtful, speaking calmly" lies in "respect", so "no disrespect" is followed by "looking thoughtful, speaking calmly".