Confucius lived more than 2,500 years ago and was an uncompromising ancient.
Confucius is often seen in our lives, studied by us, quoted by us, and he never seems to be far away from us.
It is almost without exaggeration to say that every Chinese, and then enlarged a little, everyone who has learned Chinese will quote one or two sentences from the Analects, as if everyone is familiar with Confucius.
However, if you systematically understand Confucius and know how he grew up to be a saint throughout the ages, I am afraid that there are few people. Although I have read through the analects twice, recorded a version and uploaded it to the Himalayas FM professional audio sharing platform, listened to two courses on the Analects at the Chinese university MOOC, and visited many temples across the country, I still think I know very little about Confucius.
I bought Mr. Ben Qianmu's "Biography of Confucius", read a few chapters, felt that the academic atmosphere was too strong, and put it down. After reading the "History of Confucius's Family", the lines are not said, and the order is sometimes reversed, making it difficult to sort out Confucius's life. My son just wanted a copy of "The Story of Confucius", and after buying it, he was busy preparing for the exam, and I had a sneak peek.
For Mr. Li Changzhi, I have previously read his Taoist poet Li Bai and His Suffering (also uploaded to the Himalayan FM) and especially like his language and style of biographical criticism. Mr. Wen Rumin commented that Li Changzhi was good at reflecting and expounding the writer's "personality and style, empathizing with the writer's literary world, and viewing the creation as the outpouring of the writer's life, so as to deeply grasp the unique life of the writer and write down the vivid personality image." "I felt the same way after reading two of his books.
"I had a dream last night, sitting between two pillars, being sacrificed. My ancestors were Yin People, and I probably won't live long. After saying these words, Confucius fell ill on the bed and never got up again. Seven days later he left them in the grief of his disciples.
"A man will die, and his words will be good." ("Analects of Tabor"), it can be seen that in the depths of Confucius's heart, he has always regarded himself as a Yin person. "When the micro-son goes, the miko is enslaved, and he dies than a dry counselor, and Confucius said, 'Yin has three benevolent beings.'" (Analects of the Analects of the Micro-Son) is also extremely respectful of Yin.
Confucius also had a vision of development, "Yin is due to Xia Li, the profit and loss can be known; zhou is due to Yin Li, the profit and loss can be known." "Zhou Jian in the second generation, depressed Wen Zhao, I cong zhou." He realized that each era should revise the anachronistic ones according to its own reality, add more effective and practical content, and the etiquette and moral norms are getting better and better, and Confucius is more and more advocating the system of the Zhou Dynasty.
The formation of Confucius's liturgical thought is also due to the Luguo he lived in from childhood. According to the "Zuo Biography" Zhao Gong 2nd year record: "Zhou Li is all in Luyi. "Although the state of Lu is a small country, the cultural heritage is very rich, and there are relatively complete zhou dynasty songs, and the "Book of Poetry" that we read now has survived in the country of Lu. Ji Zha, a sage of the State of Wu, spoke highly of the State of Lu after hearing about it; Han Xuanzi, an envoy of the State of Jin, said after seeing the philosophical book Yi Xiang and the history book of the State of Lu, Spring and Autumn, saying: "The political laws of the Zhou Dynasty have been preserved in the State of Lu, and now I understand the skills of the Duke of Zhou and the reason for the rise of the Zhou Dynasty." ”
Through his own hard work, Confucius gradually became a learned and versatile person. After several twists and turns, in 501 BC, the 51-year-old Confucius began to truly engage in politics in the lu state. Confucius began to implement his own rough but large-scale blueprint for political construction, and in just three years, he was able to achieve the highest level of Sikong and Sikou from Zhongdu, the domestic order was stable, the night did not close the house, the road was not lost, and all countries wanted to learn from Confucius's method of governance. In addition to Confucius's own efforts and humility and simplicity, it is also related to the good cultural atmosphere of luguo.
Qi Guo first felt fear, and sent a beautiful woman and a horse to lu guo to alienate Confucius and Lu Dinggong and Ji Huanzi, and Confucius was forced to leave.
In the following 14 years, Confucius lived in Wei, passed the Song Dynasty, left Chen, And Shi Chu... Finally, lulu. No matter how the environment changes, he always adheres to his ideals. Even if he was threatened by Huan Lu in the Song Dynasty, he still said: "Born to give, huan lu is like giving?" The last time Confucius came to Weiguo, Wei Chugong deliberately asked Confucius to take on an important position, when Zilu asked him: "Wei Jun treats his son as a government, and the son will be Xi Xian?" His answer was still, "It must be justified!" This time, even the most pro-supporting Zilu complained, "Yes, Zizhi also!" Xi Qizheng? Confucius severely criticized Zilu: "Ye Ya, Yuya! ...... If the name is not right, it will not go well; if the word is not right, it will not be done..."
Although Confucius's determination remained unchanged, his ideas did not correspond to the social environment of the time, and his ideas were inevitably unpopular. After returning to Luguo, he still cared about politics, but no longer actively engaged in political activities. When someone asked him: "Zi Xi is not a politician?" His answer was: "The Book of Clouds: 'Filial piety is filial piety, friendship is to brothers, and charity is to government.' 'Yes is also the government, and it is the government. Meaning: "As long as there is a political impact, this is politics." ”
How did Confucius have a political impact? This is mainly because many of his disciples are engaged in politics in various princely states at this time, and he only needs to do a good job in cultural and educational undertakings, and someone will realize his ideals on his behalf.
Confucius began to engage in education when he was about thirty years old, and his first disciples included Yan Yuan's father Yan Lu, Zeng Shan's father Zeng Dian, Zi Lu, and so on.
Before his death, Lu Guo's grand master Meng Yizi asked his two sons Meng Yizi and Nangong Jingshu to worship Confucius as teachers. Confucius had obtained permission from Lu Zhaogong to go to Luoyang with Nangong Jingshu to meet Laozi. At this meeting, Confucius not only asked Lao Tzu a lot of questions that plagued him, but also learned to be more diligent and enthusiastic, calmly analyze things, reduce subjective practices, etc., and become more mature and stable.
In Li Changzhi's eyes, Confucius's greatest progressive aspect was to open education from the exclusive to the nobility (official learning) to a certain extent to ordinary people (private learning). Confucius himself said, "I have not tasted nothing to do with myself." "Although the poorest are by no means the poorest who can afford ten pieces of dried meat, it is a great improvement compared with the initial education that only the nobles were eligible for education.
Confucius's greatest feature in education is that he respects people's personality and inspires people. In the twenty-fifth chapter of the Analects of The Advanced, Confucius and his disciples Zilu, Zeng Hui, Ran You, and Gong Xihua discuss ideals, and Confucius's educational philosophy can be seen.
Confucius also understood the characteristics of each student and was able to give a corresponding and timely education accordingly. ZiLu asked, "What did Wen Si do?" The Son said, "If there is a father and brother, how can he hear and do it?" Ran You asked, "What did You do?" Zi Yue: "Wen Si did it." Gong Xihua said: "Yuya asked, 'What do you do?' The Son said: 'There is a father and brother'; and the asker asked: 'Hears and deeds'. The son said 'Wen Si do it'. Chi was also confused and dared to ask. The Son said, "If you ask for it, you will retreat, so you will enter it; and if you are also a man, you will retreat." Facing the same question that Zilu and Ran You asked: "It is good to hear a proposition, do you want to implement it immediately?" Confucius gave a completely different answer to the different characteristics of Zilu's rashness and shyness, which is a good illustration.
Among Confucius's many disciples, he most recognized and proud of 10 people, we call them the "Ten Philosophies of Confucius", Confucius in the "Analects of Advanced" said of them: "From me to Chen and Cai, none of them are as good as Menye." Virtue: Yan Yuan, Min Ziqian, Ran Boniu, Zhonggong; Speech: Zai I, Zi Gong; Political Affairs: Ran You, Ji Lu; Literature: Zi You, Zi Xia. ”
In "The Story of Confucius", Li Changzhi sketched out the basic outline of Confucius's life to us in chronological order, and also told us in a sequence of the Analects, so that we understood many chapters that we did not understand originally. It not only reflects Mr. Li Changzhi's meticulous and rigorous historical attitude, but also shows his superb ability to write biographical reviews.
If there is any deficiency in this book, it is that Mr. Li Changzhi did not introduce the original sentence in the process of translating the chapters and sentences of the Analects, and in the process of reading, he also had to find the original text of the Analects from time to time for comparison.
The above is my impression of reading Mr. Li Changzhi's "The Story of Confucius", and I welcome the criticism and correction of the Fang family.