Good calligraphy is like water, generous and virtuous.

The meaning of this sentence is that a person with high moral character and good self-cultivation can learn even without a trick. However, if he has only one trick, and a person with bad character can only stop at his current achievements and can't go any further, that is to say, he will be rejected and spurned by the world. This meaning is the same as the idiom "virtuous", that is, if you want to get more and undertake more, you must strengthen moral cultivation.

Extended data:

The theme of Tao Te Ching is "Tao is natural".

"Taoism is natural" is the essence of Laozi's thought in Tao Te Ching. As the most abstract concept category in Tao Te Ching, "Tao" is the source of power to create everything in the world.

"Virtue" is the development and expression of "Tao" in the field of ethics. "Tao" and "law" have similarities in rules and common sense, but they are different from western natural law. "Law" should imitate the way of nature and play a role in the reverse transformation of syndrome differentiation.

Philosophically, "Tao" is the mother of the beginning of all things in heaven and earth, the unity of opposites of Yin and Yang is the essential embodiment of all things, and the extremes of things are the law of the evolution of all things. Ethically, Laozi advocates simplicity, selflessness, serenity, humility, gentleness, weakness and indifference. Politically, Lao Tzu advocates doing nothing at home, not disturbing the people, living in peace with foreign countries and opposing war and violence.

These three levels constitute the theme of Tao Te Ching, and at the same time make the book go through the logical level of "physics to philosophy to ethics to politics", from the way of nature to the virtue of ethics, and finally settle in the idea and governance of ideal politics. That is, looking for the bright right path to the ideal social order from the natural order.

Reference: Baidu Encyclopedia-Tao Te Ching