During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, the situation of learning in the official government was broken, and talented commoners also began to appear on the stage of history to write books and expound on the stage of history, seeking political ascension, so there was a grand situation of a hundred schools of thought.
Lao Tzu of the Taoists, Confucius of the Confucians, Mozi of the Mo family, grandsons of the Bing family, Huizi of the famous family, Lü Zi of the Miscellaneous family, Zou Zi of the Yin and Yang family, and Su Qin and Zhang Yi of the Zongheng family...
These are all figures who are at the forefront of their respective schools, and the writings they have left behind, which still shine to this day, seem to have become an indelible light.
In particular, Confucius, who was later praised as a saint, his ideas not only influenced China, but also the world, and Confucius ranked first among the top ten cultural celebrities in the world.
Therefore, Confucius is not only China, but also the world, and it is precisely because of the huge influence of Confucius now that many people think that Confucius's wisdom is unmatched, and he is the most intelligent person in history.
In fact, Confucius was just an ordinary person, and there was so much learning in the world that naturally there were places he didn't know.
Fortunately, Confucius's personal cultivation is extremely high, never do things that do not pretend to understand, Confucius is very fascinated by learning, when he was more than ten years old, he realized the importance of being a person and learning, and he was also determined to work hard to do learning.
Doing learning is very boring, in addition to consulting ancient texts, communicating with learned people is also a very effective way to improve their own understanding.
Once, Confucius heard that Lao Tzu was a man with a university question, so he traveled thousands of miles from the State of Lu to the capital of the Zhou Dynasty to ask him for teachings.
However, after Confucius saw lao tzu and talked to him, he was silent for three full days without speaking, and when the students asked him why, he bluntly said that Lao Tzu was a "dragon."
What's going on here?
Let's take a look.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="16" > Confucius was not ashamed to ask</h1>
If we carefully understand the life of Confucius, we can find that Confucius, who is high above in the future generations, actually lived a very real life, and he not only had knowledge that he did not understand, but also had an unsmooth life.
In the face of the former, Confucius chose not to be ashamed to ask questions, while in the face of the latter, Confucius chose to travel around the countries.
Once, on the way around, Confucius encountered two children arguing endlessly on the side of the road, almost fighting, as a Confucius who also benefited the world, naturally could not sit idly by, so he stepped forward to persuade him.
One of the children said, I think the sun is close to people when it first comes out, and it is farther away from people at noon, after all, the sun in the morning is very big, and the sun at noon is very small.
Another child said, I think the sun is far away from people when it first comes out, and closer to people at noon, after all, the sun in the morning is not hot, the sun at noon is very hot.
Confucius thought about it, and for a moment there was no answer, so he shook his head and said nothing, only to be ridiculed by two children.
Another time, Confucius met a seven-year-old child on the road, named Xiang Qi, this child can be described as a prodigy, after several rounds of arguments, Confucius did not take advantage of it at all, but was still dumbfounded by this child.
Confucius believed that Xiang Xi's child was not only talented, but also had a high ability to debate, coupled with his filial piety, so he worshiped this child as a teacher, which became a good story at that time.
It can be seen that Confucius, who is known as a saint, has a good character of not being ashamed to ask questions, as long as he thinks that the talent of others is better than his own, even if he is only a child, he can humbly ask for advice and worship as a teacher.
Therefore, when he heard about Lao Tzu who was far away in The Land, he decided to go and meet him.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="58" > Confucius asked to see Laozi</h1>
Lao Tzu's sense of mystery in history is very strong, if you can find a person who is more mysterious than him at that time, perhaps only Ghost Guzi.
Lao Tzu was the founder of the Taoist school, the date of birth and death is unknown, the place of birth is uncertain, and the book he left for future generations, the Tao Te Ching (also known as Lao Tzu), is extremely famous, and it is worth mentioning that this book is one of the largest published works in the world.
The book begins with: Dao Ke Dao, Extraordinary Dao, Name Can Be Named, Very Famous...
I don't know if you can penetrate it, at least I think I am still far from penetrating it, and later I read a book of "Lao Tzu's General Interpretation", which can be regarded as understanding the nine-cow-dime in the book.
There are not many stories of Lao Tzu recorded in historical texts, but it is certain that he was the history of the Zhou royal family's storage room (that is, the librarian of the Zhou Dynasty), and it is precisely because of this identity that Lao Tzu can read ancient books and then learn from the past.
Later, Lao Tzu was dismissed from his post by The Duke of Ganjian because he was ostracized by the magnates, but the knowledge in his belly could not be deprived, and later Lao Tzu traveled to the country of Lu, which made him also have some fame in the local area.
Later, Lao Tzu was summoned back by Gan Pinggong to continue to serve as the history of the Shouzang Room, and as Confucius born in the State of Lu, he was naturally able to hear of Lao Tzu's name.
One day, he said to his disciple Nangong Jingshu:
Zhou Zhishou kept the room of Shi Lao, Bo Gu Tong Jin, the source of knowledge of liturgy, and the importance of Ming morality. I want to go to Zhou for advice, but do you want to go with me?
Nangong Jingshu felt that this was a good opportunity, so he agreed to it, and immediately reported to Lu Jun, and the two set out to find LaoZi.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="60" > Lao Tzu taught Confucius</h1>
After Confucius met Lao Tzu, he very humbly asked Lao Tzu for teaching, but Lao Tzu asked Confucius whether he had obtained the Dao, and Confucius replied very honestly that he had been looking for more than 20 years, but he had not found it.
Lao Tzu said with a smile:
If the Word is tangible, people will give it to the king, if it can be given, people will give it to their relatives, if it can be said clearly, people will tell it to their brothers, if it can be passed on, people will pass it on to their children, but these are impossible, because if a person does not have a correct understanding of the Word in his heart, the Word will never come to his heart.
When Confucius heard about it, he said that he was studying the way of governing the country from the Six Ancient Books such as the Zhou Li, but he used this to persuade many kings, and they did not listen.
Lao Tzu then explained:
The Six Arts you read are already old history, and what you say is useless, just old things.
After Confucius heard this, he was shocked by Lao Tzu's thoughts, because he had never heard such a statement, and later the two of them talked about life, morality, and virtue.
Every conversation inspired Confucius, and the respect for Lao Tzu was like a gushing river.
Later, after Confucius returned, he did not speak for three whole days, as recorded in the "Zhuangzi Heavenly Fortune":
Confucius saw the old man return and did not talk about it for three days.
The disciples were very strange, so they asked the teacher why he was like this, and Confucius said:
Birds, I know they can fly; fish, I know they can swim; beasts, I know they can walk. The walker can be reckless, the wanderer can be lun, and the flyer can be a stone. As for the dragon, I cannot know that it has ascended to heaven by the wind and clouds. I see Lao Tzu today, and he is evil!
This means that birds, fish, and beasts all know their disposition, and I have a way to catch them, but the dragon, I have no way to understand, to chase, and Lao Tzu is a dragon that is too vain to be elusive.
After meeting Lao Tzu, Confucius benefited a lot, perhaps because Confucius went to see Lao Tzu this time, and he was able to achieve such great achievements later and become a true Dacheng Most Holy Teacher.
References: "History of Lao Tzu Han Fei Lie Biography", "Zhuangzi", "Liezi", etc.
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