The word "heart" has already appeared in Oracle Bone Inscriptions, and its shape is like a human heart, which is the original intention of the word "heart". The heart is figuratively compared to the "engine" of life, which shows its unique importance. What are the distinctive connotations of the "heart" of Chinese characters?
Mencius, a Confucian thinker, believes that it is precisely because people have compassion, shame, resignation and right and wrong that people can be called people, not animals, and people's cultivation of themselves is their inner cultivation.
In fact, if you look at the Chinese characters composed of the word "heart", it is not difficult to understand the Confucian emphasis on nourishing the heart.
Such as ambition "ambition". The original intention of "ambition" is "the direction of the heart", and the place where the heart is willing to go is its own ambition and ambition. Mencius believes that a person has set a lofty goal, just like the commander-in-chief of the three armed forces. Therefore, people should "keep their ambitions and nourish their qi", maintain lofty aspirations and cultivate integrity, so as to "be childlike" and take saving the world as their responsibility.
Another example is the word "forbearance" of patience. The word "forbearance" is the word "blade" of a blade above and the word "heart" below. In Shuo Wen Jie Zi, it says, "Endure, be able." It is a kind of "forbearance" and wisdom to be fearless when faced with such a dangerous situation that a sharp knife goes straight into the heart.
Confucius once said, "A little tolerance leads to great mischief." Small things can't be tolerated, and big things are ruined. Even if you are in danger, you should restrain yourself, avoid confrontation, and take circuitous measures to solve contradictions with an open mind and long-term vision. This "forbearance" embodies the Confucian doctrine of the mean.
There is also a story about forbearance. There was a man named Wang Shouhe in the Tang Dynasty. He wrote the word "forbearance" on his box and embroidered it on the curtains of his bedroom. He took "forbearance" as his life criterion. After hearing this, Emperor Xuanzong summoned Wang Shouhe and asked him why he couldn't argue with others. Wang Shouhe replied: "I heard that hard and straight things are easy to break, so when dealing with various affairs, the word' forbearance' is supreme."
Today, many people in China like to hang a calligraphy work with the word "forbearance" at home to remind themselves that forbearance is the most important thing.
Love is the most extensive emotion in the world. If we look at the traditional word "love", we will find that there is a word "heart" in the middle of "love". The so-called "love" is also a heartfelt affection for people or things.
It is worth mentioning that the word "heart" in the word "love" has a claw above it and an action-related word "zhǐ" below it, and then the word "heart" in the middle is wrapped by a "light treasure hijab". This structure of the word "love" is easy to understand. Loving someone is actually giving help and support to others with our own efforts. The most important thing is that we have a sincere and kind heart when doing these things.