Easy to interpret the idiom of the Tao Te Ching
There are many idioms in the Tao Te Ching, and Dishan Qian chooses its nine sentences, which are easy to interpret.
1.If you are cautious in the end, you will not fail
If you are cautious in the end, you will not fail" comes from the sixty-fourth chapter of the Tao Te Ching, to the effect that if you are consistent and cautious in your words and deeds, there is nothing bad to do.
The beginning of the festival: "If you don't go out of the house, you won't be blamed." The little elephant passed on the clouds: "If you don't go out of the house, you know how to pass through." Confucius lamented this in the "Biography of the System": "When chaos is born, words are the order." If the king is not secret, he will lose his minister, if he is not secret, he will lose his body, and if he is not secret, he will be harmed. Di Shan Qian distilled it into the "three principles of secrecy" of "three secrets of several things of the monarch and minister", that is, the string of secrecy should be tightened at all times in thought. The first six clouds of "Da Guo": "Borrowing white grass, there is no blame." Confucius also sighed with emotion in the "Biography of the System": "If you make a mistake in all places, you can use Mao, what is the blame?" Be cautious. Fu Mao is thin, and the use can be heavy, and the prudence is also in the past, and it has nothing to lose! In other words, many people are not to blame, everything goes from the details, there will be no sequelae, and "being cautious and undefeated" is also. In addition, the "Biography of the Dictionaries" also expressed: "If a gentleman lives in his room and speaks well, he should be thousands of miles away, but what about it?" If you live in your room and don't speak well, you will violate it thousands of miles away. Words come out of the body, add to the people, deeds come from all directions, and see far away. Words and deeds, the cardinal of the gentleman, the hair of the cardinal, the lord of honor and disgrace, words and deeds, the reason why the gentleman moves the heavens and the earth, can he be careless? In other words, be cautious, there are only benefits, not harms. At the end of the "Biography of the System", it is further emphasized: "Those who are in danger make peace, and those who are easy make them tilt....Fear is the end, and it will be blameless....This is called the way of "Yi". In other words, what the whole "Zhou Yi" teaches us is these eight words: "Fear is the end, and it must be blameless." ”
2.A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step
A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step" from the sixty-fourth chapter of the Tao Te Ching, to the effect that the accumulation of steps, to a thousand miles, thousands of high-rise buildings rise from the ground.
Heng" Yi Chuanyun: "The sun and the moon are in the sky, and they can shine for a long time, the four seasons change, and they can be long-lasting, the saints are in their ways for a long time, and the world is formed." "Preface Hexagram" cloud: "The way of husband and wife cannot be short, so they are subject to "Heng", and the constant is long." In other words, it is important to do things without distractions and perseverance. "Gradually" elephant Chuanyun: "There is wood on the mountain, gradually, the gentleman is virtuous and virtuous." "Gradually" Yi Chuanyun: "Gradually, the woman returns to Jiye." Entering the position, to meritorious. Advance to be positive, can be positive. Its position is strong, and it is also in the middle. Stop, and move endlessly. That is to say, if you want to be fast, you can't eat hot tofu in a hurry, you have to go through the procedures in everything, talk about the rules, and avoid "stepping over the stove on the kang". "Rise" elephant Chuanyun: "Wood grows in the ground, rises, the gentleman is Shunde, and the small is tall." In other words, Rome was not built in a day, taking small steps, not stopping, and making progress every day. This is similar to the idea advocated by Xunzi's "Persuasion": "If you don't accumulate steps, you can't reach thousands of miles; If you don't accumulate small streams, you can't become rivers and seas. Qi Ji jumps, can't take ten steps; Ten horses, the merit is relentless. Perseverance, rotten wood does not break; Perseverance, gold and stone can be carved. That is to say, empty talk misleads the country, hard work prospers the country, gathers sand into a tower, accumulates armpits into fur, and achieves success for a long time. This is what the Ming Dynasty poet Lin Hong said in "Drinking": "A word cannot be practiced, and ten thousand volumes are empty", and it is also what Comrade Xiaoping emphasized: "Everything in the world is done, and if you don't do it, there is no Marxism at all."
3.Contentment is not humiliating, and knowing that it will not be destroyed
Contentment is not humiliating, knowing that it will not be destroyed" comes from the 44th chapter of the Tao Te Ching, to the effect that knowing that you will not be humiliated if you are satisfied, and that there will be no danger if you know how to stop in moderation.
Jian "Yi Chuanyun: "Jian, difficult, dangerous ahead." Seeing the danger and being able to stop, know it. In other words, stop what you should do, and don't do it brutally before the obstacles. "Gen" hexagram cloud: "Gen's back, not its body; If you don't see them, you don't see them, and you are not to blame. "Gen" elephant Chuanyun: "mountain, Gen, gentleman can't think of his position." "Gen" said to the clouds: "Gen, stop." When it stops, it stops, when it does, and when it moves, it doesn't lose its time, and its way is bright. Gen stops, stops where it goes. The upper and lower enemies should respond, and they should not be with each other. It is to not get his body, but to go to court, not to see his person, and not to blame. "Gen" on Jiuyun: "Dungen, Ji." The little elephant passed on the clouds: "The auspiciousness of Dungong ends with thickness." That is to say, indifferent and ambitious, quiet and far-reaching, walking with the times, stopping what should be stopped, then advancing and retreating freely, and the future is bright. "Qian: Wenyan" cloud: "Kangzhi is also a word, knowing and then not knowing how to retreat, knowing survival but not dying, knowing but not knowing mourning." Is it only a saint? Those who know how to advance and retreat and survive without losing their righteousness, are only saints? In other words, it is necessary to know the time and do the right thing. "Biography of the System" cloud: "Those who change are in trouble? Yiyun: "The dangerous are in their place, the dead are safe, and the chaotic have their rule, so the gentleman is safe and does not forget the danger, survives without forgetting the death, and governs without forgetting the chaos, which is to protect the country with his own safety." That is, born in sorrow and dying in peace.
4.Skynet is magnificent, negligent but not leaky
Skynet is magnificent, negligent but not leaky" from the seventy-third chapter of the Tao Te Ching: "Skynet is magnificent, negligent but not lost." "It is to the effect that if you want people not to know, you must not do it unless you do it.
Kun hexagram "Wenyan Biography" cloud: "The house of goodness will have more than celebration; If you don't accumulate goodness, you will have more than a disaster. The minister kills his king, and the son kills his father, not overnight, and the origin of it is gradual, and the argument is not early. That is to say, freezing three feet, not a day's cold, a thousand miles of embankment, collapsed in an anthill. "Devouring" hexagram cloud: "Heng." Take advantage of the prison. The elephant passed on the clouds: "Thunder and lightning, devouring, the first king punished the law with Ming." "Yi Chuanyun:" There is something in the palace, it is said to devour, devour, devour, and Heng." Rigidity and softness are divided, moving and bright, thunder and lightning are combined. Soft and upward, although not in place, use prison also. Chu Jiuyun: "The school is not to blame." Xiang said: "The school will kill the toes, and it won't work." Confucius lamented this in the "Biography of the System": "The villain is not ashamed or benevolent, not afraid of injustice, does not see profit, does not persuade, does not threaten and does not punish." Small punishment and big commandment, the blessing of this villain. Shang Jiuyun: "He Xiao kills his ears and is fierce." The little elephant passed on the clouds: "He Xiao has lost his ears, and he is not clear." Confucius also lamented this in the "Biography of the System": "Good is not enough to become famous, and evil is not enough to perish." The villain takes the small good as useless and the little evil is not harmful, so the evil accumulates and cannot be hidden, and the sin is big and incomprehensible. In other words, if good and evil are not rewarded, there will be selfishness. Don't stretch out your hand, and you will be caught.
5.Humility
Humility is like a valley" from the fifteenth chapter of the Tao Te Ching: "Dunxi is simple, and barren is like a valley." "It is to the effect that it is as simple as if it were unpolished, and as wide as a mountain valley.
"Xian" elephant passed on the clouds: "There is Ze on the mountain, salty, and the gentleman accepts people with nothingness." That is to say, embrace all rivers and treat others with humility. "Qian" hexagram cloud: "Qian, Heng, the gentleman has an end." That is to say, if you are humble, the road will lead, and the gentleman will have a good death. "Qian" ninety-three little elephant Chuanyun: "Lao Qian gentleman, all the people obey." That is, a gentleman who works hard and does not work hard, everyone supports and likes it. "Qian" spreads the "Four Sentences Teaching": "The way of heaven is profitable and humble, the earth is profitable and humble, the ghosts and gods are harmful and humble, and humanity is evil and humble." That is to say, the low land is full of losses, and the low people are beneficial to Wang Qian. "The Biography of the System" "Sanchen" humility hexagram, emphasizing: "Humility, the handle of virtue, humility and light, humility to make courtesy." ”
6.Retire with success
"Retirement after success" is from the ninth chapter of the Tao Te Ching: "Holding on to it is not as good as it; It cannot be kept for a long time. The house is full of gold and jade, and Mo can keep it; Rich and arrogant, self-blame. After retiring, the way of heaven is also. It is to the effect that the middle of the day is the sun, and the moon is eclipse, and it is necessary to follow the laws of nature, and accept it when it is good.
"Escape" elephant Chuanyun: "There are mountains in the world, escape, the gentleman is far from the villain, not evil and strict." "Escape" is a rumor: "Escape Heng, escape and Heng." "Escape" on Jiuyun: "Fat escape, no disadvantage." The little elephant Chuanyun: "There is no disadvantage in fattening, and there is no doubt about it." That is to say, observe a few to know the subtleties, know the time to reach the business, thirty-six plans to go up, see a few and do a retreat. Therefore, the "Preface Hexagram" cloud: "Things cannot live in their place for a long time, so they can escape from it." Retreat, retreat. "Gu" on Jiuyun: "It's not a prince, it's noble." The little elephant Chuanyun: "It's not a prince, but Zhike." In other words, there is no master here, there is a place to stay here, and he brushes his sleeves and goes to "fry the boss". "Gen" said to the clouds: "Gen, stop." When it stops, it stops, when it does, and when it moves, it doesn't lose its time, and its way is bright. Gen stops, stops where it goes. That is to say, we must see through, think openly, let go, and stop what we do.
7.Success
"Success does not live" comes from the second chapter of the Tao Te Ching: "All things do not begin, are born without being, are not ashamed, and succeed and dwell." Fu Wei Fuju is not going to go. That is to say, to give birth to all things without taking them for oneself, to cultivate all things without relying on one's own abilities, and to achieve fame without boasting about oneself. Only in this way can the meritorious deeds last forever. "Qian" Jiusanyun: "Lao Qian, the gentleman has an end, auspicious." The little elephant passed on the clouds: "Lao Qian is a gentleman, and all the people are served." In response to this, Master Confucius sighed in the "Biography of the System": "Work without cutting, merit without virtue, and thick to the extreme." The language is also known as a subordinate. Virtue is sheng, courtesy is respectful. Those who are humble are also respectful to those who save their positions. That is to say, man is low as the king, the earth is low as the ocean, humble in the world, humble and light, humble and insurmountable.
8.Too many words are poor
"Too many words and a few poor" comes from the fifth chapter of the Tao Te Ching: "It is better to be poor than to be poor in many words." "It is to the effect that the more you intervene, the faster you will fall, and it is better to stay quiet and go with the flow.
The elephant said: "The gentleman speaks cautiously and eats sparingly." "Gen" six or five clouds: "Gen is supplemented, the words are orderly, and the repentance is repentant." The little elephant passed on the clouds: "Gen is supplemented, and Zhongzheng is also." In the "Biography of the Dictionaries", Confucius lamented the words of the first nine hexagrams, "If you don't go out of the court, you won't be blamed": "When chaos is born, words are ordered. If the king is not secret, he will lose his minister, if he is not secret, he will lose his life, and if he is not secret, he will be harmed. It is a gentleman's prudence and not out. That is to say, "be cautious and harmless", and be cautious in words and deeds to avoid evil.
9.Forever
"Forever" comes from the seventh chapter of the Tao Te Ching: "Forever and ever." Therefore, those who can live long and long in heaven and earth can live forever because they do not generate by themselves. It is to the effect that the reason why heaven and earth will last forever is because the great virtues of heaven and earth are born, and they do not live for themselves, so they can live forever.
Heng" elephant Chuanyun: "Thunderstorm, Heng, it is not easy for a gentleman to stand." In other words, since you have chosen a distant place, you should have no distractions and go through thick and thin. "Heng" Jiusanyun: "If you don't perpetuate your virtue, or inherit your shame, you will be stingy." The little elephant passed on the clouds: "If you don't perpetuate your virtue, you can't tolerate anything." "That is to say, if you are capricious and capricious, you will achieve nothing. "Preface Hexagram" cloud: "The way of husband and wife cannot be short, so they are subject to "Heng", and the constant is long." That is to say, the constant hexagram is like the way of a couple, holding the hand of the son, growing old with the son, and foaming each other to the whitehead. That is to say, it is necessary to work for a long time, insist that Qingshan will not relax, and always work to the end with a blueprint and a blueprint.
Note: This article was published in Zhou Chunguang's first Yixue monograph, "Seeing the World with Easy Eyes", July 2023, Haoyu Publishing House).