Zhong Gong said, "Who knows people, but does it?" Confucius said, "As you know. What you don't know, who gives up? " Look at the size of Zhong Gong and the intention of the sage. By pushing this idea, you can lose your country and rejuvenate the country with one heart, only between public and private.
Cheng Er's Quotations is a collection of works by Cheng Hao and Cheng Yi, thinkers of the Northern Song Dynasty, who preached and taught all their lives. Both of them are founders of Neo-Confucianism in Song and Ming Dynasties, so they are called Cheng Cheng in the world. The above is Cheng's explanation of the thirteenth paragraph of The Analects. The original text is: "Zhong Gong is the butcher of her family and asks about politics. Confucius said,' You must have a teacher first, forgive small mistakes and cultivate talents.' Say,' How do you know a talented person and how to do it?' Say,' As you know. What you don't know and what people give up? "It is said that Lu's Zhong Gong became a retainer of Ji Shi and asked Confucius how to manage politics. Confucius told him: "First, instruct the officials in charge of specific affairs, let them perform their duties, forgive their small mistakes, and select talents for posts." Zhong Gong asked again, "How to find and select talents? Confucius said, "Choose what you know. As for the talents you don't know, will others bury them? "
In this regard, Cheng made the following comments: "If you push this idea, you can devote yourself to mourning the country and rejuvenating the country, only between public and private." In other words, one kind of heart can subjugate the country and the other can rejuvenate the country, all because of the division of public and private power. Cheng's theory is called "the study of mind and body" or "the study of mind and nature", which advocates that "having is the mind and preparing is the shape of living". In their view, whether politicians have public interests is related to the rise and fall of the country. Only when the public interest is above everything else can the country prosper; No public interest is above everything else, and everything from selfishness will make the country perish.