Article author: Zhen Jingjun
In the "Table of Renunciation", Zhuge Liang, the chancellor of the Shu Han Dynasty, warned the later lord Liu Chan to "pro-gentleman, far from the villain", because of the pro-xianchen, far from the small, this ancestor Han so Xinglong also; pro-villain, far xianchen, after that Han so the decadence also fell. Close to the zhu is red, close to the ink is black, close to the good, you will become invisibly good; close to the bad people, you will also be affected by it and become bad.
So, how do we distinguish between a gentleman and a villain? Zeng Guofan, as the head of the famous courtiers in the late Qing Dynasty, spent more than 30 years in the official field, read countless people, and had his own unique views on knowing people and employing people. Through the study of Zeng Guofan's art of knowing people, we will find that whether a person is a gentleman or a villain, look at these 2 points. Whether a person is a gentleman or a villain, refer to Zeng Guofan's 2 tips for recognizing people, and look at a quasi.
1. Look at the interest;
Zeng Guofan wrote in a letter to his friend Ouyang Gongfu: "Mortal talents are high and low, depending on their interests. The lowly are in the vulgar and vulgar rules, and the more and more polluted, the high ones are admiring the track of Zhe Shenglong, and the day is wise, and the wise and foolish are not wise, and the reason is not. ”
This means that if you want to distinguish between the high and low talents, you can just look at his ambitions and interests. Those with low interests, satisfied with the worldly and despicable rules, are becoming more and more humble; those with high interests pursue the vigorous path of the sages, and day by day they become wise. A person is virtuous or not, wise or stupid, a gentleman or a villain, and it is here that the distinction is made.
Zeng Guofan distinguishes whether a person is a gentleman or a villain by observing his or her interests. For example, people who like to read and learn, make continuous progress, and are full of positive energy are often interested in being elegant and more inclined to be upright gentlemen; while people who like to eat, drink, and have fun, covet material enjoyment, are content with worldly contempt, have many bad habits, are willing to degenerate, and are often humble in their interests, they are more inclined to be despicable villains.
As it is said in the "Cai Gen Tan", "Zhi is indifferent to The Ming, the festival is from the fat and sweet", those who are willing to eat rough tea and light rice, the indifferent to the Ming Zhi, the tranquility is far away, most of their ethics are as clear as ice, and the jade is as white as jade; and the people who pursue Chinese cuisine are full of materialism, and most of them are willing to be lowly slaves or villains.
A person's interest can also be seen from between the eyebrows, because the quality of the spirit is the outward display of the interest. As Zeng Guofan said, "There is a great sense of purity between the eyebrows, and the interest is not vulgar, and there may be achievements in the future."
Li Hongzhang once recommended three people to his teacher Zeng Guofan, Zeng Guofan walked three thousand steps after dinner, did not say a word to these three people, just by observing the eyes and shape of these three people, he could distinguish who could be entrusted with heavy responsibilities, this story is also known as "Zeng Guofan three thousand steps to know people".
Zeng Guofan said to Li Hongzhang: "When the first person looked at me, he kept his head down and did not dare to look at me, it is estimated that he is a loyal and honest person, and he can give him a conservative job; the second person is very respectful in front of me, as soon as I turn around, he looks left and right, and in the future, he will definitely be in violation of the yin and yang, so he cannot be appointed; when the third person looks at me, he always looks at me with both eyes, not humble or arrogant, and there is a righteous spirit between his eyebrows, so this person must be a handsome man in the future and can be entrusted with heavy responsibilities." ”
Sure enough, the third person, Liu Mingchuan, later became the first governor of Taiwan, a famous minister of the late Qing Dynasty, and one of the backbone of the Westerners, and Zeng Guofan's prophecy of watching people was also fulfilled!
Therefore, referring to Zeng Guofan's knowledge of the people, when looking at people, we must look at a person's spirit, as well as the high and low interests, we can clearly distinguish at a glance whether this person is a gentleman or a villain.
2. Look at the thoughts when you are alone;
Zeng Guofan said in the "Tingjing - Inner Sacred Passage": "Those who taste the only one, the gentleman and the villain who share it." The villain is born of the delusion of one thought for the sake of being alone, and the delusion is generated, and the deceitful thing is accomplished. A gentleman cherishes the sincerity of his own thoughts, the sincerity of his sincerity, and the secret of self-pity. In between, a few micro-ends of the clutch can be obtained. ”
This means that I once said that the thing of "independence" is felt by gentlemen and villains. When the villain thinks that he is alone, there is no one to restrain him, and he has a non-divisional thought. If the non-division of thoughts accumulates too much, it will act arbitrarily, and the bad things that deceive people will happen. When a gentleman is afraid that he is alone, self-restraint will give rise to sincere thoughts. The more sincere thoughts accumulate, the more cautious you will be, and then you will work hard to correct your unsatisfactory virtues. Gentlemen and villains are alone, but the gap between the two can be commented on.
Prudence and independence is an important concept of Confucianism, and it is also the highest state of personal moral cultivation, that is, when being alone and no one is paying attention, one's own behavior should also be cautious and meticulous, and people should be the same before and after.
Therefore, in the Book of Rites and Universities, it is said: "A gentleman must be cautious and independent", and Zeng Guofan also said in his last words that "prudence and independence are at ease." The way of self-cultivation is not difficult to cultivate the heart; the difficulty of cultivating the heart is also to be cautious and independent", a person can be cautious in thinking, speaking, and acting when he is alone, and he can be worthy of the conscience of heaven and earth and the questioning of ghosts and gods. In the long run, the heart will be stable and calm, and the body and mind will be richer and happier; in the pursuit of the truth, a little closer to the righteous gentleman.
On the other hand, villains, in the face of a set of behind the set, treat people with false feelings, when they are alone, they suddenly reveal their true faces, indulge their desires, their words and deeds are unscrupulous, and there are many unseemly little secrets hidden in their hearts.
A person's inner world, whether it is good or evil, determines whether he is a gentleman or a villain. As the ancients said, "A good thought follows the auspicious god." Evil in a single thought, a powerful ghost follows", a person with a right heart, a person with a good heart, a consistent appearance, and an open mind; a person with an unhealthy heart is treacherous in heart, sinister and cunning, and a villain is long-standing.
All things are made by the heart, and misfortune is created by the heart! The heart is the root of appearance, and by examining a person's intentions or thoughts, we can understand his nature of good and evil; behavior is the external manifestation of the nature of the mind, and observing a person's behavior can know that he is a gentleman or a villain.
Therefore, with reference to Zeng Guofan's knowledge of the people's skills, compared with others, or self-comparison, to see whether the thoughts when alone are arbitrary, or cautious and sincere, you can determine whether it is a gentleman or a villain.
Conclusion: The gentleman and the villain are essentially different, because the hearts of the two are different: the gentleman has a good heart; the villain has a bad heart; the gentleman is righteous, the villain is profitable; the gentleman is consistent in appearance, the villain is vain and false, and so on.
And these also lead to their different performances before and after people: gentlemen are elegant and villains are lowly; gentlemen can be "cautious and independent" when they are alone; and villains indulge in evil thoughts when they are alone. Whether a person is a gentleman or a villain, with reference to zeng guofan's above 2 sentences of knowledge, you can look at a quasi. Friends, do you feel like a gentleman or a villain?
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