China Traditional Culture Analects Reading Video

The Analects focuses on memorizing words, in which "Lun" means compilation, "Language" means words, classic sentences and proverbs, and "Analects" is the language of compilation. The Analects of Confucius has been written by many people, including Confucius' disciples, Confucius' re-disciples, and people outside Confucius, but mainly Confucius' disciples.

The Analects of Confucius is also good at showing characters through the description of expressions and voices. Confucius is the center described in The Analects. "Confucius's motto" ("Wen Xin Diao Long? Sanctify "); There are not only static descriptions of his manners, but also vivid descriptions of his personality and temperament. In addition, centering on Confucius, The Analects of Confucius also successfully created some images of Confucius disciples. Such as frankness and recklessness, Yan Yuan's virtue, Zi Gong's intelligence and eloquence, Zeng's naturalness and refinement, etc. , can be called a distinctive personality, can leave a deep impression on people. Confucius taught different students in accordance with their aptitude, taking into account their different qualities, advantages and disadvantages, and the specific situation of studying in Germany. It embodies the valuable spirit of tirelessly teaching people. According to Yan Yuan, both disciples asked Ren, and Confucius gave different answers: Yan Yuan said, "Be kind to yourself", Zhong Gong said, "Don't do to others what you don't want others to do to you", and Sima Zhong said, "A benevolent person is guilty of speaking". Yan Yuan has profound knowledge and education, so he should take the outline of Benevolence and elaborate on Zhong Gong and Sima Zhong. Another example is to ask "Steven Zhu Xing? Confucius replied to Luz, "If your parents are here again, how can you smell it?"! Because it is also a human being, it retired. You Ran replied, "Steven will do it." Because "seeking also retreats, so advancing also retreats." "This is not only a question of teaching students in accordance with their aptitude, but also full of Confucius' high sense of responsibility to his disciples.

The Analects of Confucius is a record of words and deeds recorded by the disciples of Confucius, an ancient thinker in China and one of the top ten historical celebrities in the world. Written in the early Warring States period. Because Qin Shihuang, the first emperor, burned books to bury Confucianism, in the Western Han Dynasty, only books were taught orally and obtained from the double walls of Confucius, including: 20 Analects of Lu taught orally by Lu people, 22 Analects of Qi taught orally by Qi people, and 2 1 ancient Analects of Confucius discovered from the double walls of Confucius. At the end of the Western Han Dynasty, yu zhang perfected The Analects of Confucius, and on the basis of The Analects of Lu and The Analects of Qi, he formed another theory called Zhang Houlun. At the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, Zheng Xuan wrote Annotations on the Analects of Confucius on the basis of Zhang Houlun, referring to The Analects of Qi and The Ancient Analects, which are now the versions of The Analects. The Analects of Confucius and The Ancient Analects of Confucius soon died out. The Analects of Confucius consists of 20 chapters and 492 chapters, of which about 444 chapters record what Confucius and his disciples talked about in time, and 48 chapters record what Confucius and his disciples talked about each other.

The Analects of Confucius, as a collection of words and deeds of Confucius and his disciples, has a wide range of contents, mostly involving the problems of human social life, which has had a great influence on the psychological quality and moral behavior of the Chinese nation. Until the modern New Culture Movement, it has been a must-read book for beginners in China for more than two thousand years.

After the May 4th Movement, the Analects of Confucius, as a symbol of feudal culture, was listed as the object of criticism and negation. Despite the research and germination of neo-Confucianism, under the background of China's democratic revolution, Confucian culture has not formed a new atmosphere in China. With the development of the times and the progress of the society, people have to choose a new ideology and culture, which is the spread of Marxism in China and the birth and development of a new socialist culture.

But the grim fact is that a new society, especially one that has entered the normal development track, has to rethink its national spirit and traditional culture, which is an important link that cannot be ignored in any society's own development process. In particular, the essence of national culture deserves people's re-understanding and re-exploration. This reminds me of human sexuality and individuality, cultural sexuality and individuality, and the dialectical negative essence of national culture. At the same time, it also made me feel the value of Mao Zedong's thought of "making the past serve the present and making foreign things serve China".

In fact, when we get rid of the metaphysical way of thinking and really establish the materialistic dialectical way of thinking, and use it to analyze the traditional culture of China, we will find the essence, and The Analects of Confucius is one of them. Undeniably, The Analects has its dross or negative side, but it reflects the essence of social life and philosophical proverbs more than 2,000 years ago, and it is a historical display of the degree of Chinese civilization. Even today, with the reform and opening up, rapid economic development and cultural development, many ideas in The Analects still have certain reference significance and value of the times.

First, the "ghosts and gods" thought in The Analects of Confucius

The idea of ghosts and gods is the expression of human mysterious fear of natural phenomena, and it is also an illusory sustenance of human destiny. Even today, with the development of science, the concept of ghosts and gods of contemporary people has appeared from time to time, and even the phenomenon of artificial gods has occurred frequently. So, does the ghost phenomenon exist? The scientific conclusion is negative, so why do contemporary people still have the concept of ghosts and gods, and even some people believe it? This is caused by the complexity of social existence and human psychology and the defects of human quality. However, as an ancient man more than two thousand years ago, what did Confucius think of ghosts and gods in an era when witches and ghosts were rampant and natural science was extremely underdeveloped? Confucius "has nothing to say: wonder, strength, chaos and spirit" (Shu Er). Advocate "stay away from ghosts and gods" (eternal night). It shows that Confucius took a very cautious attitude towards ghosts and gods. Confucius did not comment on the existence of ghosts and gods, nor did he object to others believing in ghosts and gods, but stayed away from them. This was valuable under the historical conditions at that time. At the same time, Confucius usually doesn't talk about weirdness, violence, rebellion and ghosts. He thinks these things are not good for people. Once, Confucius was ill, and Luz asked to pray for him. Confucius said, "Is this the case?" Lutz replied, "Yes. The article "Death" says, "Pray to the gods for you." Confucius said, "If so, I have prayed, why am I still sick?" On another occasion, Lu Ji asked how to serve ghosts and gods. Confucius said, "I can't serve the living yet. How can I serve ghosts and gods? " Although Confucius did not object to others believing in ghosts and gods, he was skeptical about ghosts and gods as himself. Although he can't prove the existence of ghosts and gods, he himself doesn't believe in ghosts and gods. This shows that Confucius has the germination of atheism and embodies the thought of simple materialism. As Confucius' world outlook, this has an important influence on his thought.

Second, how to be a man and its value

The Analects of Confucius, as a Confucian classic involving many aspects of human life, has many chapters on being a man, which is of reference significance to contemporary people.

First, be upright. Confucius said, "Those who are born straight and idle are lucky to be spared." According to Confucius, a person should be upright, and only integrity can be aboveboard. However, dishonest people in our lives can survive, but that's just a fluke to avoid disaster. According to the logical reasoning of the development of things, this lucky man will fall sooner or later.

Second, being a man should attach importance to "benevolence". This is one of the most important issues in Confucius' life. In Confucius' view, benevolence is the foundation of being a man and occupies the first place. Confucius said, "Disciples are filial, and younger brothers are younger. They sincerely believe that they love people all the time, but they are kind. I have spare capacity to study literature. " ("Xue Ji") Again: "Are people ruthless, like courtesy? People are heartless, so what are you happy about? " ("Bashu") This shows that it is meaningful to study and learn rites and music only on the basis of benevolence. Confucius also believed that only the benevolent can treat others selflessly and get people's praise. Confucius said, "Benevolent people can be good and hateful." (Liren) "There are thousands of horses in Qi Jinggong. On the day of his death, he said the people were immoral. Boyi and Shu Qi starved to death under Shouyang, which people now call. " (Historical Records) fully demonstrates the value and strength of benevolence.

So what is benevolence? Yan Yuan asked Ren, and Confucius said, "Self-denial is benevolence. A day of self-denial and self-denial, the world is benevolent. " ("Yan Yuan") In other words, only by restraining yourself and making words and deeds conform to the ceremony is benevolence. Once you keep your word, people all over the world will praise you as a kind person. It can be seen that "benevolence" is not innate, but the result of "self-cultivation" and "self-denial" acquired. Of course, Confucius also put forward the external standard of benevolence, that is, "rigidity, toughness, wood, laziness and kindness." (Lutz) That is to say, people with strong, decisive, simple and modest language are close to benevolence. At the same time, he also put forward five standards of practicing benevolence, namely "courtesy, tolerance, faithfulness, sensitivity and benefit" (Yang Huo). That is, humility, generosity, faithfulness, diligence and kindness. He said that respect for others will not lead to insults, generosity to others will win everyone's support, honesty to others will trust them, hard work will succeed, and kindness to others will command the people well. Confucius said that those who can practice these five virtues can be regarded as benevolence.

Of course, in Confucius' view, it is extremely difficult to be completely benevolent. Therefore, he taught people to pursue the way of benevolence and righteousness, that is, "be knowledgeable in the text, be polite, and be a husband!" " ("Yan Yuan") that is, we should extensively study cultural classics, restrain our behavior with courtesy, and make ourselves not deviate from the right path. At the same time, we should also pay attention to learning from benevolence and help cultivate benevolence with benevolence. A benevolent person should be a person who can stand up for himself and let others stand up, help others realize what they want and push others to do everything well. That is: "I want to stand up and stand up, I want to get in touch with people, and I can look at them at close range." It can be said that the benevolent side has already existed. " (Yongye)

Third, a man should pay attention to the all-round development of his self-cultivation. Ceng Zi said: "I save three times a day: are you unfaithful to others?" Don't believe in making friends? Can't you learn? "(Learning) That is, I have to reflect on myself repeatedly every day: Have I tried my best to help others? Do you keep your word when dealing with your friends? Have you reviewed the lessons taught by the teacher? Emphasize the importance of self-cultivation. On this basis, Confucius emphasized that people should pay attention to all-round development. Confucius said, "Take Tao as the aim, virtue as the basis, benevolence as the basis, and swim in the art" (Shu Er), that is, aim at Tao, base on virtue, virtue in benevolence, and walk in six arts (ritual, music, shooting, imperial, calligraphy and number). Only in this way can we be a real person. So why did Confucius emphasize the all-round development of life? This reflects Confucius' understanding of human sociality and the mutual restriction of personal cultivation. He said: "It is interesting to stand in poetry and ceremony." (Taber) That is, poetry can inspire people's spirit, etiquette can strengthen people's sentiment, and music can promote people's career success. So for personal cultivation, all-round development is extremely important.

Third, about the shaping of a gentleman's personality.

There are many pages in The Analects of Confucius about a gentleman, but the gentleman here is a broad concept, which emphasizes the pursuit of personality and teaches people to be different from ordinary people. In order to achieve this goal, The Analects of Confucius put forward the standard of words and deeds and the requirements of moral cultivation for gentlemen.

First, "a gentleman is not a tool." Confucius believes that as a gentleman, you must have a variety of talents, not just like a vessel. You should "take righteousness as the quality, conduct with courtesy, take sun as the example, and succeed with faith." ("Wei Linggong") That is to say, a gentleman should be based on virtue, act according to courtesy, show modesty and be loyal, otherwise he is not a gentleman.

Second, a gentleman should pay attention to self-cultivation. Confucius said, "Being rich and expensive is what people want, and there is no way to get it. Poverty and meanness are human evils. If you don't get them their way, you won't go. Isn't it good to be famous if a gentleman goes to benevolence? If a gentleman has no final food, he will violate benevolence and will do it again. " In Confucius' view, as a gentleman, we must attach importance to the cultivation of benevolence and never leave it under any circumstances. At the same time, Ceng Zi believes that when a gentleman attaches importance to the cultivation of benevolence, he must pay attention to three aspects of norms: first, "move by appearance, stay away from violence, and act slowly"; The second is "positive color, close faith"; Third, "If you say it, you will be more contemptible" (Taber). In other words, a gentleman should be serious about his appearance, correct his face and pay attention to his words. Only in this way can people respect you, trust you and be gentle with you. At the same time, Confucius also thought that "a gentleman is too loyal to be arrogant" (Lutz); "A gentleman does not contend with pity or with the Party" (Wei Linggong); "A gentleman is sick and incompetent, and a patient dies." "A gentleman is named after his illness." "A gentleman seeks for himself, and a villain seeks for others." ("Wei Linggong") That is, as a gentleman, you should be calm and not arrogant, have a solemn attitude and not quarrel with others, and you can get along with others without forming a party for selfish ends; A gentleman should pay attention to improving himself and make more contributions to society in his lifetime. Only in this way can we be called a gentleman's accomplishment.

Third, a gentleman should be strict with himself everywhere. Confucius believes that a gentleman should not only cultivate his self-cultivation, but also pay attention to strictly demanding himself with the standards of "abstinence, fear and thinking". Confucius said: "A gentleman has three precepts: when he is young, his blood gas is uncertain, so he should be cautious; It is also strong and bloody, and it is fighting; I am also old, my blood gas is declining, and I have to quit. " "A gentleman has three fears: fear of destiny, fear of adults, and fear of the words of saints." "A gentleman has Jiu Si: he sees clearly, listens attentively, thinks enthusiastically, looks respectfully, speaks loyally, thinks respectfully, asks questions, thinks hard and sees clearly." These ideas put forward requirements for gentlemen from different angles, which can be summarized as follows: First, we should always pay attention to abstaining from personal desires; The second is to have awe in doing things and prevent recklessness; The third is to deal with it seriously and be strict with yourself at any time.

Fourth, a gentleman should value righteousness and avoid profit, and pursue morality. Confucius believes that the difference between a gentleman and a villain lies in their different attitudes towards life and their different pursuits in life. He believes that "a gentleman is a metaphor for righteousness, and a villain is a metaphor for profit." ("Standing Man") "A gentleman seeks the Tao without seeking food." "A gentleman is not poor." ("Wei Linggong") "The gentleman is wild, and the villain is pregnant with the soil; The gentleman is pregnant with punishment, and the villain is pregnant. " In other words, as a gentleman, only by attaching importance to and pursuing morality can we distinguish ourselves from villains and truly embody the spirit of a gentleman. At the same time, Confucius also believes that a gentleman must match his words with his deeds, which is the so-called "a gentleman speaks slowly, but acts quickly." (Li Ren) "Speak before you act." (Politics)

Fifth, the gentleman is not party member. Confucius believes that the communication between gentlemen's opinions should be "week without comparison"; The Analects of Confucius? Governing the country: Confucius said: a gentleman is not as good as a week, and a villain is not as good as two weeks. At the same time, we should be "harmonious but different"; The Analects of Confucius? Luz: "A gentleman is harmonious but different, and a villain is harmonious but different." It is not a simple addition, but a harmonious relationship; Confucius said, "A gentleman is proud and does not fight, but a group is not a party."

Reflections on government affairs and its value.

The thought of administrative affairs in The Analects of Confucius is the concrete embodiment of the thought of "applying what you have learned", and the standards of administrative affairs in The Analects of Confucius are also explained in detail.

First, about the object of government affairs. Confucius believes that as long as people are polite, upright, upright and have certain political talents, they can run politics. Ji Kangzi asked: "Can Zhong You engage in politics?" Confucius said, "What does it matter to be in politics?" Q: "Can giving also engage in politics?" He said, "You give, you get. What is the political significance? " Q: "Can asking also make politics work?" Yue: "What's the point of pursuing art politically?" In other words, as long as people have certain qualities of participating in politics, such as decisiveness, rationality and versatility, they can participate in politics.

Second, about the basic requirements and standards of open government affairs. Politicians must be diligent and loyal. Confucius said, "Live tirelessly and act faithfully." (Yan Yuan) "Work hard first" and "Never get tired" (Lutz). That is to say, being in power, being loyal to the implementation of government decrees, taking the lead in diligent work, and being tireless in doing things. Politicians must be gentle, polite and polite. Chen asked Zigong: "As for the country, the master will hear about its politics and ask for its safety." ? Depressed? "Zi Gong said," The master is gentle, respectful and frugal, and let him have it. (Xue Ji) That is to say, when Confucius arrives in a country, he will certainly know the politics here, because Mr. Wang has five virtues: gentleness, courtesy and frugality. And these five virtues also indirectly illustrate the truth of participating in and discussing state affairs. On one occasion, when talking about Zheng Guoxian's Xiangzi property, Confucius said: "There are four ways for a gentleman: respect for deeds, respect for things, support for benefits, and righteousness for people. "It is precisely because of Zi Chan's solemnity, respect, kindness, morality and virtue that he can be in the position of a sage of Zheng.

Third, match words with deeds and behave in a dignified manner. Confucius said, "You must keep your word and respect your deeds. Although it is a barbarian country, it will do. " . Is it true that you are disloyal and disrespectful, although you are in a state? When you stand up, you will see that you are involved in the front, and you will see that you are leaning on the balance on the court, and then your husband will do it. (Wei Linggong) That is to say, if you want others to accept your idea, you must be sincere and dignified, so that your idea can work.

Fourth, we should be far-sighted and advance in turn. Ju's father became a county magistrate and asked Confucius how to manage politics. Confucius said, "Haste makes waste. Haste makes waste, but seeing small profits can't be a big deal. " ("Luz") That is, people are required not to be eager for quick success and instant benefit when dealing with government affairs, but to covet immediate interests, thus failing to achieve the expected purpose and coveting small profits, and not achieving great things. It is to look far and advance in turn. In addition, Confucius also believed that when dealing with government affairs, we should be cautious, go deep into reality, listen more and see more, know what it is and avoid making mistakes. The so-called "suspicious, cautious, then widowed; If you see more dangers, if you are cautious about others, you will regret it. If you don't say anything, you will regret it, and Lu will be among them. " (Politics)

Seven, about the truth of governing the country.

As a great thinker in ancient China, Confucius' theory of governing the country also occupies an important position in The Analects. To sum up, it mainly includes the following aspects:

First, the root of governing the country lies in "virtue". Qi Jinggong asked Confucius how to govern the country, and Confucius said, "Jun Jun, minister, father and son." (Yan Yuan) That is, to govern a country well, a monarch should be like a monarch, a minister should be like a minister, a father should be like a father, and a son should be like a son. Although this thought reflected Confucius' patriarchal ethics, under the historical conditions of feudal society, this ethical principle did play an important role in governing the country. In fact, in a class society, no matter what era you are in, you need to do your job well in your position. Otherwise, the country is not a country, the government is not a government, and society is in chaos. So why did Confucius emphasize the rule of human relations? Confucius made an explanation when answering Lutz's question. Lutz asked Confucius, "Do you have to learn first to defend the country and govern the country?" Confucius said, "It must make sense!" "If the name is incorrect, it will not work." Of course, Confucius also believed that attaching importance to morality is inseparable from comity. Confucius said, "What if comity is our country? Can't comity be the country, such as courtesy? " ("Establishing People") That is, ruling the country with the spirit of comity, the country will not have problems, and the etiquette of interpersonal relationships will be guaranteed. Here, friendship becomes the spiritual bond to maintain morality.

Second, the premise of governing the country is that a gentleman is mainly strict with himself. Confucius said, "If you are honest, what does it matter if you go into politics?" ? Can't be right, like a right person? "That is to say, to govern the country well, we must correct ourselves and be strict with ourselves. If you are right, there will be no difficulty in managing state affairs. If you are wrong, you can do whatever you want. If you can't correct others, the country can't govern. Confucius also took Shun as an example to illustrate the importance of the monarch being strict with himself. Confucius said, "If you govern by doing nothing, will it be smooth?"? "? What is a husband? Gong Ji is just to the south. "In Confucius' view, the only person who can really calm down and make the world peaceful is Shun, right? So what did he do? It just sits solemnly on the court. Shun's solemn and correct behavior here is the key to his peaceful world.

Of course, Confucius also believed that besides dignified behavior, the monarch should also pay attention to the relationship between wisdom, courtesy and benevolence, which is a condition that can not be ignored in governing the country. Confucius said, "If you know it, you can't keep it. If you get it, you lose it. Knowing it, benevolence can keep it, and disrespectful people will be disrespectful. Knowing it, benevolence can keep it, Zhuang can reward it, and it is disrespectful. " (Wei Linggong) That is to say, we have achieved our position by cleverness, but we cannot maintain it by virtue. Although we have gained status, we are sure to lose it. If you gain status by wisdom, you can maintain it by virtue. If you don't govern the people seriously, then the people won't respect him. It is not perfect to gain status by wisdom, protect status by virtue, govern people by earnest attitude and educate people by courtesy. It can be seen that the requirements of governing the country for the monarch should be all-round and multifaceted. In addition, Confucius also summed up the principles of governing the country by wise monarchs in previous dynasties, focusing on generosity, honesty, diligence and fairness. Namely: "What is important: people, food, mourning and sacrifice. Be lenient with others and win the hearts of the people. If you believe, you will be responsible to the people. If you are going to make meritorious deeds, say it. " (Yao Yue)

Third, the basic method of governing the country is "selecting talents, enriching the country, educating people and legislating". Confucius believed that the monarch should take the overall situation into consideration and attach importance to selecting outstanding talents to manage state affairs. Confucius said, "Be a teacher first, forgive minors and cultivate talents." . At the same time, we should attach importance to rich countries and educate our people. Once, Confucius went to defend the country, but Ran didn't drive him. Confucius said: the population of Weiguo is really large! You Ran said, "What's the point?" Say, "Rich." He said, "If you have money, why bother?" Say, "teach it." Here, Confucius emphasized that in order to govern a country with a large population like Weiguo, we must first make them rich, and then let them receive re-education and improve their quality. In addition, Confucius also paid special attention to the role of the legal system in governing the country. Yan Yuan once asked his teacher how to govern the country, and Confucius said, "Go, take advantage of Yin, be encouraged by Zhou, enjoy Shao and dance, and let him go far away. Zheng Sheng is a prostitute and she is very dangerous. " Learn from Goodall of Xia, Shang and Zhou Dynasties, take its essence and discard its dross. Here, Confucius not only emphasized the important role of the legal system in governing the country, but also his thinking method of serving the past for the present is worth learning.

Fourth, the basic principle of governing the country is to respect credit and love the people. Confucius believed that to govern a country well, the monarch must attach importance to personality and morality, credit and care for the people, which is the basic principle of governing the country. Confucius said, "The country is a thousand times as big as it is, respecting things and believing, saving and loving others, and making the people timely." (Xue Ji) That is, to govern a country with tens of millions of talents, we must be serious about political affairs, pay attention to credit and win the trust of the people. At the same time, we should save money and care for the people so that they don't go against the farming season. Only in this way can we handle the relationship between the monarch and the people.