Re-reading the Analects | a detailed explanation of "clever words and colors"

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Zi Yue: "Clever words, fresh ren!" ”

● "Clever Words", "Collected Notes": "Clever, good." Order, good also. "It is to please others with rhetoric and pretending to be kind."

The "fresh" of "XianYiren" is generally understood as less, such as the "Collective Solution": "Bao Yue: 'Qiaoyan, good words.'" Make the color, be good at its color. They all want to make people say it, and few can have benevolence. The "Emperor Shu" quoted Zhang Ping as saying: "Clever words make people who are colored less benevolent, and none of them are divided, so they are rarely benevolent." ”

However, Zhu Xi believes that "fresh" here means "absolutely nothing", and he said in the "Commentary on the Collection": "The words of the saints are not urgent, the words of the special words are absolutely unknown, and the scholars should take the deep precepts." In this regard, Wang Shu's "Opinions on The Stone Canal" opposes it, saying that Zhu Xi's statement is "probably not the will of the saints", because there are all kinds of people in the world, there are small people who make clever words, and there are also those who "speak self-skillfully, color themselves, and their hearts are not dead." Indeed, Zhu Xi's statement is too absolute to be convincing.

People who make clever words often harbor evil intentions, which is a historical experience that has been verified countless times. The Four Books of Doubt (Yuanren's work, originally I don't know who the author was, but the "Outline of the Four Libraries" was written by Chen Tianxiang) said it well: "Cover clever words, sweet and pleasant words." Color, joyful and pleasing color. People with deep dangers on the inside often look like this. Li Linfu is good at speaking with a sweet word, and this clever word is also there, and there is an opportunity for yin and vilification. Li Yifu and the people will smile playfully, this order is also colored, and there is a cunning opportunity to avoid the well. "However, good words are good, good looks, and we are always easily confused in the face of clever people. Interact with people, don't be careful!

Li Zehou said: "This chapter stipulates 'benevolence' from the negative and negative aspects, that is, emphasizes that 'benevolence' is not some kind of external magnificence, and points out that both external appearance and language should be subordinated to the shaping of the inner mind. Excessive external sculpting and decoration is not only useless, but also harmful to this shaping. Confucius hated those who were only good at external expression, calling such people "Yu" and believing that such people's inner cultivation could not reach a very high realm.

●Translation:

Confucius said, "People who speak cleverly and disguise a kind face are rarely benevolent." ”