Hello everyone! My name is @朔MO风成. Regarding these two sentences, I will elaborate on them from three aspects: the source of the original text, the interpretation of the original text, and my personal understanding.
1. Original source
This sentence comes from "The Heart of the Heart Chapter 1" in "Mencius". The original sentence is "If you are poor, you will be good for yourself; if you are rich, you will be good for the world."
2. Original interpretation
The original sentence in "Mencius" "If you are poor, you can be good for yourself; if you are rich, you can be good for the world." The interpretation is: When you are poor, you must maintain your own human kindness alone. , when you succeed, you should also guide all people in the world to maintain the kindness of human nature. Here is a brief explanation: Mencius believed that human nature is inherently good, which is the so-called "theory of goodness of nature." Mencius's original sentence was later changed to "If you are poor, you can take care of yourself; if you are prosperous, you can help the world." It means: When you are poor and unsuccessful, you must protect yourself and improve your virtues and talents. When you are successful, you must work hard to take care of the world. Let everyone in the world get your benefits.
3. Personal understanding
Let’s read the first half of the sentence first. Poverty can be understood as being down and out, referring to a lack of financial well-being; it can also be understood as being unsuccessful and not being appreciated by others. What should a person do when he is poor and unable to achieve his goals? We can only think of ways to protect ourselves and solve our own survival problems. At the same time, while solving your own survival problems, you must continue to "cultivate your inner strength", that is, improve your own virtues (benevolence, justice, etiquette, wisdom, and trust), continue to grow your talents, and wait for the opportunity. "Book of Changes" says "Don't use the hidden dragon", which means that when the dragon is hidden in the water, don't play its role. A person with dragon-like character who temporarily lives in seclusion will not change his steadfastness because of his difficulties. Morality will not be depressed because it cannot be famous in the world for the time being. The first half of the sentence expresses exactly this meaning.
Look at the second half of the sentence. Da can be understood as developed, which refers to economic prosperity. It can also be understood as achieving success and becoming famous all over the world. What should a person do when he succeeds? At this time, we can no longer just take care of ourselves, but also take care of those in need of help in the world, and take care of those who were once as poor as ourselves, so that they can get help. "Book of Changes" says that "flying dragons in the sky are good for seeing adults." This means that flying dragons in the sky are good for seeing adults. What does "adult" mean? "The Book of Changes" says, "The master is in harmony with the virtues of heaven and earth, the brightness of the sun and the moon, and the order of the four seasons." This means that a person who can be called an "adult" has a mind that can communicate with all things. It can illuminate the earth like the light of the sun and the moon, and it can govern the world in accordance with the order of the four seasons. I think what the "Book of Changes" talks about is "to achieve great things and benefit the world".
1. Source of the original text
The original sentence in Gu Yanwu's "Rizhilu·Zhengshi" is: "Those who protect the country are those who eat meat for their rulers and ministers; those who protect the world "How can ordinary people be responsible for their lowliness?" Later, Liu Jie, a researcher at the Institute of Linguistics of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, identified it as "Everyone is responsible for the rise and fall of the world" and came from Liang Qichao.
2. Original interpretation
Gu Yanwu believed that protecting the integrity of a country’s territorial sovereignty is the responsibility of princes and generals; and the prosperity, peace and stability of a country are related to every common person. , is everyone’s responsibility.
3. Personal understanding
Let me first talk about my understanding of "everyman". I believe that "common people" refers to the masses. What are the people? The people are the creators of history and the workers engaged in the production of material materials and spiritual production. What role do the people play? Engels said: Historical activities are the cause of the masses. It can be seen that in the process of historical development, the people play a decisive role. The people create social material wealth, create social spiritual wealth, and are the decisive force for social change. Wei Zheng said in "Ten Thoughts on Remonstrance to Taizong" that "it is advisable to be very cautious when carrying a boat and overturning it." It can be seen that the people are like water and the country is like a boat. Therefore, as a people, as ordinary people, we have the responsibility and obligation to contribute to society and the country. This is not only related to our own interests, but also to the prosperity of the country.
The above is my understanding of these two sentences. I welcome criticism and correction if there is anything inappropriate!
Hello, putting these two questions together can serve as a link between the past and the future.
The original text of the first sentence "If you are poor, you can benefit yourself; if you are prosperous, you can benefit the world." The original text comes from "Mencius". The second half of the original sentence should be "If you are prosperous, you can benefit the world." Later generations used to change "Jianshan" to "Jianji". To understand these two sentences, you should read them in context so as not to take them out of context.
This passage was said by Mencius to a lobbyist. At that time, there were various schools of thought, forming a stage of cultural development in which a hundred schools of thought contended. . Mencius, like Confucius, traveled around the world to spread Confucianism, so this passage is where he shared his successful experience with this lobbyist:
It is not unjust to be poor; Don't leave the path.
You can't lose your "righteousness" when you are "poor", and you can't leave the "righteousness" when you are "rich". If you can do this, then: "If you respect virtue and love righteousness, you can be arrogant." Being arrogant means that you are content and content with your heart.
Being poor means being alone: ??
"Poverty" refers to the lack of ambition. As can be seen from the above paragraph, What he is referring to is that when traveling around the world to spread ideas, you will encounter times when you are "poor", that is, when you are unable to achieve your goals. So what should we do at this time? You should take good care of your own body and mind, "take care of yourself", that is, "cultivate yourself to be seen in the world", and first improve your personal moral character.
To achieve is to benefit the world:
"Da" is the opposite of "poor", that is, the ambition is achieved. . So what should you do at this time? "Add ambition to the people", that is, when you have mastery and ability, you must "benefit the world."
Therefore, "only good" and "both good" are important parts of Confucianism. Doing good to oneself and the world is what Confucianism wants to do. It just needs to be treated accordingly depending on the current ability. That is to say, if you are poor, you can be good alone, and if you are rich, you can be good at all.
To be good alone is to cultivate oneself, to be good to both is to bring peace to the world:
If you want to be able to bring peace to the world, you must first be able to govern the country. If you want to be able to govern the country, you must first be able to manage your family. If you want to be able to manage your family, you must first cultivate your own body and mind. This is the foundation. Whether it is the emperor or the common people, everyone must take self-cultivation as the foundation. Therefore, whether you are poor or rich, you cannot lose your roots.
In fact, there is another profound meaning here, that is: if there is no foundation for self-cultivation, even if there is a chance to achieve it, it will not be possible to do both. What's more, opportunities are reserved for those who are prepared. Without the accumulation of uniqueness, it is difficult to obtain the opportunity to achieve success.
Model figures in ancient and modern times:
These two sentences have always been regarded as the goals of life by Chinese literati of all ages. And there are many people who have been able to do it since ancient times.
Zhuge Liang, whom we know well, is a typical example. When you are poor, you should take care of yourself first, live in Longzhong, hide your strength and bide your time. In his "Book of Commandments" to his son, he wrote: "A gentleman's journey is to cultivate one's character through tranquility, and to cultivate one's virtue through frugality. Without indifference, there is no clear ambition, and without tranquility, there is no far-reaching goal." It is also necessary to cultivate the body and mind through Only by cultivating moral character can we be clear-minded and far-reaching. After that, he was invited by Sangu to assist Liu Bei, and "dedicated himself to death until he died" for the rejuvenation of the Han Dynasty and the peace of the world.
Confucian scholars like Zhuge Liang, such as Du Fu, Bai Juyi, Su Shi, etc., have existed from generation to generation, and there are still such models today:
Zhong Nanshan, an 84-year-old man, has become one of the most beautiful "rebels" in the global epidemic in 2020. Not long after the epidemic broke out, he suggested: "Don't go to Wuhan unless there are special circumstances." And he himself rushed to the front line of Wuhan's epidemic prevention without hesitation.
Although this old man, known as Guoshi, came from a medical family, he was sent to the countryside to exercise and burn boilers after graduation. Eleven years after graduation, he did not engage in medical work. It wasn't until my father said, "I'm thirty-five years old, it's really scary..." that I started to work hard. When he was studying abroad, he was despised by his tutor, but he made a perfect appearance with a wonderful speech. In order to do research, he took blood tests from himself and used himself as a guinea pig to inhale carbon monoxide for experiments. This is how people who took care of themselves when they were poor came forward during the critical moments of the two epidemics.
Whether facing SARS or COVID-19, whether he is in his 60s or an octogenarian, as long as the motherland needs him, he will shoulder his responsibilities without hesitation. Carrying it on your shoulders. On March 3 and 4, when Academician Zhong Nanshan had a video connection with Dr. Anita Simons, President-elect of the European Respiratory Society, he introduced and shared China's anti-epidemic results and experience in English. In this way, he used his "da" at this time to benefit the world and did his best to protect the people of a city, a country and even the whole world.
"Every man is responsible for the rise and fall of the world."
Why should it be necessary if it is not enough to repair oneself? What about benefiting the world? Precisely because: "Every man is responsible for the rise and fall of the world." This is the concept first proposed by Gu Yanwu:
It means: It is the duty of those in power to protect a dynasty from being overthrown, but the world The demise of the country is related to the interests of everyone, so every citizen has an unshirkable responsibility.
The way of a university is not only to be "independently good" in "self-cultivation and family management", but also to be "good in both ways" in "ruling the country and bringing peace to the world". This is This is the way of the sages.
Why do you say that? Because: The rise and fall of the world is directly related to the rise and fall of the morality of benevolence and righteousness. If the morality of benevolence and righteousness cannot be carried forward and people lose their moral standards of self-cultivation, countries will fall into wars and disputes among people will continue, and the world will perish.
That is to say, without moral restraint, it will lead to: if people do not cultivate themselves and their bodies, it will be difficult for the family to be harmonious; if the family is not harmonious, how can the country be governed? Without treatment, can the world be at peace?
Therefore, for the rise and fall of this "world", even each of us humble people has a responsibility, that is, "from the emperor to the common people, everyone has to cultivate himself." This is the basis.” What’s more, as a disciple of Confucianism, what you learn to imitate is the way of the sages.
This is an unshirkable responsibility for everyone who practices the way of a gentleman. This is why: Every man is responsible for the rise and fall of the world!
Thank you.
These two sentences reflect different states. Let’s first take a look at the origin of these two sentences and what they mean.
If you are poor, you can be good for yourself; if you are prosperous, you can help the world." comes from "Mencius" "Zhangju 1" (9). The original sentence is "If you are poor, you can be good for yourself; if you are prosperous, you can help the world." It means not being ambitious. When you are young, you must take care of your own moral cultivation, and when you are successful, you must work hard to benefit everyone in the world.
Everyone is responsible for the rise and fall of the world." This sentence first appeared in Gu Yanwu's "The Sun". The concept in "Zhilu·Zhengshi" is based on the Qing army's entry into the Pass. His original sentence is: "To protect the country, the king and his ministers are meat-eating people; to protect the world, how can a common man be responsible for it?"
The eight-character language pattern is From Liang Qichao.
It means that protecting a dynasty from being overthrown is the responsibility of emperors, generals and civil and military ministers, and has nothing to do with ordinary people; and the prosperity and destruction of the world (country) is related to the interests of everyone, so everyone Every citizen has an unshirkable responsibility.
We can clearly see that the latter sentence means that everyone is responsible for the rise and fall of the world. What is reflected is a kind of national spirit. It is the spirit of the Chinese nation. He only gave the Chinese nation the excellent traditional culture. Just like in the Anti-Japanese War, the Anti-Japanese War was a struggle against aggression involving all our people. Whether they are poor people, workers, peasants, or soldiers, capitalists, landlords, or overseas Chinese...
If you are poor, you can take care of yourself, but if you are prosperous, you can help the world. What is reflected is a kind of personal spirit. It is a way and a way to create beautiful social value. When you are not capable, you can only improve your self-cultivation, enhance your personal spiritual world, so that you will not be humbled by poverty. When you are capable, you can not only improve yourself, promote yourself and others, but also help everyone, *** Improvement is a way of doing things where everyone is for one and I am for everyone.
"If you are poor, you can benefit yourself; if you are prosperous, you can help the world." It can be said to be one of the wisest quotes I have ever read. In just twelve words, it highly summarizes the ancient Chinese intellectuals and even us. The survival of many people in modern times.
At the same time, this sentence deeply contains the essence of our culture, which is the idea of ??complementarity between Confucianism and Taoism.
The first half of the sentence is the Taoist way of life. When you are in troubled times and face difficulties in life, instead of blaming others and struggling desperately, it is better to take life lightly. Fame, fortune, success and failure are like passing smoke. Even if I am poor and ostracized everywhere, I can still live a very free and comfortable life. Like Tao Yuanming, who cultivates the land, drinks wine, and enjoys flowers, isn't it also a very happy life?
The second half of the sentence represents the proactive spirit of Confucianism. Living in a good era, we have various opportunities to achieve our lofty dreams and leave our unique mark in this era. , after becoming successful and famous, we can have a strong enough influence to better change the world. Whether it is doing charity or promoting scientific progress, our personal values ??can be sublimated to a higher level and serve mankind. Make a unique contribution to the development of civilization!
Confucianism and Taoism complement each other so that no matter what situation we face, we can handle it with ease and take it easy. It can be said to be the great wisdom of life!
On the other hand, this sentence is not so scientific.
He is in a very bad situation, but he wants to change the world and save all sentient beings. This is admirable, but it may be more painful, such as Du Fu.
It is difficult for such people to achieve true happiness if they are living a good life but are selfish and do not care about others.
As for the rise and fall of the world, everyone is responsible. In fact, it conflicts with the previous sentence. The spirit is commendable, but the realm is much worse than the previous sentence. What do you think?
I am @李师说的Reading. Here I would like to share with you how I understand these two sentences. The origins of these two sentences are not the same. "Benefiting the world" comes from "Mencius", which means that when you are unsuccessful, you must strengthen your moral cultivation; when you are successful, you must work hard to benefit everyone in the world. "Every man is responsible for the rise and fall of the world." This is from Gu Yanwu's "Rizhilu", which means that every ordinary person has a responsibility for the rise or fall of a country. If you first read these two sentences, you will feel the contradiction. In fact, these two sentences should be viewed dialectically:
First of all, as one of the representatives of the Confucian school, Mencius, although success and failure accompanied him throughout his life, but not Success and dissatisfaction occupied most of his life. Although he did not realize his ideal, he truly understood a principle of life. When people are in adversity, they should never abandon or give up. In good times, they will never get carried away. In traditional Chinese thought, we have the blood of responsibility (taking the world as our own responsibility). When we are frustrated, we must work hard to improve ourselves and improve our quality in all aspects. Only in this way can we "reach". Only then can one cultivate oneself, manage one's family, govern the country, and bring peace to the world. This is also the most spiritual state for scholars, and it is also the embodiment of responsibility. Taking good care of yourself when you have no ability or ability is the greatest responsibility to the world and the country. .
Secondly, "Everyone is responsible for the rise and fall of the world" also talks about our unique Chinese culture - responsibility. The strength and decline of the country are closely related to each of us. relationship, when the country encounters difficulties, each of us will be affected. This epidemic is the best example. When our country is strong and powerful, each of us will also benefit from it. Every time we encounter riots overseas, our The evacuation operation was so rapid because we have a strong country, and behind this strength are many unknown ordinary people. When you go abroad, your name is Chinese, and everything you say and do represents China. Therefore, we must put the interests of our motherland first and always remember our responsibilities as Chinese people.
In short: We must improve our own abilities, not cause trouble for the country, do our own jobs well, and contribute our greatest strength to the prosperity of the motherland.
First of all, ancient prose requires an understanding of history, its source, and that era. These two famous quotes are from "Mencius: Devoting Your Mind to the Heart". Mencius belongs to Confucianism, and what do the ancient sages and sages of Confucianism promote? The way of human relations. What do they pay most attention to? Virtue. In the era of Confucian governance, governing the country with benevolence has always been advocated. The way of human relations requires true practice and demonstration. You have to understand the relationship between Mencius and Confucius. Mencius studied with Confucius' grandson "Zisi". At the same time, Mencius also inherited Confucius's "benevolent government theory." Confucius is the founder of the Confucian school. Confucianism talks about "developing one's heart and mind". At the same time, Mencius was also the first in "Exerting one's heart". Chapter 1 said, “Those who use their hearts to their fullest will know their nature. "This is about "developing one's mind to understand one's nature". Then you have to understand what "devoting one's heart and one's understanding to one's nature" is? I answered it the day before: I don't know fate, and I have no way to be a gentleman. There is a detailed explanation in it, so I won't repeat it here. This is not academic. According to research, Confucianism advocates self-cultivation, governing the country and bringing peace to the world. Why do they say that the most fundamental thing about benevolent government is "benevolent people love others". Everyone is responsible for the rise and fall of the world (a concept that first appeared in Gu Yanwu's "Rizhilu·Zhengshi"). "If you are poor, take care of yourself" is about a person. Before you cultivate your body well, you must first take care of yourself. , cultivate yourself well, and be a benevolent person. "Don't do to others what you don't want others to do to you." If you don't achieve it yourself, never teach others. "If you achieve it, you will benefit the world." After you become a gentleman, Only then can you educate your family, build a good family, and then you can educate everyone, govern the country, and bring peace to the world. The most important thing here is to know whether you have cultivated your own moral character and whether you are a gentleman. There is another meaning of "Da Ze Jian Ji Ji", which is to hope that after you become a gentleman, you can educate people and preach the Tao (the way of human relations), because everyone is responsible for the rise and fall of the world. In the Confucian era, people were educated with benevolence. Confucius and all Confucians are people who pursue the world. When they can cultivate good virtues and love others, there will be no war in the world. Intellectually, one can know whether one is in the stage of "being poor and doing well for oneself," or being in the stage of "being rich and contributing to the world." If you can't cultivate your personal life well, your family can't be well, and you are in a mess, and you still try to help the world, you are either delusional or delusional. A joke.
I hope more people can support the cultural revival of our ancient sages
I am Tianxing. , inherit Chinese culture and help you interpret classics.
"If you are poor, you will be alone" This sentence should be used to advise some people who entertain themselves to death. These people are impetuous and have great desires. Due to lack of ability and low income, they are unable to satisfy their own desires and realize their ideals. Ordinarily, at this time, you should take care of yourself, settle down, practice, and improve yourself, so as to prepare for future opportunities. However, they make full use of the convenience of online loans to pay for the west, and live a life of overdrafting the future. I don’t know how to make progress, I am addicted to the Internet, and I am obsessed with entertainment until my death. I don’t even have a few hundred dollars, but I look down on a job with an annual salary of hundreds of thousands. I always dream of doing some kind of business or investment that can make me rich in a short period of time.
It can be seen that forgetting the lessons of our ancestors is a big problem.
Jack Ma has done a very good job in "getting rich and benefiting the world". During this epidemic, he became a pioneer and a role model for everyone. Of course, there are many such role models in our country, ranging from 80-year-olds to young people born in the 1990s. Their generous deeds during the epidemic have emerged one after another, making Wuhan compatriots feel warm and making our Chinese compatriots proud.
Hello everyone, I am Haihai Culture Chat, and I am very happy to answer this question.
"If you are poor, you can take care of yourself; if you are prosperous, you can help the world" and "Everyone is responsible for the rise and fall of the world." These two sentences seem to be contradictory, but in fact they are not. They just think about the problem from different angles.
This sentence is the same as what is said in our traditional culture: "cultivate oneself, manage one's family, govern the country, and bring peace to the world."
Every individual is independent. When we are weak and poor, we need to work hard to improve ourselves so that we can keep up with the average level of society so as not to hold others back. And when our living conditions and abilities have far exceeded the average level of society, we can have the ability to help others and benefit society. This is a step-by-step matter, and the order cannot be reversed.
In fact, this is consistent with the reality of our society. Poor people born in impoverished mountainous areas have limited abilities and low levels of education, so the best way to repay society is to improve their lives through their own efforts. own living conditions.
As for those entrepreneurs, such as Jack Ma, Wang Jianlin, etc., they have more social responsibilities for society and need to perform various charitable acts in education, medical care, culture, etc.
There is a song that goes well: Only when there is a country, there is a home.
As the saying goes: "Under the overturned nest, there are still intact eggs." It is often seen in the news that some countries in the Middle East are at war all year round, and the people are living in dire straits. Under such circumstances, not to mention the people's happiness index, even survival has become a luxury.
Human development is based on a good external environment, so we cannot just care about ourselves and ignore the external social environment.
To sum up, I think these two sentences are not contradictory. "If you are poor, you can benefit yourself; if you are prosperous, you can help the world." This sentence is more about considering one's own response to the external environment. Feedback; and "Everyone is responsible for the rise and fall of the world", this sentence is more about considering the importance of the external environment to the individual.
The meaning of the first two sentences is roughly that if you are successful, you should accumulate more virtue and help the people around you. If you are a pauper, just take care of yourself. The more well-known a sentence is, the less people think about it in detail. They are like jingles and can be read out without thinking. The meaning of the last two sentences is that everyone is responsible for the prosperity and decline of the country. This is the written meaning. I personally believe that everything is nothing more than a mind. If you cultivate your mind and nature, and your soul is beautiful, other things will be beautiful. Today's society is a democratic society, and we consider ourselves the masters of this society and this country. Who would be irresponsible for their own home?
"If you are poor, you can benefit yourself; if you are prosperous, you can help the world." I think many people may have misunderstood this sentence.
First of all, what are the criteria for "poor" and "prosperous"? Does it mean money or ideological knowledge?
Secondly, can’t poor people contribute to society? Doesn't that contradict the saying that "everyone is responsible for the rise and fall of the world"?
"If you are poor, take care of yourself." Mencius means: When your abilities are limited, you must take care of yourself and try not to become the target of others' aid.
For example, in the current outbreak of COVID-19, for ordinary people, if their abilities are limited and they cannot donate money or materials, then please protect and take care of society and not cause trouble to others.
Rather than just caring about themselves when they have no money, they look like they don’t care. It’s obvious that the risk of infection outside is very high, and they run around without any protection.
What does "Da" mean in "Da Ze helps the world"? Become a billionaire? Became a high official? None of this is the case. Otherwise, wouldn’t that be a restriction on helping others?
Is "the world" the whole society? Who has such ability?
I think this sentence should be understood this way: If you have plenty of money, take care of others.
The original text "If you are poor, you can be good for yourself; if you are prosperous, you can be good for the world." It comes from "Chapter 9 of Mencius" during the Warring States Period. His thought of caring for the world is very remarkable.
This is in line with Confucius's "The journey of the great road, the world is for the common good... There is no single son, so that the old will die, the strong will be useful, the young will be successful, the lonely, the weak, and the sick will all be there." "Raised" means exactly the same thing.
It is precisely because we have been influenced by Confucianism for thousands of years that our country is a large group that values ??friendship. When difficulties come, the phenomenon of "when one party is in trouble, all parties support" will appear.
The West advocates freedom and individualism, so it is impossible for us to be as united as we are.