Junzi Bide

China's culture has a long history and is profound, which contains the world outlook, outlook on life and morality of the unity of man and nature. Therefore, China people have always respected heaven and valued virtue, and emphasized character and moral integrity. The idea of "virtue" has penetrated into all aspects of traditional culture. People often compare a thing to a virtue of human beings, such as bamboo symbolizing "knot", plum symbolizing "bone", jade symbolizing a gentleman's inner temperament, and lotus symbolizing "getting out of the mud without staining", which expresses people's admiration for a gentleman's noble character and their pursuit and yearning for a beautiful ideal and perfect personality.

Three Friends in Winter ―― Pine Trees

In China culture with a long history, people have always referred to pine, bamboo and plum as "three-year-old gentlemen who are cold" and "three-year-old friends who are cold". When the north wind is cold and everything is dying, they are proud of the snow in the wind, tenacious and unyielding, conveying the news of spring to people and being regarded as a symbol of purity and integrity. Later, some people put forward the theory of "four friends of the old cold", that is, "pine, bamboo, plum and stone", and added a "stone" as "rock-solid" to symbolize the indomitable character and integrity of a gentleman.

Pine, evergreen all the year round, is a cold-resistant tree, which does not wither after winter and is often regarded as a symbol of integrity and moral integrity. Its simple and solemn personality gives people a sense of peace and seriousness. It is full of vitality, pursues sunshine, and has the lofty spirit of "the earth depends on it and the Tianzhu depends on it" as stated in Wen Tianxiang's Song Zhengqi. And the sound of pines shaking the valley makes people feel a kind of persistence and persistence. The ancients compared the cold age to troubled times and the pine and cypress to a gentleman. Yanhe said: "mortals can manage the world by themselves like gentlemen." In troubled times, you will know the meaning of a gentleman and be meticulous. " Refers to the character of a gentleman, just like a pine and cypress. Although I am in troubled times and adversity, I am not confused by things, do not change my original intention, and always have a firm heart.

Plum, blooming in the cold, is beautiful and unique, which is a symbol of perseverance. Plum blossoms bloom in the cold, before the flowers, through the cold, and report early spring alone. They are known as "the first branch of the east wind" and have always been praised by people. People admire its strong and noble character. "The more awe-inspiring the snow is, the strongest integrity is in the flowers." It is ambitious, but indifferent and peaceful, and its fragrance floats in the world, "clearing the air and making it dry." It doesn't go with the flow, but always keeps a clean body and mind, awakening Wan Fang to welcome the arrival of spring. This indomitable tenacity and tenacious vitality of plum blossoms inspire people to forge ahead and make people see the infinite vitality of hope and spring.

Numerous benevolent gentlemen have emerged in the history of China, all of whom have the same character as Mei. For example, Tao Yuanming leads an honest and clean life and does not collude with the dark forces; Zhuge Liang "indifferent to Zhi Ming, quiet and far-reaching"; Although Liu Yuxi lives in a humble room, he is concerned about the country and the people; Lu You is concerned about the country and the people, but his heart of serving the country has never changed, although he has been relegated repeatedly. He loves Mei all his life, loves her, and speaks for himself with the character Mei. "How can it be transformed into hundreds of billions, and a plum blossom opens a tree?"

Bamboo is not afraid of cold and heat, which has its own beauty. It is straightforward, modest, humble and chic, and is often regarded as a symbol of purity, openness and humility of people with different customs. The ups and downs of cold and hot will only make it look more green and straight. In a very short time, you can draw out your sword and fight against the sky. People personify bamboo and compare it with bamboo to improve their moral cultivation. Scholars in China in previous dynasties regarded the elegance of bamboo as more polite than the gentleman's civilization, regarded chastity as self-respect and self-love, and looked at it with an open mind, which were the basic qualities possessed by ancient gentlemen. So among the three friends, it seems that "bamboo" is more loved by ancient gentlemen.

Scholars and hermits in China like to plant, admire, chant and draw bamboo, and even regard bamboo as friends and companions, because the charm of bamboo in form and meaning can entrust a gentleman with the valuable qualities and sentiments of integrity, self-cultivation, keeping the family in order, governing the country and leveling the world. People use things to control people, so as to inspire others and encourage themselves.

From ancient times to the present, there are countless poems praising and praising bamboo, which shows that the Chinese nation respects and yearns for these qualities and virtues, such as perseverance, emphasis on solar terms, integrity and modesty.

Bai Juyi, a great poet in the Tang Dynasty, compared bamboo to a saint and a gentleman. He believes that when a gentleman sees bamboo, he will encourage his self-cultivation by virtue of its quality and integrity. He said in Bamboo Cultivation: "Bamboo is like a saint, so what?" Bamboo is solid, solid with tree virtue. A gentleman sees a wise man, Si Qi. Bamboo is straight, standing straight. A gentleman sees sex and thinks neutrality. The bamboo heart is empty, and the empty body is the Tao. When a gentleman sees his heart, he thinks about the recipient. Chastity in bamboo, chastity with determination. A gentleman sees his festival, thinks about his name, does his thing, and is in harmony with danger. If the husband is like this, there are many real gentlemen. "

Zhang Jiuling, a poet in the Tang Dynasty, said in "Singing Bamboo with Assistant Minister Lu of Huangmen": "The highest person attaches importance to each other and is known to the world with an open mind."

Zhu, a famous poetess in the Song Dynasty, wrote in "Zhi Zhu": "Loyal minister's day, solitary and brave. Always the same color, frost and snow can't invade. "

Su Dongpo, a great writer in the Northern Song Dynasty, praised Zhu Yun in The Story of Mo Juntang: "As far as plants are concerned, the four seasons change greatly, and you are unique. The wind and snow are fierce, and it is obvious that the drill bit and the cliff stone are sharp and embarrassing. Success, then Mao is not arrogant; If you are frustrated, you will not have children and will not be humiliated. Live in groups and be independent. "

In the Yuan Dynasty, Ma Qianzhai's Ode to Bamboo said, "Chastity does not invade snow and frost, but straight chastity is easy to see." Yang Zai's "On Zhu Mo" in Yuan Dynasty says: "The taste is light but the color is not charming. The lonely cliff and the valley have this gas field. "

Tang Bohu, a talented scholar in the south of the Yangtze River in the Ming Dynasty, said in the poem "Bamboo Painting Poetry": "There is a festival before it is unearthed, and Lingyun is still modest." Zheng Banqiao, a famous painter in Qing Dynasty, is famous for painting bamboo. He has a poem: "I insist that the green hills are not relaxed, and the roots are broken." A thousand blows are still strong, and the wind is east, west, north and south. " This praise is still bamboo.

In addition, the "four gentlemen in flowers" often mentioned in ancient poems include plum, bamboo, orchid and chrysanthemum in addition to the title of "three gentlemen in cold age".

Orchids, with a fragrant flower and a peanut in a secluded place, are often regarded as a symbol of humility. Chrysanthemum, it is not only beautiful and elegant, fragrant, but also has the characteristics of snow resistance; Flowers bloom after withering and do not compete with others, so they have always been used to symbolize the unyielding noble character of nature.

Whether they are "three-year-old cold friends" or "four gentlemen in flowers", Song, Zhu and Mei all show lofty moral ethics for the world with their proud character of not being afraid of the snow.

Gentleman is like jade

Jade culture is another precious resource in China traditional culture, which is integrated with moral concepts and etiquette and becomes a symbol of the moral spirit of the Chinese nation. Confucianism compares the quality of beautiful jade with the virtue of a gentleman, endows jade with moral connotation and makes an incisive explanation.

Since ancient times, there has been a saying that a gentleman wears jade. The Book of Rites says: "The ancient gentleman must wear jade" and "the gentleman doesn't wear jade for no reason". There is also a record in The Book of Songs that "a gentleman is as gentle as jade". According to the comprehensive dictionary of form, sound and meaning, jade, whose original meaning is the beauty of stone, is a beautiful stone with smooth color, smooth voice and clean texture. The king of emperors has always had three meanings and three worlds, and Chinese painting is close to the world. The jade of pearl jade, the three paintings are even and coherent, and the meaning of "jade" is added to the side to show the difference. Therefore, the "jade" of Zhuyu was originally called "Wang", commonly known as "jade".

The ancients loved jade not only because of its external beauty, but because it was a symbol of moral character. People wear jade articles to encourage themselves, as their inspiration in life, and to regulate their words and deeds.

The quality of jade is the virtue of a gentleman, that is, the external expression of human inner goodness. What is the virtue of a gentleman?

Benevolence means being kind to others and being kind to the greatest morality, sympathy and care. "I am right. If you don't ask others, there will be no complaints." A gentleman is only strict with himself, not demanding of others, so he has no resentment or enmity. Having others in your heart is the beginning of good, and not having others in your heart is the beginning of evil. There is no one else in my heart, only my own people, who may take advantage of it and do evil. "Benevolent people are also", and those who can always think of others are real people. "Benevolence is invincible", a truly kind person has no enemies.

Righteousness is justice. Zhu said: "Righteousness is justified; Beneficiaries, what people want. " It can be seen that obeying the principle of heaven is righteousness.

Jade is hard and doesn't hurt people, which shows the nobility of jade: "scratch without breaking, sharp without worrying" shows the spirit of Yuning breaking without bending. This is the preciousness of jade and the virtue of a gentleman.

Wisdom, the original meaning should be "knowledge". The texture of jade is nuanced, just like a wise gentleman, who can draw inferences from one story to another, knowing everything, being considerate and learning from others. A gentleman is calm without anxiety, considerate without paranoia. It's wisdom to be able to draw inferences from others and know ten things by hearing one thing.

I believe that Xu Shen's Shuo Wen Jie Zi in the Eastern Han Dynasty said, "I really don't deceive myself or others." Therefore, honesty is faith. Jade has flaws inside, and it must be seen outside, just like faith. Jade never hides her shortcomings, does not deceive the world or herself, and is a gentleman's letter. Believe and listen to what others say, that is, you can listen to what others say, listen without doubt, believe without doubt.

Rites and rites are natural laws and codes of conduct that human beings are born to follow. Jade pendant, as long as people wear it, naturally hangs down and hangs like a pendant, vividly expressing the image of the ceremony. Not condescending, but courteous. Just like a gentleman, he feels inferior and respects others. Humility is humility, not meanness. Is to lower yourself and let yourself go, so as to truly respect others. "Self-denial is benevolence, one day self-denial is benevolence, and the world is benevolence."

Xu Shen in the Eastern Han Dynasty also said in Shuo Wen Jie Zi that jade and stone are both beautiful and virtuous. Moisturize with warmth and kindness. Gill's principle can be known from the outside, meaning also. Its voice is comfortable and profound, and it is also wise. Perseverance and courage. Sharp is not expensive, but it is not embarrassing and clean. This is what the ancients called the five virtues contained in jade.

The ancients attached importance to moral cultivation, which can be seen from their love for jade.

Later, Confucius comprehensively promoted and expanded the moral character of jade in the Book of Rites, and endowed jade with "eleven virtues". In his view, jade has eleven characters and symbols: benevolence, wisdom, righteousness, courtesy, joy, loyalty, faith, heaven, earth, morality and Taoism.

Because the beauty of jade must go through a complicated process of "cutting, exploring, cutting and grinding", a poem by Feng Wei in the Book of Songs wrote: "There are bandits and gentlemen, such as cutting and grinding." This means that this elegant gentleman, like jade carefully cut, explored, cut and ground, shows that the beauty of a gentleman can only be obtained through a certain degree of propriety and mastery. Just like getting beautiful jade, it needs some polishing. In this way, jade has become a symbol of gentleman's cultivation and temper.

China's understanding of jade is different from modern western science's understanding of mineral rocks. Mineralogy and petrology in the west are based on physical chemistry, focusing on the study of material composition and formation process, and on this basis, rocks and minerals are classified and identified. However, China had different understandings of rocks and minerals in ancient times, which involved ideological issues.

There is an old saying in China that "a gentleman never leaves his body for no reason", and Confucius said that "a gentleman is like jade". The purpose of wearing jade is to always alert one's moral cultivation and character to be like jade. Confucianism believes that a gentleman should be obedient to the outside and tough to the inside; Be lenient with others and strict with yourself; Guanghua is reserved and unobtrusive. The quality of jade is closest to that of a gentleman, so China's application and wearing of jade is based on moral and spiritual reasons.

In the application of jade by ancient people, it is by no means that modern people aim at preserving and increasing the value of jade. In ancient times, people believed in the existence of God, and God sheltered people. Only by observing the moral and behavioral standards told by God can people live in a beautiful world. In order to thank heaven and earth for the beautiful life, people began to pay homage. It also began to "give to the world" with jade.

Nowadays, people regard jade as a tool to get rich, a beautiful ornament, and even to show off their wealth. After that, the means of counterfeiting, coloring and optimization were only for economic benefits, completely forgetting the true meaning of jade. Coupled with the hype in the media, few people now know the fundamental use of jade, which makes people feel sad.

In today's society, some people's morality is gradually deviating, putting the pursuit of material interests and personal enjoyment above everything else. Interpersonal relationships have only become naked money transactions and mutual use, and social phenomena have continuously broken through the bottom line of human morality. How many of these people can still keep their true colors? How many people can stick to the moral integrity of "three friends at the age of cold"

At present, people's call for traditional virtues has brought good hope to our nation and society. At this critical historical moment, people of insight will act according to traditional moral standards, purify their hearts, spread beautiful thoughts and conscience, and arouse more people to use our traditional virtues to build a solid foundation of national spirit. The building of national spirit will certainly be more magnificent. Jade spirit, plum character, loose integrity and bamboo integrity are the portrayal of these noble-minded gentlemen, these people with lofty ideals who dare to defend the truth, and the backbone of the Chinese nation with incomparably firm beliefs and beliefs!

There are many ancient gentlemen in China, who are not only better than Germans. If a gentleman is better than a "lotus", take the noble integrity of the lotus and never go with the flow.

And the sword. Sword has become a symbol of "gentleman" in the Spring and Autumn Period. Because the sword is often straight and not bent, it means "neutral" and "not bent", just like a gentleman. In fact, many people in ancient times wore swords and always reminded themselves to uphold the golden mean and persevere.

To cast a good sword, you must go through a lot of tests and hardships, which often takes more time than making other weapons. After casting, the degree of cutting should be selected according to the purpose of use.

People are the same. If you want to be a gentleman, you must go through a lot of tempering, and after the test and tempering of countless life setbacks, you can cultivate noble character and achieve harmony in the world.

Whether it is the "jade" of a gentleman or the "old and cold three gentlemen", it has been handed down from generation to generation in China because people admire the noble character of a gentleman and also because people yearn for warm and beautiful spring, beauty, truthfulness and eternity.