Interpretation of the "Analects" of the "Literature" to transform people

The Analects seem to talk about the righteousness of Qi Zhiping throughout the text, but it does not make people feel difficult and obscure. On the contrary, it can be read often and always new, and when opened at any time, it will always find some subtleties of details, and the reason is that it is a literary quality of its text. Literaryness is closely related to emotional emotions, expression techniques, scene atmosphere, and rhythm of qi rhyme, because of this literary nature, Mr. Yang Dai once wrote in "How Do I Read the Analects"? The article says that "in the "Four Books" I like the Analects the most, because it is the most interesting. When I read the Analects, I read sentence by sentence, but what I saw was a person.

The four disciplines of Confucius focus on "virtue, speech, political affairs, and literature", although the literary masters are Ziyou and Zixia, the disciples of Confucius who edited the Analects and their descendants still embody a very high degree of literary accomplishment and taste.

In general, Confucianism takes humanity as its mission, and the sages are teachers of the whole people and never isolate themselves from sentient beings. However, in terms of the expression characteristics of the words, the same Confucian classics, the Analects and the "Zhongyong" and "University" convey a more plain and warm breath of life. For example, in the opening chapter "Learning and Learning", "Learning and learning from time to time, don't you also say it?" Have friends from afar, are you happy? People don't know and don't care, aren't they gentlemen? "Study, make friends, and daily interactions are all about life scenes and life experiences from the people's daily use, living and acting, treating people and things, and at the same time settling down, politics and people, reading is friendly and comfortable, following the good temptations, understanding and smooth, calm and unhurried, making people feel like a spring breeze." As the saying goes, "The saints speak of man who does not speak of God, and often speaks of no strangeness." ”

Nevertheless, the Analects is never crude in its use of words and sentences, and it can be seen throughout the exquisite sentence structure, incisive and philosophical pairs and arrangements. For example, in the "Yongye" section, "Quality wins over Wen Zeye, and Wen wins quality is history", "Gentlemen are frank, villains are long-standing relatives" in "ShuEr", and "Happy in poetry, standing in ceremonies, and becoming happy" in "Taibo". This is also highly consistent with Confucius's poetic concept of "not learning poetry, no words", which is very rhythmic and beautiful.

At the heart of literature is people. As a record of words and deeds, the description of Confucius's demeanor and expression in different situations in the Analects is simple but very vivid and perceptible. The "Yang Goods" section records a dialogue between Confucius and his disciple Ziyou, the Wucheng of zi, and the sound of string songs. The master smiled and said, "Cut the chicken with a cattle knife?" Zi You said: "In the past, Yan also heard that the masters knew that 'a gentleman who learns the Tao loves others, and a villain who learns the Tao is easy to make. The son said, "Two or three sons!" The words are also. Foreword to the ear of the play. ”

Confucius disciple Ziyou became the Yizai of Wucheng, implemented the order of education, many people learned liturgical music, and the strings and songs in the small city never quit. When Confucius arrived in Wucheng, he heard the sound of playing the piano and singing, and felt the background of the era when the liturgy collapsed and was bad, and thought that the people of many big countries did not have such a preference for liturgy, and in the small place of Wucheng, there was such a successful custom of the people, in fact, it was a bit overjoyed, so "Wan'er smiled" and used a joking tone, saying "cutting chickens with a cattle knife". This shows the humorous, relaxed, kind and interesting side of the master, which is rare. Ziyou replied, "I have heard my teacher say before, 'When a gentleman learns the Tao, he will love his lover when he knows the Lile; when the common people learn the Tao, they will be easy to guide and manage when they know the Lile.' Hearing this, Confucius immediately said, "Students, what Yan Yan (Ziyou) said is right. What I just said was just a joke with him. This passage is very dramatic, Confucius from relaxed and witty to deep and solemn, the transformation before and after, the sense of atmosphere is very strong, reflecting Confucius's true kindness, but also reflects his concern and reverence for the matter of "governing the country and ensuring the country".

In addition, the description of the scene of Confucius and the old acquaintance of the original soil in the "XianWen" section is also very vivid and interesting, and the high summary of the original soil and a small action reflect Confucius's frank spirit from the master's high summary of the original soil. The original text reads: "The original soil is Yi Qi." Zi Yue: Young and not grandchild, long and unspeakable, old and not dead for thieves, with a staff to knock on his shin. Confucius's old acquaintance, YuanYuan, was a wandering skeleton and did not abide by the etiquette, Confucius went to visit him, originally he was supposed to go out to greet him, but he sat there, stretched his legs and waited for Confucius, looking indifferent. Because he was an old acquaintance, Confucius bluntly criticized him, saying that he did not respect his brother when he was a child, that there was nothing to praise when he grew up, and that when he grew old, he did not die and became a scourge. Just as the so-called "(gentleman) listens to his words and is strong", Confucius's disgust can be said to be overflowing with words. Moreover, in addition to this verbal rigidity, Confucius also tapped the calf of the original soil with his cane. This action reflects his "hatred of iron not steel" for old acquaintances, and conveys his firm maintenance of "etiquette". The images of the two men jumped on the paper at the same time.

The content of the above two chapters is not centered on "righteousness", but presents Confucius's value judgments and emotional tendencies in specific events, so it will leave a very deep impression on the reader. In fact, the recognition of Confucius's personality characteristics and spiritual realm in later generations is also derived from the "sense of atmosphere" and drama presented in many passages of the Analects.

Confucius recruited disciples and traveled around the world, hoping to re-advocate and establish social order at a time of moral crisis and destruction of life in the whole society, return to the era of moral rule and etiquette rule of "inner saints and outer kings" and "depressed wenzai", replace hegemony with royal morality, and create a state of etiquette and righteousness. His idealistic life choice is anachronistic and extremely stupid in the eyes of many people.

In the "Micro Son" section, the encounter between Confucius's master and apprentice and the hermit Chang Depressed and Drowning, from the level of literary expression, the plot twists and turns, and the emotions reveal natural and true, making people read like miniature novels: long depression, drowning and farming, Confucius passed, making Zilu ask for it. ...... "The heinous are all over the world, and who is easy to change?" And instead of following the pioneers, how could it be from the pioneers of the world? "Don't quit. The Son's path was told, and the Master knew, "Birds and beasts must not be with the same group, and the disciples of the Wufei people are with whom?" There is a way under the heavens, and Qiu is not with Yiye. ”

The content of this passage describes confucius's master and apprentice on the way around the world, encountering the hermit long depressed and drowning in the ploughing field, Confucius asked Zilu to ask where the ferry port was. Chang Frustrated asked Zilu, "Who is the person driving?" "Zilu said it was Kong Qiu. Chang Frustrated asked if it was "Kong Qiu of the State of Lu", and Zi Lu said yes. Chang Frustrated said, "He should have known where the ferry was." Zi Lu asked again. He said, "Who are you?" "Zilu said it was Zhongyu. Jie Yu once again confirmed that Zilu was a student of Confucius, and then said: "Society is chaotic, like a flood, bad people and bad things are everywhere, the whole world is like this, who can change it?" Instead of following the people like Kong Qiu who run away from the bad guys, you should follow those of us who are reclusive. "After saying that, I will continue to work on the soil." Zilu came back and told Confucius about this. Confucius sighed in disappointment and said, "Since we can't stay with birds and beasts, who are we with if we don't stay with the people of the world?" If the world were peaceful, I wouldn't be working with you to change reality. ”

At the heart of this dialogue is "asking for directions", Zilu asks how the ferry is taken, and the hermit tells him how to choose the path of life. In the face of the hermit's long depression and the sneering words of disdain, Confucius's loneliness and sadness overflowed into words, and the word "pity" here is very accurate, but Confucius was very clear and firm about his choice, so he said, "Birds and beasts should not be with the same group, and the disciples of the Wufei people are with whom." He reminded Zilu that since he was born as a human being, he must have rationality and responsibility, and he cannot enter a purely natural environment like a bird or a beast, but must face real social life. The last sentence, "Qiu Bu and Yi Ye", means that if there is a way in the world and there is harmony and beauty in the world, he will not change society with his disciples. The description of this paragraph fully embodies Confucius's value pursuit of "benevolence as one's own responsibility" and the courage to take responsibility for running for the world without asking about the results, but instead of directly praising Confucius for meritorious service, but through the words, behaviors, and looks of several characters, they vividly show their different life pursuits of "birth" and "entry into the world", and also let the reader realize that the path chosen by the master is actually much more difficult than being a hermit, which highlights his great sense of mission of "knowing that he cannot do it".

The literary nature of the Analects is also reflected in the use of a large number of figurative techniques, including metaphors, metaphors, borrowings, anti-metaphors, quotations, and metaphors. The use of these rhetoric adds a lot to the text of the Analects, which is mainly theoretical and narrative, greatly improves the image and interest of expression, and also triggers the reader's imagination space.

For example, in the "Zihan" chapter, there are two sentences that compare natural scenery, one sentence is "The son is in the river, and the deceased is like a sifu, who does not give up day and night." Another sentence is "Years cold, and then after knowing the pine cypress, it withers." These two sentences can be called famous sentences throughout the ages, and the spiritual connotations they contain are very rich and profound, the former is a philosophical aria about the passage of time and life, and the latter is a manifestation of the wind and bone of people under the grinding of the outside world and the praise of the resilience of life and the personality of a gentleman. As Zhong Rong said, "Because of the metaphor of things, Biye". The Confucian self-cultivation goals and principles are essentially closely related to how to create an eternal meaning and value in life, transcend a kind of finiteness as a person, and achieve a kind of prominence and immortality. Whether it is the sense of urgency of the passage of time, or the torment and test of the chaotic world, Confucius's feelings and metaphors have a profound meaning.

Another well-known and interesting metaphor in the Analects is the imagery of "floating clouds" in the Shu'er. "Zi Yue: Eat and drink, bend and pillow, and enjoy it." The unrighteous and the rich and noble are like floating clouds to me. The fundamental pursuit of the Master lies in the "Tao", so the pleasure of Kong Yan is completely the frankness and pleasure of the spiritual world, and the material needs are extremely simple. In contrast, the position of wealth obtained through unjust means is like a floating cloud to the Master. The reason why the "floating cloud" is used as an analogy is because of the ethereal nature of the floating cloud, which looks beautiful and tall, but it is scattered and unstable, and it is an unreliable thing. Rich and noble are full of attraction to the world, because most of the world is short-sighted, bound by desire and unable to be autonomous. And with the great wisdom of Confucius, the natural mind is bright, not confused by vanity, and can transcend things.

In addition, there is also a wonderful metaphor for integrity in "For Government". "Man has no faith, and he does not know what he can do." The big car has no body, the small car has no body, how can it work? This chapter compares "faith" to the big cart (ox cart) and the small cart (carriage) connecting the branches and branches of the horizontal wood, which has a deep meaning, on the one hand, it emphasizes the important value of this connection tool, without them, people cannot use the power of cattle and horses to pull the car forward, showing that people cannot get the trust and help of others without integrity, and it is difficult to move forward. On the other hand, the parts of the car are very easy to wear out, and a person's reputation for integrity can be established with accumulation, but if it is not careful, it will be destroyed, and it is difficult to re-establish the sky.

In general, the literary characteristics of the Analects are the externalization of the psychological structure of Confucian culture, which has the ability to shape the national character of the Chinese over the past two thousand years, and has also had a profound impact on the prose writing of later generations of literati and inkers. Every reader who carefully reads the Analects, when covering up the volume, will always present a specific character image in his mind, and he can often experience an indescribable sense of atmosphere. These situations are precisely because the Analects truly embody the power of "writing" people.

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