100 Historical Stories That Unlock Teenage Wisdom

Chapter 54 2 Confucian Discussion "Too much is not enough"

Chapter 62Confucius on "Too much is not enough"

—— Given a balance, the water will overflow when it is full, and the moon will be short when it is full.

If everything goes too far, it will only lightly break the front. While giving a balance, we also have a kind of "resilience" power!

Once, Zi Gong, a disciple of Confucius, suddenly asked Confucius a question when he was talking with him: "Master, which one is better, Zi Zhang or Zi Xia?"

Zi Zhang is Master Zhuan Sun, and Zi Xia is a divination merchant, both of whom are proud disciples of Confucius.

Confucius thought for a while and said, "Zi Zhang is too much, and Zi Xia is not up to standard."

Zigong continued, "Isn't Zizhang better?"

Confucius said: "Too much is like not reaching the standard. It is a manifestation of not having a good sense of proportion." This is the source of "too much to go too far".

Once, Confucius led his disciples to visit the temple of Duke Huan of Lu, and saw an object that was particularly easy to tip over.Confucius walked around it several times, looked left and right, touched it with his hands, and turned it around, but he was still not sure what it was for.So, he asked the temple guard: "What kind of utensil is this?"

The temple guard replied: "This is probably the utensil placed on the right side of the seat."

Confucius suddenly realized and said:

"I've heard of this kind of utensil. It tilts when it's empty, it's upright when it's just right, and it overturns when it's full. The king regards it as his best warning, so he always puts it on the next to the seat."

Confucius hurriedly turned his head and said to his disciples, "Pour in some water and try it out."

Zilu hurriedly fetched water and poured it slowly.Just after pouring a little water, it is still tilted; after pouring a proper amount of water, it will stand upright; when it is filled with water, after you let go of your hand, it will turn over again, and the excess water will spill out.Confucius sighed and said: "Oh! I understand. How can there be something that is full but not poured!"

Zilu stepped forward and said, "Master, is there a way to keep it full and not overwhelmed?"

Confucius said calmly: "Smart and wise, use stupidity to adjust; meritorious service, use retreat to adjust; mighty and powerful, use cowardice to adjust; rich and world-class, use humility to adjust. This is excessive impairment. way to a moderate state."

Zilu nodded again and again, and then asked inquisitively: "In addition to placing this kind of drum instrument next to the seat to warn himself, what other measures did the emperors take to prevent themselves from going too far?"

Confucius talked eloquently: "God gave birth to the people and chose a king for them, let him rule the people, and prevent them from losing their nature. When you have a king, you set up assistant ministers for him, let the assistants teach and protect him, and don't let him Do things too much. Therefore, the emperor has his princes, the princes have their ministers, and the ministers have officials in the concubine, the doctor has his deputy, and the scholars have friends. People who have merits will be rewarded, mistakes will be corrected, tribulations will be rescued, and mistakes will be corrected. From the emperor down, each person has fathers and brothers to observe and make up for his gains and losses. Taishi records history annals, musicians write Poetry and musicians recite admonitions, doctors advise and enlighten, scholars pass on words, common people give suggestions, businessmen discuss in the market, and various craftsmen present their skills. People of various identities use different methods to advise, so that the monarch will not ride on The people will do whatever they want and indulge his evil."

Still chasing after Zilu, he asked: "Master, can you name a specific monarch?"

Confucius replied: "Okay, Duke Wu of Wei is a typical character. When he was 95 years old, he also ordered the whole country to say: 'Officials at all levels below the Qing Dynasty, as long as they are holding the state's salary and are in official positions, they should not Leave me alone if you think I am stupid and old, and you must constantly admonish and enlighten me. When I am riding in a car, the guards guarding me should advise me; when I am in the court, I should show me the rules and regulations of the previous generation; When I work at my desk, I should set up a motto to remind me; when I rest in the palace, the attendants on the left and right should warn me; when I deal with government affairs, people like blind and Shi should enlighten me; I listen to Baigong's remonstrance." He often uses these words to warn himself, so that his words and deeds will not go to extremes."

After hearing this, all the disciples showed joy on their faces.They understood a truth from Confucius' words: under any circumstances, people should regulate themselves so that their words and deeds conform to the standard, not too much, and don't fall short of the standard.

Wisdom Interpretation:

The ancient Chinese emphasized the golden mean.The mean, in short, means balance without going to extremes, so that people can live in harmony with each other, with society, and with nature.Confucius taught his disciples the principle of "too much to go too far", which is to deny the two extremes at the same time.

The mean is by no means unprincipled or tactful, but the great wisdom that makes subjective consciousness conform to objective laws.

(End of this chapter)