Why did Xiang Mu say, "If you want to correct the book, you should correct the pen first, and if you want to correct the pen, you should correct your heart first"?

"The oldest Ming Mingde in the world wishes that the elder sister should rule this country first. People who want to govern the country must unite their families first. People who want to keep their families together must first repair their bodies. If you want to repair your body, you should first correct your heart. He who wants to be right is sincere first. He who desires sincerity is a prophet. Knowledge exists in things. When you are satisfied, you will know what you are. It is sincere to know the truth. Sincerity before correctness. Correct your attitude and then practice. Work out and go home together. Get your family together and run the country. After governing the country, the world is peaceful. " Its meaning is briefly explained as follows:

1 Wu Ge

The case is really clear. "Wu Ge" is to ask people to experience their own affairs and deal with their own affairs, that is, materialization and increase their knowledge. Read for knowledge, practice for knowledge, then distinguish things clearly and do your best.

2 Zhi Zhi

Is to seek real knowledge. Find out your inner knowledge from deducing the principle of things. Just like a mirror, everything was originally bright, but it was obscured and dim by things. Now it gradually wipes away the dust, restores the light and has true knowledge. The so-called knowledge refers to moral consciousness. When you know it, you can distinguish right from wrong, good from evil, and you can see it in your heart. When you are satisfied, you will know what you are.

3 sincerity

Is to be honest in your heart. If you know enough, you can get real meaning, which comes from your inner nature. You can naturally not deceive others or yourself. You should work hard on "being cautious and independent", be strict with yourself, cultivate self-cultivation, and integrate knowledge with practice.

4 Zheng Xin

It is to get rid of all kinds of uneasy emotions, not to be shrouded in material desires, and to maintain peace of mind. If you don't deceive yourself, then the noumenon of the heart, things can't be moved, and everything is right. If you get the right result, you will be fair, honest and clear, without any emotion or prejudice. Deliberately sincere and then righteous words.

5 cultivate one's morality

Is to constantly improve their moral cultivation. Only when one's moral character is correct, impartial and free from evil thoughts can one win the support of the people. Self-cultivation is not only the foothold of respecting things, knowing and doing, sincerity and integrity, but also the starting point of housekeeping, governing the country and leveling the world. The mind is right and then the body is repaired, and the body is repaired and then the family is neat.

6 Qijia

It is to manage one's family well. Only by educating one's family members can we educate the people well.

7 Governing the country

It is to govern the country by virtue, to govern the country by virtue, and to govern the country by benevolence in middle school. You mainly protect the people like a newborn child, educate the people with the best virtues, and make them go to the old and welcome the new. Rulers should let the wind of benevolence, respect, filial piety, kindness and faith flood the whole country, so that the country will be governed and the world will be peaceful.

8 pingtianxia

Is to spread love to the world and make the world peaceful. A peaceful world, the most important thing is to ask the monarch to have a "clean way", that is, to measure the noble and lofty qualities of the people with self-care and set an example for the people. Because there are many ways to level the world, this requires the monarch to respect the elderly, respect Changxing, care for the lonely and love the people, and conduct benevolent policies. You mainly practice forgiveness (don't do to others what you don't want others to do to you), be honest and upright, put morality first, advocate good officials, advocate loyalty, broaden sources and reduce expenditure, and be both righteous and beneficial, so that the world can be peaceful.

"University" said: "Things are known by people, honest and sincere, honest and upright, upright and upright, self-cultivation, self-cultivation, self-cultivation, and governing the country." Among these eight items, "self-cultivation" is fundamental. The first four are the basis and methods of "self-cultivation", and the last three are the purpose of "self-cultivation". Distinguishing things is distinguishing things. Only by distinguishing things clearly can we get a correct understanding. Only by knowing, can we be honest and correct. Only with the above conditions can we improve our self-cultivation. Self-cultivation is the necessary condition and prerequisite for governing the country, so as to manage one's family and country well and finally realize the rule of the world. As the general program of Confucianism, "University" has brought up the spirit of caring for and participating in society and the improvement of its own moral cultivation, that is, the way of "being sage inside and king outside".