In Chinese history, the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period were the most brilliant and brilliant era of thought and culture, and the stars were shining. This period appearedThe sons of the hundred schools of thought criticized each other and contended with each otherThe unprecedented academic situation of a hundred schools of thought is known as a hundred schools of thought, and occupies an important position in the history of Chinese ideological development.
The contention of a hundred schools of thought refers to the emergence of different schools of thought among intellectuals during the Spring and Autumn Period (770-476 BC) and the Warring States Period (475-221 BC) and the competition between various family schools. This period produced countless great thinkers, educators, and philosophers, and such a large-scale talent blowout is unique in later generations.
Statue of Confucius, the Holy Prophet.
Although hundreds of schools of thought contended and the stars were shining, the most dazzling star was Confucius. That's right"Heaven does not give birth to Zhongni, and eternity is like a long night"The greatness of the sage lies in the fact that he founded the Confucian school, and what Confucianism advocates is"people"Oriented"The royal road"Political ideology. Compared with the heavy punishment of Legalism, the inaction of Taoism, and the aggressiveness of Moism, Confucianism attaches more importance to the feelings of the people at the bottom, hoping that everyone can abide by etiquette and restrain desires, so that the people can live and work in peace and contentment, and the country will be rich and the people will be strong.
The saint has received countless disciples in his life, there are more than 3,000 protégés, and there are ten disciples, these ten disciples have excellent character in one or several aspects, and are deeply loved by the saints, especially the first disciple Yan Hui, who is treated by the saint as a ** person, and never hesitates to praise words. It stands to reason that Yan Hui is in his prime, and he has great ambitions in his heart, so he should prove himself, but he has not been an official in his life, which is puzzling.
So why does he refuse to be an official? Is there something unspeakable? Next, let's go into the record of history, clear the fog, and explore the truth of the matter.
Whoever you love, I just have to learn Yan Hui.
Yan Hui, Cao surname, Yan family, name Hui, Zi Yuan, Lu people honored the name of Fusheng Yanzi, a Lu thinker in the late Spring and Autumn Period, and the head of the seventy-two sages of Confucius. The sage spoke very highly of it, according to the "Analects of Yongye":
"Wai Gong asked'Which is easier to learn? 'Confucius said:'Those who have a good face are studious, do not get angry, do not make mistakes, unfortunately die in a short life, and now they are dead, and they have not heard of good scholars'。"When Duke Lu asked the sage about the situation, it was likely that he hoped to get a few recommended candidates who could serve as good ministers for governing the country, but the sage answered him with a deceased **, and he may have lost a good opportunity to recommend**. But it also expresses the deep affection of the saint for it.
Get"sub"The threshold for this title is very high, and it is very accessible.
We know that during the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period,"sub"This is not a casual term for others, but only for men who are virtuous, talented, and have made great contributions. For example, when we say the words Lao, Mo, Zhuang, Kong, and Sun, they have no special meaning; But if you put these words in"sub"In front of us, we will think of the great thinkers, educators, politicians and art of war during the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period. And Yan Hui is called Yan Zi, which shows the high virtue and depth of his talent.
There is a high probability that these people are only teenagers.
Our protagonist is thirteen years old to worship the saint as a teacher, don't think that this age is very small, in the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, due to the backward technology and lack of medical conditions at that time, a cold and fever can take the life of a village, so people generally have a short lifespan, although there are also historical records that give a clear age.
Seven. Ten or eighty old birthday stars, but in fact, the average life expectancy is about thirty years old. Therefore, the thirteen years old at that time were equivalent to the modern twenties or thirties, such as Qin Wuyang in Jing Ke's assassination of Qin, according to the "Historical Records, Seventy Biography, and Assassin Biography".
"It is pretending to be sent to Jingqing. Yan has a warrior Qin Wuyang, thirteen years old, killing, and people dare not despise it. It is to make Qin Wuyang the deputy. Jing Ke has something to do, and wants to be with it; Its people live in the far future, but for governance. "It can be seen that in the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, thirteen-year-old people have formed a fixed outlook on life and values, so our protagonist has devoted his life to learning the essence of the master's thought after apprenticeship.
The scene of Confucius lecturing.
There is a saying called quick to things and cautious in words, that is, the saint praises our protagonist, that is, he is diligent and quick in doing things (doing learning), and does not talk nonsense, and does not talk nonsense, in fact, our protagonist always actively asks questions to the saint to answer doubts, but he refuses to speak in vain and boast, this is because he is afraid that what he says is different from the saint's thoughts, and the reputation of the saint will be tarnished. He not only actively listened to the lectures of the sages, but also worked hard to study the Six Confucian Classics compiled by the sages, and worked as a deputy to sort out the ancient books. In the process, his academic level has also been greatly improved.
In addition to his great love of learning, our protagonist also respects the saint very much, assists the saint in lecturing, helps him to accept disciples, and does not love his career, from this point of view, these experiences seem to be highly similar to the saint's youth, and there is a faint shadow of the saint on his body, which is also an important reason why the saint loves him very much.
The Burrow" is written by Liu Yuxi.
Although he is famous as the first disciple of the saint, but our protagonist has not been a master in his life, and there are certainly reasons for his premature aging, if he can live to be sixty or seventy years old, it is difficult to guarantee that there is no history in the middle. However, judging from his nearly 30 years of life experience, it seems that he really does not attach great importance to the outing.
Our protagonist lives in poverty, but he does not take it seriously, but is happy to live in poverty and clean himself, and Confucius praises him"Zi said:'Virtuous and virtuous! A spoonful of food, a scoop of drink, in the alleys, people are unbearable, and they will not change their pleasures. Virtuous and virtuous! '！"Does this phrase sound familiar? Everyone learned an article called "Burrow Ming" when they were in junior high school, according to the record in "Burrow Ming":
"The mountain is not high, and there is a fairy name. The water is not deep, and if there is a dragon, it will be spiritual. Si is a burrow, but Wu Dexin. The moss marks are green, and the grass is green. There is a lot of talk and laughter, and there is no white ding. You can tune the piano and read the Golden Sutra. There is no silk and bamboo, and there is no case. Nanyang Zhuge Lu, West Shuzi Cloud Pavilion. Confucius: What's ugly? "The author uses praise of the Burrow to express his own interests of noble aspirations, poverty and happiness, and not being in the same stream as the world. In fact, this is based on the allusion of our protagonist living in a bad alley.
It is a utensil used by the poor.
Although he lives in poverty, because our protagonist has been following the saint to serve him, he can often go in and out of the palace or interact with the doctor class, so he can also see the world outside the alleys, plus he has always had a good reputation and has mastered the essence of the saint's thoughts, so it is inevitable that some princes and nobles favor him, thinking that he has the conditions to become a good ruler.
For example, once, Lu Dinggong heard many times that our protagonist enjoyed a good reputation, so he invited him to discuss political affairs, and the two of them talked about politics from the matter of horses. According to the record in "Confucius's Family Language: Yan Hui":
"Gong said:'The day before yesterday, the widow asked my son to take the east field Bi Zhiyu, and the son said:'Good is good, and its horses will be gone. 'I don't know my son to know it? 'Yan Hui said:'Politically knowledgeable. In the past, Emperor Shun was skillful at making people, and father was skillful at making horses. Shun is not poor in its people's power, and the father is not poor in its horsepower; It is to Shun without the people, and the father has no horse. Today, the east field Bi no Yu also, the horse is raised, and the body is upright; The steps gallop and the salute is completed; Adventures go far, horsepower is exhausted; But he begged for horses. The minister knows this. 'Gong said: Good. "Our protagonist cleverly uses reason to metaphor things and proposes it to Dinggong"There is no one who can be free from danger"This truth made Dinggong understand that he should be more tolerant of his courtiers.
Lu Dinggong was very interested in Confucianism.
But why don't gentlemen who think that they have both true talent and noble virtues actively pursue their careers?
The author believes that it is not that Yan Hui thinks that it is useless, but that he has his own unique ideas on how to become an official and how to be an official by learning Confucianism from the sages, he thinks to"Benevolence"The people-oriented thought as the core is the attitude that the saints and disciples should have, but the environment at that time was rejecting this kind of thinking, from the princes of the Son of Heaven to the common people, they were all burdened by desire, and in order to pursue wealth by unscrupulous means, killing everywhere, fundamentally and"Benevolent government"Can't catch up.
Although our protagonist is studious but not pedantic, he also clearly understands that the dark secular environment at that time and his noble benevolent ideology cannot coexist, and it is destined that even if he is a scholar, he will not be able to use Confucianism"Charity"The heart saves time, and it simply falls clean, and studies with peace of mind. This is an important reason why he will not be an official for the rest of his life.
Shun among the Three Emperors and Five Emperors.
Don't think that Yan Hui's ability is not enough so he can't be outstanding, in fact, it can be seen from his ambition that he has always kept the intention of saving the world, but because of his lofty ambitions, it is difficult to achieve, so his enthusiasm is suppressed in his chest, but he has to continue to melancholy face the sinister reality of smoke and stealing.
Therefore, those who know his life can feel his sense of loss even if they are thousands of years apart. However, unlike the literati of later generations, who only know that they take poetry as their companion, drink and make poems, and get drunk and dream of death, our protagonist will turn his grief and unwillingness into motivation and continue to study the thoughts of his master.
Someone is going to ask, so is it true that our protagonist's real ambition is to delve into knowledge? The answer is no, because Yan Hui is committed to Shun, and Yan Hui appreciates Shun very much"Do nothing", that is, later Confucianism advocated"people"Oriented"The royal road"Political ideology. For example, the above-mentioned Lu Dinggong asked Yan Hui about politics, and he gave the example of Shun to answer.
Statue of Emperor Shun. So how to understand his ambitions? We can get a glimpse from a conversation, this passage is not very informative, but the truth behind it is very large and obscure, but after understanding, you will understand why he said that he took Shun as his ambition. According to the "Analects of Gongye", it is recorded:
"Yan Yuan, Ji Lushi, Zi said:'What are the words? 'Zilu said:'May the carriages, horses, clothes and fur be with friends, and have no regrets. 'Yan Yuan said:'May there be no goodness, no labor. 'Zilu said:'May I hear the will of the son. 'Zi said:'The old man is safe, the friend believes in it, and the young man cherishes it'。"The meaning of this passage is that the sage asked Yan Hui and Zilu about their ambitions, and then said their ambitions under Zilu's inquiry, which seems to be an ordinary conversation, but it is difficult to understand thoroughly.
The three masters and apprentices are ambitious.
First Zilu replied:"I am willing to take out my car, horses, clothes, and fur to share with my friends, and I will not be angry even if I use them. ”Next, we put Yan Hui's words aside for the time being, and finally the sage said after Zilu asked a question that his ambition is that the elderly can be at ease, friends can be happy, and young people can be cared for. The words of Zilu and the sage reflect the benevolence of Confucianism: Zilu's willingness to share his valuables with his friends shows that he cares about the people close to him and is not selfish; And the saint has raised another level in this realm, and the level of care is wider, and the people of the world are the objects of care, which is far better than Zilu. So how to understand Yan Hui's words?
In fact, the meaning of our protagonist's words is not to boast about his strengths, not to confess his merits. How to understand it? That is to say, Yan Hui is confident that he can do what Zilu can do (level), but he wants to do it silently, and treat others with himself, if all the people in the world can have it like him"Charity"heart, then you can achieve the beautiful scenery of the world envisioned by the sage.
And there is another meaning of his words, that is, when doing something like what Zilu did, you should do it silently, that is, let this behavior become a natural behavior, just like human breathing and blinking is an innate skill, which does not need to be learned to master. This realm is much higher than the realm of Zilu, and even equal to or higher than the sage, which is also the fundamental manifestation of his Shun ambition and people-oriented, and it is also an important reason why he is respected by later generations.
The people are the foundation of the country.
Through Yan Hui's life review and ideological understanding, I believe everyone has understood the fundamental reason why he is reluctant to become a leaderThat is, in his heart, he takes Shun as his ambition and the people as the foundation, and holds the principles advocated by Confucianism"people"Oriented"The royal road"Political ideology. However, the dark society at that time could not provide an external environment that would allow him to display his political ambitions, so he did not want to be in the same stream as the filthy world at that time, and preferred to hide in the alleys to eat and drink, just to delve into the essence of the sage's thoughts. During this time, some people also tried to invite him to be an official, but he never changed his original intention, and he had no interest in material pursuits.
Yan Hui Temple. Yan Hui's life was mostly to follow Confucius in the Six Kingdoms, and after returning to Lu, he did not enter the office, but lived in poverty. He lived in a society where the world was in turmoil and etiquette was broken, and the Confucian ambition of benevolence and righteousness and the government of kings were often denounced as foolish and ridiculed as pretentious, because the sages at that time had profound thoughts and advanced visions that those who pursued power and wealth could not understand.
For example, a doctoral student must have a lot of knowledge, but a primary school student does not think so, because a primary school student thinks that his mastery of addition, subtraction, multiplication and division is the truth of all things, and if he can master it proficiently, then he is the best primary school student, so why bother to care about the world of doctoral students? However, with the gradual development of society, people's knowledge and life experience have been enriched, only to really discover the subtleties of Confucianism, many feudal dynasties in Chinese civilization have used Confucianism as an important reference for governing the country, but it is not known by our protagonist.
However, it is precisely because our protagonist has noble aspirations, is happy to live in poverty, and does not like things or be sad about himself, that he can truly understand the essence of the sage's thoughts, and is known as the ** who truly grasps the sage's thoughts, so that he can have the treatment of the saint crying for him after death.
Because of this, all dynasties in later generations have a very high evaluation of him, not only adding a nickname to him, but also building temples and shrines for him, and worshipping him. It was also an affirmation of his knowledge and personality, and could comfort him and the saint's heavenly spirit.