Meaning: 1. Cancel the independence of sentences. 2. The meaning of the whole sentence: The ancient custom of learning from teachers cannot be restored. It can be understood from these words. This sentence comes from an argumentative essay "Teacher's Theory" written by Han Yu, a writer in the Tang Dynasty. The article explains the principles of studying from a teacher, satirizes the worldly situation that is ashamed of fortune-tellers, educates young people, and plays a role in changing the atmosphere. The article lists positive and negative examples, compares them layer by layer, demonstrates repeatedly, discusses the necessity and principles of learning from teachers, criticizes the bad habit of "shaming learning from teachers" in the society at that time, showing extraordinary courage and fighting spirit, and also showing The author has the spirit of expressing his own opinions regardless of the world.
Original text of "Teacher's Theory"
Ancient scholars must have teachers. A teacher is the one who preaches the truth, receives karma, and resolves doubts. People are not born with knowledge, how can they be free from confusion? If you are confused and do not follow the teacher, you will be confused, and you will never be able to understand it. If they were born before me, they heard the Tao before me, so I learned from them; if they were born after me, they heard the Tao before me, so I learned from them. My teacher is the Taoist. Do you know that I was born one after another in different years? That is why there is neither high nor low, neither long nor young. The existence of the Tao is also the existence of the teacher.
Sigh! The teachings of teachers have not been taught for a long time! It is difficult for people to be clear of confusion! The saints of ancient times were far away from others, but they still followed the teacher and asked. But today's people, The saints below him are also far away, and they are ashamed to learn from their teachers. Therefore, the saint will benefit the saint, and the fool will benefit the fool. The reason why saints are saints and the reason why fools are fools are all due to this? If you love your son, you will choose a teacher and teach him; if you yourself, you will be ashamed of the teacher and confused.
The teacher of the boy, who teaches the readers a book and learns its sentences, is not what I call someone who teaches his way and solves his confusion. I don't know how to read a sentence, I don't understand it when I'm confused, maybe it's a teacher's fault, or maybe it's not a good idea. A man of witchcraft, medicine, music, and craftsmanship, he is not ashamed to be a physiognomist. The clan of scholar-bureaucrats would gather together and laugh at those who said "master" or "disciple".
When asked, he said: "He is similar to that year, and the Tao is similar. A low position is shameful, and a high official is close to flattery." Woohoo! The master's Tao is no longer known. Gentlemen despise a man who is a witch doctor, a musician, and a master of all kinds of skills. Now his wisdom is beyond his reach. It is so strange!
Sages are impermanent teachers. Confucius studied under Tanzi, Changhong, Xiang and Laodan. The disciples of Tanzi were not as wise as Confucius. Confucius said: "When three people are walking together, there must be my teacher." Therefore, the disciple does not have to be inferior to the teacher, and the teacher does not have to be better than the disciple. There is a certain order of learning, and there is a specialization in the arts, that's all.
Zi Pan, a seventeen-year-old son of the Li family, was fond of ancient prose and was familiar with all the classics and biographies of the six arts. Yu Jiaqi was able to practice the ancient way and wrote "Shi Shuo" to teach him. Translation of "Shi Shuo"
People who studied in ancient times must have teachers. Teachers can be relied on to teach principles, teach academics, and answer difficult questions. People are not born knowing the truth, so who can be without doubts? If you have doubts, if you don't follow the teacher to learn, those that become difficult problems will not be understood in the end.
Born in front of me, if he understands the truth before me, I should follow him and treat him as a teacher; if he is born after me, if he understands the truth before me, I should also follow him He regarded him as a teacher. I am learning principles from him, and it doesn’t matter whether he was born earlier than me or later than me. Therefore, regardless of high or low status, regardless of age, where the principles exist, the teacher exists.
Alas, the ancient custom of learning from teachers has not spread for a long time. It is difficult for people to have no doubts! The ancient saints were far beyond ordinary people, and they even followed their teachers and asked for advice; today's ordinary people, their His intelligence is far below that of a saint, but he is ashamed to learn from his teacher. Therefore, the sage becomes more sage and the fool becomes more ignorant.
The reason why saints can become saints and the reason why fools can become fools is probably due to this, right? People love their children and choose teachers to teach them, but as for themselves, they follow It is shameful for teachers to learn, what a fool! Those children's teachers teach them to read and help them learn to break sentences, not those who can impart those principles and answer those difficult questions as I said.
On the one hand, you do not know how to read sentences, and on the other hand, you cannot solve your doubts. If you do not know how to read sentences, you will ask the teacher for advice. If you have doubts and cannot understand, you will not ask the teacher. You should learn small things, but not big things. I don't see the wisdom of giving up and not learning. Witch doctors, musicians, and various craftsmen are not ashamed to learn from each other. When people like scholar-bureaucrats hear someone calling them "teacher" or "disciple," they gather together in groups to laugh at them.
When asked why they were laughing at him, they said: "He is about the same age as him, and has similar moral knowledge. It would be shameful to have someone with a low status as a teacher, and it would be almost flattering to have someone with a high official position as a teacher." "Alas! The ancient custom of learning from teachers cannot be restored. It can be understood from these words. Gentlemen looked down upon people like witch doctors, musicians, musicians, and various craftsmen, but now their knowledge can't keep up with these people. It's really strange!
The saint has no fixed teacher. Confucius once had Tan Zi, Chang Hong, Shi Xiang, and Lao Dan as his teachers. People like Tan Zi were not as capable as Confucius. Confucius said: "When several people go together, there must be someone among them who can be my teacher." Therefore, students are not necessarily inferior to teachers, and teachers are not necessarily wiser than students. People hear the truth earlier or later, and each has his own expertise in knowledge and skills. That’s all.
The son of the Li family, Pan, is seventeen years old. He likes ancient Chinese literature. He has generally studied the scriptures and passages of the Six Classics. He is not bound by current customs and learns from me. I commend him for following the ancient path of becoming a teacher, and I wrote this "Teacher's Statement" as a gift to him. Notes on "Shi Shuo"
1. Scholar: a person who studies.
2. A teacher is a person who teaches, teaches, and solves doubts: a teacher is a person who teaches principles, teaches students, and explains difficult problems. So: used for... Tao: refers to the Confucian way. Shou: Pass "send", teach. Industry: Generally refers to ancient classics, history, the study of scholars and ancient prose writing. Confused: Difficult questions.
3. People are not born with knowledge: People are not born with knowledge. Which: refers to knowledge and principles.
4. It is confusion: the doubts he has.
5. Born in front of me: that is, born in front of me. Hu: equivalent to "yu", the same as "hu" in "Xianhuwu" below.
6. Wen: Hearing, which is extended to know and understand.
7. Learn from him: follow (him) and worship him as your teacher. Follow the teacher: learn from the teacher. Teacher: Use the method of mind movement, take... as your teacher.
8. My master’s teaching: I (learn from him).
9. My husband, Yongzhi, was born to me one after the other: How can I consider whether he is older or younger than me? Yong: Is it true that he is older than me? Zhi: understand, know.
10. Therefore: Therefore, therefore.
11. None: No matter, no matter.
12. Where the Tao exists, there is also the teacher: It means that where the Tao exists, there is my teacher.
13. Teacher’s way: the tradition of following teachers.
14. Outstanding: above all others.
15. Juji: Still.
16. Everyone: ordinary people, ordinary people.
17. Next: It’s better to use a noun as a verb.
18. Shame on learning from a teacher: It is a shame to learn from a teacher. Shame: To be ashamed of.
19. Therefore, the saint is better than the saint, and the fool is better than the fool: therefore, the saint becomes more saintly, and the fool becomes more stupid. Benefit: more, more and more.
20. For himself: for himself. Body: oneself, oneself.
21. Confused: Confused!
22. That boy’s teacher: those enlightenment teachers who teach children.
23. Teach him a book and learn its sentences (dòu): teach him a book and help him learn the sentences. It: refers to a boy. Xi: Make... learn. Which: refers to books. Sentence Reading: Also called Sentence Reading, the ancients referred to the rest and pause in words. The point where the meaning of the words is exhausted is a sentence, and the place where the meaning of the words is not completed and requires a pause is read (dumb). There was no punctuation in ancient books, so teachers had to teach sentence reading (dumbing) when teaching children to read.
24. I don’t know how to read a sentence: I don’t know how to segment a sentence.
25. Either a teacher, or not (fǒu) Yan: some follow the teacher, some do not. No: means "no".
26. Primary school but big legacy: I learned the small one (referring to "I don't know how to read a sentence") but lost the big one (referring to "I can't understand the confusion"). Leave: throw away, give up.
27. Witch doctor: In ancient times, there was no distinction between witches and doctors. They refer to people whose profession is to treat diseases and pray to gods.
28. Baigong: various crafts.
29. fortune teller: worship others as your teacher.
30. Family: class.
31. Those who say master and disciple: when talking about teacher and disciple.
32. Similar years: similar years.
33. A low status is a shame, a high official is close to flattery: taking a low-status person as a teacher is a shame, and taking a high-ranking official as a teacher is close to flattery. Enough: Yes, enough. Sheng: Tall. Flattery: flattery.
34. Recovery: recovery.
35. Gentlemen: the “family of scholar-bureaucrats” mentioned above.
36. Disdain: disdain to be ranked with it, that is, look down upon. Or "despise".
37. Nai: unexpectedly, unexpectedly.
38. It’s strange: Is it worth being surprised? Its: Could it be, he asked rhetorically. 椤: modal particle, expressing exclamation.
39. Saints are impermanent teachers: Saints have no fixed teachers. Chang: fixed.
40. Tanzi: The king of Tan State (now Tancheng County, Shandong Province) in the Spring and Autumn Period. According to legend, Confucius once asked him for an official position.
41. Chang (cháng) Hong: A doctor during the reign of King Jing of the Eastern Zhou Dynasty. It is said that Confucius once asked him for advice on ancient music.
42. Shi Xiang: A music official from the state of Lu in the Spring and Autumn Period, named Xiang. It is said that Confucius once learned piano from him.
43. Lao Dan (dān): Laozi, surnamed Li Ming'er, a native of the Chu state in the Spring and Autumn Period, a thinker and the founder of the Taoist school. According to legend, Confucius once learned Zhou rites from him. Dan is the character for Lao Tzu.
44. Disciple: this type.
45. When three people are walking together, there must be my teacher: When three people are walking together, there must be my teacher among them.
46. No need: Not necessarily.
47. Specialization in the profession: Each has its own specialized research in business. Attack: study, research.
48. Li’s son Pan (pán): The name of the Li family’s child is Pan. Li Pan: Han Yu's disciple, Jinshi in the 19th year of Zhenyuan (803) of Emperor Dezong of Tang Dynasty.
49. The scriptures and biographies of the Six Arts (zhuàn) are all commonly studied: the scriptures and biographies of the Six Arts are generally studied. Six Arts: refers to the Six Classics, namely the six Confucian classics of "Poetry", "Book", "Ritual", "Music", "Yi" and "Spring and Autumn". "Le" has been lost, this is an ancient saying. Classics: Prose during the Han Dynasty and before. Biography, in ancient times, works that explain scriptures were called biographies. Tong: universal.
50. Not bound by the times: refers to not being bound by the bad custom of the time that it was shameful to seek a teacher. Shi: Shi custom refers to the bad atmosphere among scholar-bureaucrats at that time that they were ashamed to be teachers. Yu: Being.
51. Yu Jiaqi can practice the ancient way: I commend him for following the ancient custom of learning from teachers. Jia: Praise, commendation.
52. Yi (yí): gift, gift.
Appreciation of "Teacher's Theory"
Although the article also discusses positively the role of teachers, the importance of following teachers, and who should be teachers, the focus is on criticizing the ideas that were popular among the scholar-bureaucrats at the time. I am ashamed of the bad atmosphere of being a teacher. Judging from the writing intention and main spirit of the article, this is a highly targeted critical paper.
In the first paragraph of the article, we first discuss the teacher's way from the front: the necessity of following a teacher and the standards for following a teacher (who should be regarded as a teacher). At the beginning, he put forward the conclusion that "the ancient scholars must have teachers", and then summarized the role of teachers: "preaching the truth, accepting karma and solving doubts", as the starting point and basis for the argument. Starting from "solving doubts" (difficulties in both Tao and karma), it is inferred that people are not born with knowledge and cannot be free from doubts. If confused, they must follow the teacher; starting from "preaching the Tao", it is inferred that following a teacher is learning the Tao, so regardless of No matter how old or young you are, you can be your teacher.
This paragraph is connected layer by layer, logically rigorous, summarized and refined, and completed in one go. It is a program in the whole text. The "establishment" of this paragraph is for the "breaking" of the following. At the beginning, it is solemnly revealed that "the ancient scholars must have teachers", which implicitly contains a criticism of "today's scholars" who do not follow their teachers. The momentum comes suddenly like a storm, taking the lead.
Then, it criticizes the bad culture of being ashamed of being a teacher that was popular among the scholar-bureaucrats at that time from different aspects in three levels. First, we compare "the ancient saints" with "the people of today" and point out that the dividing line between saints and fools lies in whether they learn from their teachers. Then they compare the opposite attitudes of scholar-bureaucrats towards their children and towards themselves on the issue of learning from their teachers. , pointing out that this is a confused practice that is "remained from elementary school"; finally, he compares the witch doctors, musicians, and physiognomists who are not ashamed with the scholar-officials who are ashamed of the physiognomist, pointing out that the wisdom of the scholar-officials is not as good as that of the witch doctors, musicians, and physiognomists whom they despise. Hundreds of jobs.
The author uses "foolish", "confused" and "weird" respectively to reveal the abnormality of the scholar-officials' culture of being ashamed of being teachers. Due to the sharp contrast, the author's derogatory words appear appropriate and persuasive.
On the basis of criticism, the article turns to discuss the "sage impermanent teacher" from a positive perspective, using Confucius's words and practices to illustrate that the relationship between master and disciple is relative. Anyone who is better than himself or herself in terms of Tao and karma will Anyone with a certain skill can be a teacher. This is a further argument for the view that "the existence of the Tao is the existence of teachers", and is also a further criticism of the phenomenon of scholar-bureaucrats being ashamed of those with "lower status" and "younger" teachers.
The last paragraph of the article explains the reason for writing this article. Li Pan's "ability to practice the ancient way" means that he can inherit the "teacher's way" that has not been passed down for a long time and is willing to learn from his teacher. Therefore, this ending can be said to be a way of praising "practicing the ancient way" to further criticize today's people who have abandoned the way of teachers. "Ancient Tao" echoes the first paragraph of "Ancient scholars must have teachers". The creative background of "Shi Shuo"
"Shi Shuo" was probably written by the author in the 17th to 18th years of Zhenyuan (801-802), when he was serving as a doctor of the Fourth Gate of the Imperial College in Beijing. In the seventeenth year of Zhenyuan (801), the author resigned from his official position in Xuzhou and lived in Luoyang to preach and teach. After two trips to Beijing for selection, he was awarded the post of Doctor of the Fourth Gate of the Imperial College in October of that year.
At this time, the author was determined to use the platform of the Imperial College to revitalize Confucianism and reform the literary world, so as to realize his ambition to serve the country. However, after he came to the Imperial College and took office, he found that the academic field was dark, the government was corrupt, and the official system was full of shortcomings. As a result, many students lost confidence in the imperial examination and became officials, so they relaxed their studies. The upper class at that time looked down on those who taught.
There is a concept among the scholar-bureaucrats that they are neither willing to seek teachers, but also "ashamed to be teachers", which directly affects the teaching and management of the Imperial College. The author is saddened by this and wrote this article in response to Li Pan's question to clarify people's vague understanding of "seeking a teacher" and "being a teacher". Introduction to the author of "Shi Shuo"
Han Yu, whose courtesy name was Tuizhi, was born in Heyang, Hanoi (now Meng County, Henan). Because the county was located in Changli, it was called "Han Changli" in old times. In the eighth year of Zhenyuan (792) of Dezong, he became a Jinshi. In the 19th year of Zhenyuan (803), he offended the powerful officials by talking about the drought in Guanzhong and was demoted to the order of Yangshan. In the first year of Yuanhe of Emperor Xianzong (806), he summoned Dr. Guozi to pay homage.
In the twelfth year of Yuanhe (817), Pei Du made great contributions to conquering Huaixi Wu Yuanji, and was promoted to Minister of Justice. , Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, Jing Zhaoyin and other positions. He vigorously advocated the ancient prose movement, and his prose was listed as the first among the "Eight Great Masters of Tang and Song Dynasties", and was called "Han Liu" together with Liu Zongyuan. He advocated "using text as poetry", striving for novelty in his poetry and engaging in frequent discussions.
"Complete Poems of the Tang Dynasty" contains ten volumes of his poems. There are poems and essays co-edited in "Collected Works of Mr. Chang Li".
References: 1. Edited by Liu Qingwen. Appreciation of prose by the Eight Great Masters of the Tang and Song Dynasties: Beijing Education Press
2. Editor-in-chief He Zhili. Cultural and historical materials of Han Yu in Changli: China Literature and History Publishing House
3. Li Shizhong, Shenyang, etc. Standard Experimental Textbook for Ordinary High School Curriculum Chinese Language Compulsory Course 3: People's Education Press
4. Yin Faru. Translation and Annotation of Guwen Guanzhi: Peking University Press