Meaning: If a person does not have lofty aspirations, he is like a boat without a rudder, like a horse without a rein. Although he is drifting and walking, he ultimately loses the ability to move forward because he has no direction. significance.
Source: Wang Yangming's "Doctrine Shows All Life in the Dragon Field"
Excerpt from the original text: If you are determined and virtuous, you will be virtuous; if you are not determined, you are like a boat without a rudder or a horse without a title. , drifting and running freely, where will it end?
Translation: So if you aspire to be a saint, you can become a saint; if you aspire to be a wise man, you can become a wise man. Without a firm ambition, it is like a boat without a rudder or a horse without a ring, drifting with the water and running away at will. Where will it end up in the end?
Extended information:
< p>Brief introduction of Wang Yangming:Wang Shouren (October 31, 1472 - January 9, 1529), Han nationality, his childhood name is Yun, his courtesy name is Bo'an, his alias is Yangming, Yuyao County, Shaoxing Prefecture, Zhejiang Province (today's Yuyao County, Shaoxing Prefecture, Zhejiang Province) Born in Yuyao City, Ningbo, Zhejiang Province. A famous thinker, philosopher, calligrapher, military strategist, and educator in the Ming Dynasty.
Wang Yangming Thoughts:
Yangmingology, also known as Wangxue and Xinxue, is a school of Confucianism that can be traced back to Mencius and is a Confucian theory developed by Wang Shouren . Yangming's Psychology is not simply and directly derived from Lu Jiuyuan's Psychology, but its direct source is "Chen Zhan's Psychology".
Chen Xianzhang was the first to pioneer the study of mind in the Ming Dynasty. Through his disciple Zhan Ruoshui, he influenced Wang Yangming. The academic community has always had a clear view on the origin and relationship between Yangming’s Psychology and Chen Zhan’s Psychology.
Wang Shouren inherited Lu Jiuyuan's emphasis on "the heart is the principle" and opposed the "investigation of things to achieve knowledge" method of pursuing "the ultimate principle" through things by Cheng Yi and Zhu Xi, because the principles of things are endless, and it is inevitable to follow the rules We are tired, so we advocate "reaching conscience" and looking for "reason" from within our own hearts.
Baidu Encyclopedia—Wang Yangming