Disciples

Chapter 58

Original
I have heard anger, I have heard joy;
Bad friends come, but good friends don't.

Translation
If you are angry when you hear your faults mentioned, and you are happy when you hear good things about you, then bad friends will approach you, and righteous friends will leave you.

allusion
Mencius, a university student, talked about the courage to accept criticism to his students. He listed three famous people, namely Zilu, Yu and Shun.

Zilu was a native of Lu in the Spring and Autumn Period, also known as Zhong You, who studied under Confucius and was one of the 72 sages of Confucianism.He is loyal, upright and brave.And he is very willing for others to point out his shortcomings for him. When he points out, he is not only not angry, but also very happy.He listened with an open mind, corrected if there was something, and encouraged if there was nothing, and his knowledge and morals improved every day.

Yu, the founder of the Xia Dynasty in folklore, once ruled the Yellow River and quelled the floods.He, Yao, Shun, etc. are all ancient sages who have been extolled by people for generations.Yu is a man of humility, and when he hears good words and advice from others, he is often grateful and bows down.

Shun is also the ancient virtuous emperor mentioned in the legend, and people call him "Da Shun".He once gave way to Yu.Mencius said that Shun was greater than Yu. He was able to be kind to others, sacrifice himself for others, and be kind to others.The so-called "be kind to others" means to be able to regard achievements and advantages as not unique to individuals, but to be shared with the common people.Shun used to plow fields in Mount Li, make porcelain in kilns by the river, and make nets in Lei Ze for fishing.From being a farmer, a potter, a fisherman, and finally being an emperor, all the advantages he has come from learning from others.

The common strengths of these three people are that they are good at adopting others, using them for themselves, and improving themselves, thus achieving their respective careers.

(End of this chapter)