Translation
The gentleman said: You can't stop learning.
For example, indigo is extracted from blue grass, but it is bluer than blue grass. Ice is condensed from cold water, but it is colder than water. The wood is straight and conforms to the chalk line, but if it is bent into a wheel (extracted by fire), the curvature of the wood (then) conforms to the general standard of the compass plan. Even if it is dried, (wood) will not be straight again, and it will become like this by fire extraction. Therefore, when the wood is measured by ink lines, it will become straight, and the metal sword will become sharp when it is grinded on the grindstone. A gentleman will learn extensively and examine himself every day, then he will be wise and reasonable and behave without fault.
Therefore, if you don't climb the mountain, you won't know how high it is. If you don't face a deep stream, you don't know how thick the land is; If you don't understand the legacy of the emperor, you won't know the breadth of learning. People who are guilty of smuggling are born with the same crying voice, but when they grow up, their customs and habits are different, which is what education makes so. The Book of Songs says, "You are a gentleman, don't always covet comfort. Treat your job respectfully and love the virtue of integrity. When the gods hear all this, they will give you good fortune and good fortune. " There is no greater spiritual cultivation than being influenced by morality, and there is no longer a blessing than no disaster.
I used to think hard all day long, but I couldn't compare with the knowledge I learned in a moment. I once stood on tiptoe and looked into the distance, but I couldn't see widely as I climbed high. Climbing high and waving, the arm is not lengthened, but people in the distance can see it; Shout with the wind, the voice is not increased, but the listener can hear it clearly. People who use chariots and horses can travel thousands of miles without walking fast, while people who use boats and boats can swim across the Yangtze River and the Yellow River without being good at swimming. A gentleman's qualifications and disposition are no different from those of ordinary people, except that he is good at using foreign things.
In the south, there is a kind of bird named "Meng Dove", which uses feathers as its nest, and also uses hair to weave the nest and tie it to the flower spike of tender reed. When the reed spike breaks when the wind blows, the nest falls and all the eggs are smashed. It's not that the nest is not woven well, but that it shouldn't be tied to the reed. There is a kind of grass called "Belamcanda" in the west. It is only four inches high, but it can overlook hundreds of miles away. It is not because the grass can grow tall, but because it grows on the top of a mountain. Pennisetum grows in hemp fields, and it can stand upright without support. White sand can't turn white when it is mixed into black soil. The root of Lanhuai is called Xiang Ai. Once it is immersed in smelly water, gentlemen and servants will avoid it. It's not that Ai itself is not fragrant, but that it is soaked and stinks. Therefore, a gentleman should choose a good environment to live in, and a moral person to make friends, so as to prevent the delay and protect his moderation and integrity.
Everything happens for a reason, and the arrival of honor and disgrace is also corresponding to virtue. Meat rotted and maggots were born, fish died and worms were born, and slacking off and forgetting the code of conduct would cause trouble. Too hard objects are easy to break, too weak and easy to be bound. If you are not good with people, it will cause resentment. Dry wood is flammable, low-lying and easy to get wet, and there are many plants and animals. Everything is like a flock. Therefore, when the target is set, bows and arrows will be shot. When the tree grows into a forest, it will attract axe cutting. When the forest is lush and shady, birds will come to stay. When the vinegar turns sour, it will attract mosquitoes. Therefore, words may cause trouble and behavior may be humiliated. A gentleman cannot but be cautious in dealing with people.
The accumulation of earth and stone becomes a high mountain, from which the wind and rain rise; The accumulated water flows into an abyss, from which the dragon is born; Accumulate good deeds and cultivate noble moral character, and naturally your mind will be clear, and you will have the spiritual realm of saints. Therefore, there is no way to reach a thousand miles without accumulating a half-step journey; Without accumulating tiny flowing water, there is no way to merge into rivers and seas. When a horse leaps, it is less than ten steps away; A bad horse can pull a cart for ten days, and its achievements come from walking nonstop. If it stops after a few moments, the rotten wood will continue to be carved. If you keep carving, the stone can be carved successfully. Earthworms have no sharp claws and teeth and strong bones and muscles, but they can eat the soil up and drink the water in the soil down, which is because they are single-minded A crab has six legs and two crab claws. (But) Without the caves of snakes and eels, it would have nowhere to live, because it is impetuous.
Therefore, if you don't have the will to study hard, you won't make remarkable achievements in your studies. Without hard work, there will be no great achievements in career. Neither side will tolerate a man who can't reach his destination by walking on the wrong road and serves two monarchs at the same time. The eyes can't see two things at the same time and see clearly, and the ears can't hear two sounds at the same time and hear clearly. A viper can fly without feet, but a rat has five skills, but there is still no way. The poem says: "The cuckoo nests in mulberry trees, and its young birds have seven. Good gentlemen should be single-minded and not biased. Only when the behavior is single-minded and not biased, the will will be as strong as a rock. " Therefore, the gentleman's will is firm and single-minded.
In ancient times, there was a harpsichord, and the fish in the water surfaced to listen, and the horse pulling the cart would stop eating and look up. Therefore, the voice will not be heard because it is weak, and the behavior will not be discovered because it is hidden. If Baoyu is buried in a deep mountain, the vegetation will be moist, and if the pearl falls into the abyss, the cliff shore will not dry up. Good deeds can be accumulated, how can they be accumulated into virtue without being widely read?
where should learning begin and end? A: According to its approach, it should start with reading the classics such as Poetry and Book and end with the Book of Rites. As far as its significance is concerned, it starts with being a scholar and ends with becoming a saint. Sincerely practice, so long-term accumulation, will be able to deeply understand the fun, learn to die before you have. Therefore, although the tutorial of learning has an end, the desire to make progress cannot be slackened for a moment. It takes a lifetime to learn to be a man, and vice versa. Shangshu is a record of political affairs; The Book of Songs is the conclusion of heartfelt wishes. The Book of Rites is the premise of the legal system and the general outline of various regulations, so it is not over until you learn the Book of Rites, and it is the pinnacle of morality. The Book of Rites respects etiquette, the Book of Music tells the sound of harmony, the Book of Songs and the Book of History are broad and broad, and the Spring and Autumn Annals is full of great significance, which have included all the university questions between heaven and earth.
a gentleman's learning is what he listens to and remembers in his heart, which is manifested in his dignified manners and actions that conform to etiquette. Every move, even the slightest words and deeds, can set an example for others. Little people learn from their ears and from their mouths, only four inches apart. How can they perfect their seven-foot body? The ancients' study is the demand of their own moral cultivation, but now people study just to show off others. Gentlemen learn to improve themselves, while villains learn to show off and grandstanding, and treat knowledge as gifts such as poultry and calves to win praise. Therefore, it is called impetuousness to teach others without asking for your advice; Asking and answering two questions is called verbosity; It is wrong to be impetuous and wordy. A gentleman's question and answer should be like an empty valley echo, no more, no less and just right.
nothing is more convenient than getting close to a mentor. The Book of Rites and the Book of Music have statutes, but they are too sketchy. The Book of Songs and Shangshu are simple but not close to reality. Chunqiu is subtle but not thorough enough; It is noble and comprehensive to learn the knowledge of a gentleman by imitating a good teacher, and it can also understand the world. So learning is nothing more convenient than getting close to a mentor.
reverence for a mentor is the most convenient way to learn, followed by respect for etiquette. If you don't respect the teacher in class and respect the ceremony in class, just read some miscellaneous books and explain the Book of Songs and the Book of History, then you will be just a humble scholar all your life. In order to study the wisdom of saints and seek the root of benevolence and righteousness, the shortcut to achieve mastery through a comprehensive study is to start with etiquette and law. It's like bending your five fingers and lifting the collar of a fur robe. When you have a meal, the hair will be completely smooth. If we don't study etiquette, it's just like measuring the river with our fingers, taking millet with our fingers, and getting something to eat in a rice pot with an awl. Therefore, respecting etiquette, even if the knowledge is not thorough and clear, can yet be regarded as a moral and cultivated person; If you are not polite, even if you are discerning and eloquent, you are just a shallow Confucian scholar with no real cultivation.
if someone comes to ask you something that is not polite, don't answer; Come and tell things that are not polite, don't ask questions; Talk about impolite things in front of you, don't participate; Don't argue with a savage and competitive man. Therefore, it must be in line with the way of propriety and righteousness before giving reception; Avoid those who do not conform to the way of propriety and righteousness; Therefore, only those who are respectful and polite can talk about the purpose of Tao; Only those who are fluent in words can talk about the content of the Tao; Only those with sincere attitude can talk about the profound meaning of Tao. Therefore, talking with someone you can't talk with is called impetuousness; Don't talk to those who can talk to you, that's called neglect; Talking casually without looking at the other party's response is called blindness. Therefore, a gentleman should not be impetuous, nor should he be negligent, nor should he be blind. He should treat everyone who comes for advice with caution. The Book of Songs says: "It is the son of heaven who approves of not being impetuous and not neglecting." That's the truth.
if one of the hundreds of arrows shot misses the target, it can't be regarded as a good shot; Driving horses and chariots for thousands of miles, only half a step away, can't be regarded as good driving; You can't master the ethical norms and stick to the principle of benevolence and righteousness, and of course you can't be regarded as good at learning. Learning is a matter that requires great concentration. Learning for a while and stopping for a while are ordinary people in the market. There are few good behaviors and many bad behaviors. Jie, Zhou and Tuo are such people. A scholar can only be considered if he can grasp the knowledge he has learned comprehensively and thoroughly.
A gentleman knows that learning is incomplete and not perfect, so he reads a group of books to achieve mastery, understands by thinking and exploring, practices by imitating a mentor, and gets rid of his wrong habits and temperament to maintain maintenance. Don't want to see if your eyes are not right, don't want to listen if your ears are not right, don't want to talk if your mouth is not right, and don't want to think if your heart is not right. When you reach the ideal situation of being completely absorbed in learning, you will be as eager to own the world as you are with colorful eyes, good ears and good mouth. If this is done, then there will be no evil thoughts in the face of power and selfish desires, and many people will not give in, and nothing in the world can shake their faith. Living is like this, and it will not change until death. This is called virtue and integrity. Only with virtue and integrity can we be firm, and only with perseverance can we respond randomly. If you can be firm and improvise, you are a mature and perfect person. At that time, the sky will show its light, the earth will show its vastness, and the value of a gentleman lies in the perfection of his virtue.