The wisdom advocated by Confucius that "knowing the destiny of heaven at fifty" does not mean that the fate of an individual will be predestined by heaven, and this interpretation deviates from Confucius's original intention. Confucius told the students that no matter how hard they tried, they could not exceed the arrangement of the "Mandate of Heaven". In the Analects, Confucius conveyed to his students his "growth process and intellectual maturity experience." He said that when he was fifteen years old, he was determined to learn, standing at thirty, not confused at forty, comprehending the destiny of heaven at fifty, obedient at sixty, and doing whatever he wanted at seventy. These words reveal Confucius's sincere affection for his students. Song Ru and Zhu Xi's interpretation of the "Mandate of Heaven" is particularly profound. Among the 100 sons of the pre-Qin dynasty, Confucianism is the most remarkable. This is inseparable from Confucius's long-term insistence on running the school, and he has cultivated generations of outstanding students, and the inheritance has never been interrupted. In addition, Confucius's method of education is also where Confucianism is superior to other schools, and he continues to teach according to his aptitude. Since the beginning of the Han Dynasty, the Analects has been highly valued by Confucianism, and it has set off a new upsurge in the Song Dynasty. A number of new Confucian works have emerged, including Zhu Xi's Annotations to the Four Books and Chapters and Sentences, which took more than 40 years to write.
In the Commentary on the Four Books and Chapters and Sentences, and the Analects, Zhu Xi explained: "The Mandate of Heaven, that is, the reason given to things by the operation of the Heavenly Dao, is the reason why things should be. To understand this is to understand it very deeply, and there is no confusion and no more confusion. "Zhu Xi's interpretation is quite exquisite. Ancient Chinese culture and civilization originated from ancient astronomy. According to the Book of Changes, the Hexagram of the Book of Changes, "Harmony is astronomy."Civilization stops at humanity. Observe astronomy to know how the times change;Observe the humanities in order to make the world harmonious. These words, either from Confucius or from him, are the most incisive summary of the roots of the formation of Chinese culture and civilization, and are also the most wonderful expression of ancient Chinese philosophy. The most influential doctrines in ancient China all revered the "Way of Heaven". Taoists believe that the "way of heaven" is the law of nature "doing nothing without doing nothing", which is embodied in concrete things as "virtue". Confucianism and Taoism have a similar understanding of the "way of heaven", but Confucianism emphasizes the realization of this concept by "observing humanity and achieving harmony in the world". The "Mandate of Heaven" is evolved from the "Heavenly Dao" and contains three meanings. First of all, it refers to "providence".
The Analects of Ji mentions: "A gentleman has three kinds of fears: fear of the mandate of heaven, fear of the powerful, and fear of the words of the sages. "Secondly, it represents the laws of nature. Xunzi said in "The Treatise on Heaven": "Obey the way of heaven, what can't you do?"Rather than disobey the mandate of heaven, it is better to obey and take advantage of it. Xunzi is also one of the representatives of Confucianism. Third, it refers to the innate nature of human beings. "The Book of Rites: The Mean" mentions: "The so-called mandate of heaven refers to the nature of human beings;To follow nature is the Way;Cultivating morality is education. So, what does Confucius mean by the "Mandate of Heaven"?There may be three meanings. It cannot be denied that Confucius believed in gods. Confucius once said, "The attitude of worshipping the gods should be as if the gods really existed." "In those days, this kind of thinking was common. But we should not be rash enough to think that Confucius did not regard the "Mandate of Heaven" as an inviolable law of nature. Confucius. And the concept of "the predicate of the mandate of heaven" is exactly in line with his educational thought and Zhu Xi's explanation - "following nature is the way, and cultivating morality is education", isn't this the practical process of "observing humanity and realizing harmony in the world"?Cheng Yi explained this and said that Confucius was "born to know".
We can understand his renewed reverence for Confucius, although this is not entirely consistent with the process of the maturation and development of Confucius's own thought. In contrast, there are significant differences between Cheng Yi's explanation and Zhu Xi's.