Phrases and sayings of Confucius - the Chinese sage

2024 Author: Henry Conors | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-12 02:43

The sayings of Confucius, the famous Chinese sage and philosopher, are known far beyond the Celestial Empire. Many people who have not read not only the originals, but also translations of his works, nevertheless believe that they know almost everything about him. “As the old man Confucius said, the best new is the old,” said one of the Soviet poets. The fashion for the so-called "Europeanized Confucianism" has not gone away since the eighteenth century. But do we understand the ideas of this philosopher well enough? What do scholarly books say about him? Let's see what contribution Confucius's phrases made to the culture of mankind.

Who was he?

The biography of this sage in itself can serve as an illustration of a kind of ethical stoicism. He came from a noble and glorious family, but the vicissitudes of fate turned the ancestors of the future philosopher into fugitives, forced to wander onforeign land.

From childhood, he lived in poverty with his mother, who told him about famous ancestors. He also tried to pursue a political career and educate the children of the nobility, but failed due to career rivalry and envy. Therefore, many of the later statements of the Chinese sage Confucius are devoted to ancient customs, which the philosopher idealized. He believed that in past eras people were different. For example, they studied in order to improve themselves. Now they gnaw at the granite of science to surprise others and show themselves, but in reality they are empty shells.

About beauty

It is also believed that the world-famous founder of the doctrine of the unity of ethics, politics and rituals was not very lucky with his appearance - he was tall, with a strangely shaped head and inclined to be overweight. Apparently, this stung him very much, because many phrases of Confucius are devoted to the dichotomy between goodness and nobility on the one hand, and good looks on the other. "People with an attractive appearance are extremely rarely human," he believed. Besides, sadly, there are many who love beauty when they ought to revere goodness. After all, humanity (“jen”) is what is real, due in us. And it depends on us whether it hatches in us or not.

Confucius: "Discourses and Sayings"

As well as from Socrates, almost no original text has come down to us from the Chinese philosopher, with the exception of the annals of one of the regionscountries called "Spring and Autumn". True, he is credited with the authorship of many works, and even editing the famous books - "Songs" and "Changes". However, his students, of whom the philosopher had a huge number, compiled after his death a collection called “Lun Yu” (“Conversations and Sayings”), where the political, social and ethical teachings of the sage are expounded in the form of aphorisms and comments on them. This work can be called the holy book of the followers of the philosopher, although his teaching is considered non-religious. He believed that a true pundit should not waste his time studying the supernatural.

Confucius sayings about man

What should people be like according to the philosopher? A person who honors parents, is devoted and loyal to the authorities can become the basis of a harmonious society. But this is not enough. For true cultivation, he must become a "noble man." Many statements of Confucius are devoted to the characteristics of this type of personality. Man makes himself and is responsible for whether he remains a savage or follows a moral calling. If he follows the principle of jen, he will be guided by love for others and compassion. However, in doing so, he must understand the difference between what he is able to do and where

pass the boundaries of his capabilities, and maintain balance in everything. A noble man, as the philosopher believed, unlike a low man, is serene and lives in harmony with others, but does not follow them blindly. Hetries not to compete with others and not to collude behind their backs. He can strive for we alth and fame, but only if all this can be achieved in an honest way. He blames himself for his mistakes and is able to admit them publicly. A noble man is waiting for the opportunity to fulfill the will of Heaven and his duty, and a low man only cowardly and fussily follows his luck.

On nature and nurture

Many sayings of Confucius are devoted to how it is possible to “sculpt” a worthy person from natural inclinations. All of us, as the sage believed, have natural inclinations that bring us closer. And now, according to acquired habits and mores, we begin to move away from each other. But here, too, a balance must be struck. After all, if natural inclinations prevail over the upbringing of a person, then nothing but a savage will come of him. And vice versa, in the case when training completely eclipses nature, one will get a reasoner and a scribe. Therefore, a real educated and noble person must strike a balance between natural and

acquired. However, when teaching other people, do not build illusions. We need to work with those who can speak clearly enough about the most intimate, and have enough imagination to see the corner of the square and imagine the other three.

About debt

The most striking sayings of Confucius describe the most valuable virtue for him. This is following the duty, without which no foundations of society are possible. No matter how noble a manIf a person, he needs to fulfill precisely this moral duty. Since it is his duty to follow the path of truth, he must follow it and not worry about anything else - neither about poverty, nor about subsistence. To test yourself, you should associate only with virtuous people, and then many things will fall into place. The lack of a sense of duty hinders a noble husband - without him he can become a rebel. There are three ways to follow this difficult path. One of them is the noblest (those are reflections). The second, the easiest, is imitation of a virtuous person. And the most bitter of them is your own experience.

Summing up his life, the philosopher notes that in his youth he aspired to study, at the age of thirty he became an independent person. When he turned forty, doubts left him. He understood the duty and will of Heaven at fifty. At sixty came the ability to distinguish between lies and truth. And already in old age, he began to follow the call of his heart. These are the statements of Confucius - an amazing person who knows how to teach us from the depths of epochs.