The original translation and annotations of "The University" are as follows:
Translation: The purpose of the university is to promote upright moral character, learn and apply it to life, and enable people to reach the most perfect state. Only when you know the state you should reach can you be firm in your ambitions; only if you are firm in your ambitions can you be calm and not impatient; only by being calm and not impatient can you have peace of mind; only by having peace of mind can you think carefully; only by thinking carefully can you deal with things appropriately. Everything has a beginning and an end, everything has a beginning and an end. If you understand this fundamental truth, you will be close to the law of development of things.
Those who want to promote upright moral character in the world must first govern their own country; if they want to govern their country well, they must first manage their own family and clan; Family and family must first cultivate their own character; if they want to cultivate their own character, they must first correct their thoughts; if they want to correct their thoughts, they must first make their thoughts sincere; if they want to make their thoughts sincere, they must first make their thoughts sincere. You must first acquire knowledge for yourself; the way to acquire knowledge is to understand and study everything. Only by understanding and studying all things can we acquire knowledge; only by acquiring knowledge can our thoughts be sincere; only by sincere thoughts can we have a correct mind; only by having a correct mind can we cultivate our character; only by cultivating our character can we manage our families and families well; manage our families and families well. Only after the family can we govern the country well; after we govern the country well can the world be peaceful. From the emperor down to the common people, everyone should cultivate their own moral character as the foundation.
By investigating the principles of things, you can demonstrate your virtue, understand your true heart, and be consistent in appearance and inside. Only when the thoughts are sincere can the mind be correct; only when the mind is correct can the character be cultivated; only after the character is cultivated can the family and family be managed well; after the family and family be managed well can the country be governed well; after the country is governed well, the world can be peaceful. From the king of the country to the common people, everyone must cultivate character as the foundation.
If this fundamental is disturbed, it will be impossible to govern the family, family, country, and the world well. It is also impossible to try to get things done without prioritizing and putting the cart before the horse. This is called knowing the fundamentals. This is the highest state of cognition.
The way of the university: the purpose of the university. The word "university" has two meanings in ancient times: one is the meaning of "eruditeness"; the other is "adult learning" compared to primary school. The ancients entered primary school at the age of eight and learned basic cultural knowledge and etiquette such as "sweeping and sweeping, responding to advance and retreat, etiquette, music, and archery"; they entered university at the age of fifteen and learned ethics, politics, philosophy and other knowledge of "pursuing principles and rectifying the mind, cultivating oneself and governing others" . The second meaning also means "learned". The original meaning of "Tao" is road, which can be extended to laws, principles, etc. In ancient Chinese philosophy and political science, it also refers to the origin and individuality of all things in the universe, a certain political outlook or ideological system, etc., in different contexts. different meanings.
Ming Mingde: The first "Ming" is used as a verb, which means to make it clear, that is, "to make it clear", which means to carry forward and carry forward. The latter "ming" is used as an adjective, and Mingde is an upright character.
Be close to the people: "Guanzi: Interpretation of Situation": "The Tao is pure and honest, and it is true when you encounter it. Although you don't say 'I am close to the people,' you are close to the people." Wang Yangming and his disciple Xu Ai once distinguished between being close to the people and the new people, and believed that "it is better to refer to the old version as 'close to the people'", which was listed in the first chapter of "Zhuan Xi Lu", "To say that it is close to the people means to educate the people, but to say that to be new to the people is biased." The main purpose of "being close to the people" is to "keep the family in order", and bringing the family together means being close to the people. The word "people-friendly" is combined with the "Ming Ming De" above, that is, to promote bright virtues, we must learn and apply them in daily life, and adults' knowledge comes from life.
Zhizhi: Know where the goal is.
Get: Deal with things appropriately.
Qi Qijia: Manage your family or family well to make it prosperous.
Cultivation of one's own character: Cultivation of one's own character.
To gain knowledge: to study the principles of things and obtain knowledge.
Gewu: understanding and studying things.
Common people: refers to common people.
One is: uniform, uniform.
Ben: Fundamental.
Mo: relative to "base", it refers to the end of branches and branches.
What is thick is thin: what should be valued is not taken seriously.
What is thin is thick: what should not be valued should be valued.
The existence of something that is not yet there: that is, something that is not yet there. There is no such reason (things, practices, etc.).