Excerpts from the original text:
The so-called sincere person is not deceiving himself. If it stinks, if it's lewd, it's called modesty. Therefore, a gentleman must be cautious and independent. Villains are not good at fooling around and can do anything. When you meet a gentleman, he will be disgusted, cover up his bad, and focus on his good.
It is no good for a person to see himself if he sees his lungs and liver. This is called sincerity in the middle, tangible outside, and a gentleman must be cautious and independent. Zeng Zi said, "What you see with ten eyes and what you point to with ten hands is strict!" Rich, virtuous, broad-minded and obese, so a gentleman must be sincere.
Vernacular translation:
Making your heart sincere means not deceiving yourself. Just as you hate rancid smells, you should love beautiful women, and everything comes from the heart. Therefore, people with high moral character must be cautious even when they are alone. People with low moral character do evil in private, but when they see people with high moral character, they hide their evil deeds and brag about them.
As we all know, others see themselves as clearly as you see your heart, lungs and liver. What's the use of covering it up? This is called inner truth, and it will definitely show up externally. Therefore, people with high moral character must be cautious even when they are alone.
Ceng Zi said, "Isn't it scary to watch with ten eyes and point with ten fingers?" ? ! "Wealth can decorate houses, but morality can cultivate body and mind and make Shu Tai people open-minded and healthy. Therefore, people with high moral character must make their ideas sincere.
This article comes from the seventh chapter of Ceng Zi's University in the late Spring and Autumn Period.
Extended data writing background:
"University" is an essay on the Confucian thought of self-cultivation and governing the country. Originally the 42nd article of The Book of Rites of Little Dai, it is said that it was written by. In fact, it is a Confucian work in the Qin and Han Dynasties, and it is an important work for China to discuss educational theory in ancient times.
After being highly praised by Cheng Hao and Cheng Yi in the Northern Song Dynasty, Zhu in the Southern Song Dynasty wrote "University Chapters and Sentences", which was finally called "Four Books" together with The Doctrine of the Mean, The Analects of Confucius and Mencius. After the Song and Yuan Dynasties, "Da Xue" became the official textbook of the school and the required reading of the imperial examination, which had a great influence on the ancient education in China.
University comes from The Book of Rites, which was originally the 42nd of 49 articles in The Book of Rites. The Book of Rites was originally named The Book of Rites of Little Dai, also known as The Book of Little Dai. It was compiled by Dai Sheng in Xuan Di era according to a batch of anonymous Confucian works left over from history.
Ban Gu, a dynastic historian, notes that "The Book of Rites was written by the people after 1970s" in 131 Historical Records, and thinks that the book was written mainly from the early Warring States Period to the early Western Han Dynasty. Cui Shu, a native of Qing Dynasty, said, "The style of every article is exhausted by time ..." There are too many words in Daxue, so it should be in the Warring States period. "
On the whole, Daxue was written in the early Warring States period after Confucius and before Mencius and Xunzi, that is, around the 5th century BC, and it was a work of the Zeng school of pure Confucianism.
That is to say, "Da Xue" should be a work in the early Warring States period, and its author should be "Zeng's Confucianism", which is now recognized by academic circles as the work of Zeng Shen in the early Warring States period.
About the author:
(505-435 BC) The word Shen was born in Wucheng, Lu during the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period. A disciple of Confucius and an important representative of the main schools of Confucianism-"Ceng Zi Zisi Mencius School". Later generations revered him as "Zongsheng" and called him "Four Saints" with Confucius, Mencius and Yanzi.