Ji Xianlin: Modesty and hypocrisy

In the realm of ethics and morality, modesty has always been considered a virtue and should be promoted; hypocrisy has always been regarded as a vice and should be suppressed.

However, in practice, the two are sometimes not clearly distinguished, and the differences between them are not allowed. The slightest excess of modesty becomes hypocrisy. I think everyone will have this experience.

Among the ancient civilizations of the world, China was the first country to advocate modesty. In one of the oldest Chinese classics, the Shang Shu Da Yu Mo, there is already "full of losses, humble benefits, and time (is) the way of heaven." ”

Such a teaching raises complacency and humility to the level of the "Heavenly Way" is high. Since then, the sages of the past have been humble and complacent. To this day, there are still a large number of words associated with the word "modesty" in our commonly used vocabulary, such as "humble", "humble", "humble gentleman", "humble gentleman", "humble", "humble", "modest", "humble", etc., which shows that the word "modest" is deeply rooted in the hearts of the people, and it becomes more and more prominent over time.

I believe that we should promote sincere modesty and avoid false modesty, which is incompatible with hypocrisy.

But here we encounter a roadblock: what is "sincere humility"? What is "hypocritical modesty"? There is no clear distinction between the two, it can be said that it varies from person to person, from place to place, from time to time, and it is difficult to grasp a correct measure than to go to the sky.

The most prominent thing is that it varies from place to place, and "land" refers first and foremost to the East and the West. In the East, such as China and Japan, references to their own articles or writings must be said to be "humble works" or "humble texts." There is no equivalent word in the western Chinese. In particular, there may even be misunderstandings.

Chinese a guest, the invitation must be said to be "clean and pure", and Westerners who do not understand the habits of the East will be full of doubts: Why only use "an unfulfill feast" to invite guests? When Japanese people give gifts, they often write the word "rough", and Westerners will ask: Why not use "fine products" to give people? In the West, to teachers, to friends, you must tell the truth, as much as you will say. If you say, this one will only be a little bit, that will only be a star, and they will believe it, but in the East they will not. This can be dangerous at times. As for the bragging, they are also despised by the East and the West.

But how do you grasp this measure? I think that sincerity is the first criterion here. If it is sincere, it will promote you to learn forever and make progress forever. Some people always "feel good about themselves", and such people often can't improve. Kang Youwei is a famous example. He claimed that he had established himself every year, and all the knowledge in the world was mastered. As a result, it is not possible to say that Kang Youwei is an innovator, but it is not possible to say that he is an academic. Compared with the masters of Qianjia, and even the masters of the late Qing Dynasty and the beginning of the People's Republic, including his disciple Liang Qichao, he did not achieve academic success.

In short, modesty is a virtue, but it is necessary to grasp the measure and pay attention to things. Modesty in the East covers a wide range and cannot be applied to the West, and this must not be ignored. However, whether East or West, it must be sincere. Deliberate excess of modesty is tantamount to hypocrisy.

Back to the old saying "full of losses, humble benefits", which has been quoted for generations, has often hung on people's lips until today. It can be seen that this statement tells a truth, and after nearly three thousand years of testing, it is beneficial to see that it is true and reliable.

According to my own thinking and analysis, there is only one kind of fullness (complacency): truth. False complacency, not yet. Bragging, talking big, that's not complacency, it's a lie. There are two kinds of modesty ( modesty ) , one true and one false. The example of false modesty can really be said to be overlooked. People who pretend to be modest abound.

Chinese words such as "fei wei" and "clumsy" come out of his mouth. Everyone knows that the humble words of "pointing out", "axe" and "correcting" and "correcting" to send people to their own works are false, but everyone must write them in this way. This kind of humility has penetrated deep into the marrow and does not leave any impression on anyone. This hypocritical modesty will not benefit anyone.

What we want is true humility, especially when doing learning. If a scholar, whether young, middle-aged or old, feels that his knowledge is big enough that there is no need to study anymore, he will not make any more progress. In fact, no matter which discipline you are engaged in, there will never be a complete and complete problem. Even if people can live for 1,000 years, they can't do it. Therefore, modesty in doing learning not only means that this person is moral, but also means that this person is realistic.

In today's Chinese academic circles, there are people who have a very high self-esteem, and there are very few people who are truly humble. I don't think that's a good sign. There are many young scholars who have written several papers and published several monographs, and they are arrogant. This is not conducive to their progress, nor is it conducive to the development of China's academic future.

How about myself? I always felt like I couldn't do it. I often say that I am all kinds of loose. I have been diligent all my life, reading and writing articles every day, but when I encounter a problem that must be studied deeper or more deeply, I feel that I do not have enough knowledge, and sometimes I have to hold on to the Buddha's feet temporarily. People admit that self-knowledge is extremely difficult; sometimes, I feel that my "self-knowledge" is too much, not humble, but weak. As a result, I've never been complacent. This is certainly a good sign. However, I also encountered a great contradiction: I think that the real people are also very rare. I always feel that many scholars are not diligent enough and waste their time every day. I am often in this psychological contradiction. I am very grateful for the praise that others have given me; but I have not been carried away by these praises, and my mind is clear. I only urge you not to believe in the words that praise me, especially those hats that are amazingly high, and I am even more ashamed.