The meaning of this sentence is that praising Confucius' character and talent is like that mountain, which makes people look up, but they can't help but measure themselves by his behavior. Sima Qian went on to say, "Although I can't come, I look forward to it." It can be seen that he is also imitating Confucius and pursuing the realm of Confucius.
Sima Qian often reads Confucius' works. He said that whenever he reads Confucius' books, he really wants to see Confucius himself. To this end, he also visited Ludi, came to Confucius' hometown, visited the Confucius Temple, and saw the vehicles, clothes and ritual vessels he was riding. I also saw the students studying with my own eyes. As usual, I went to Confucius' old house and practiced etiquette in it.
He said that he went to see Confucius with reverence, and then lingered there for a long time, reluctant to leave. In my mind, I recall the past of Confucius and compare it with ancient monarchs and sages. Even though these people were powerful people before their lives, with endless power and accumulated mountains of wealth, they left nothing behind after their death.
But compared with Confucius, although he is just a civilian, his theory has been circulated for so many years. Now scholars in the Han Dynasty also call him a master. From the emperor above, the princes below to the people who talked about six arts in the whole Han Dynasty, they were all judged by Confucius' theory, so it can be said that Confucius is really a generation of saints.