Look up close, look far and look closely, use three different methods to observe people, who can still hide
Zi said: "Look at the reason, look at the reason, and observe the safety." How are you scared? How are you scared? —The Analects is the tenth political chapter
Confucius said: "See clearly the purpose and motive of his actions, examine the methods and means of his actions, and gain insight into the changes in his mentality." Can the man still be hidden? Can the man still be hidden? ”
It is very difficult to understand people, and in the "Chapters of Learning", Confucius emphasized that "if you don't suffer from others, you don't know yourself, and you don't know others." In this chapter, Confucius proposes a comprehensive approach to human beings, focusing on three main points: behavioral motivation - "see what it is", methods and means - "see what it is", and change of mentality - "observe what it is safe to do".
"Seeing", "seeing", and "observing" are three different ways of observing people. "Seeing" is to look at it from a close perspective from an ordinary perspective, focusing on grasping and outlining the whole picture of a person through a comprehensive and macroscopic understanding. "Viewing" is to look at a person from a distance, based on the perspective of historical development, to look at it in a concrete and in-depth way, and to clearly analyze a person's situation in all aspects from the past to the present. "Inspection" means to look carefully, see clearly, do not ignore the details, gain a detailed insight into the depths of people's hearts, and do not let go of any subtle changes in mentality. Confucius's language is very precise, these three words are shallow and deep, from the whole to the part, from the appearance to the inside, not simply look at the matter.
Combined with the different degrees of observation, the focus of the investigation of people is also divided into three different aspects - so, why, and what.
The first is to "see what it is" and see clearly the purpose and motive of his actions. "Its", the third-person pronoun, his. "So" is the reason, the cause of the matter. From this, we can see the purpose of a person's behavior, or the intention and motive. In order to identify the true face of a person, it is necessary to understand the motive and purpose of his behavior, and find out what the motive of his behavior is, which is the premise and foothold of knowing people and people.
There is another interpretation of the word "to" in "regard it as such", which refers to daily application as the word "use". That is, look at what a person is doing at the moment, and look at his daily behavior now. This understanding also makes sense, and it can form a correspondence in time and space with the next sentence "look at what it is from".
The second is to "look at the reasons for this" and examine the methods and means of his actions. "By" means through, through. "Cause" refers to the path traveled, i.e., how a person has acted in the past. How can you see a person's motivation and purpose? The key is to identify and identify his past ways and means.
Some people like to take shortcuts and take the back door, while others are willing to be decent and work hard. Only through an in-depth investigation of the methods and means of doing things can we see people clearly and not look away. In terms of time and space, "by" is based on the past, not the present.
The third is to "observe what he is doing" and gain insight into the changes in his mentality. "An", place, place. "Peace", the heart of the store, the place of peace of mind. "An" is a state of mind, a state of psychological change. What kind of thoughts a person has in his heart, his behavioral choices and results will produce corresponding psychological reactions, and thus have penetrated into the inner world of people.
"So'an", the focus is to pay attention to his state of mind in the process of doing things, to gain insight into what thoughts he uses from the clues in the process of acting, and to explore his original intention from the results of things. Whether he is at ease or not at ease with what he is doing, especially to find out where his "insecurity" lies. If he does it reluctantly, he will be uneasy, and there will be expressions of dissatisfaction, and the essence of his character can be seen. If he is tired and elated, you can also see his inner preferences and tastes.
This is especially important when it comes to the study of people. From a moral point of view, the difference between the human heart is benevolence and non-benevolence, good and unkindness, but people's purpose and motives are hidden in the heart, sometimes good people will make mistakes, and bad people will also use loyal appearances to cover up their hearts, confessing that they have good intentions and pure motives. Therefore, if a person is satisfied with the outcome of his actions and is not ashamed, even happy and complacent, if there is a bad outcome, then his original intention cannot be concealed.
It can be seen that from the explicit behavior to the invisible thought, from the past experience to the current action, an all-round, three-dimensional in-depth and careful examination of a person can see the person clearly, whether you are a gentleman pretending to be mediocre, or you do good deeds and do not want to publicize; Or the villain pretends to be kind, or does something bad and wants to cover it up, his personality and heart can't be hidden.
So Confucius went on to say, "How are you a man? How are you scared? This "person" refers to the person who has been observed in the above three ways. "焉", an adverb, is mostly used for rhetorical questions, which is equivalent to the meaning of "how, where". The character "廋 (sōu)" looks a bit like the fat and thin character for "thin", but there are two dots missing on the left, and the pronunciation is different, which is a hidden meaning. Can that person still be hidden? To emphasize, Confucius repeated this sentence twice. Indeed, using the three methods of "seeing what is going on, looking at the reason, and observing what is safe" to observe people is like having the three magic weapons of a demon mirror, a magnifying glass and a microscope, and no one can hide themselves.
A comprehensive investigation according to Confucius's method of observing people has always been valued by those in power and those who employ people. Even ordinary people always deal with people in their daily lives, how can they understand others? How can I protect myself? Wisdom can be drawn from Confucius.
But a word of caution. People are complex, especially villains, most of them are twists and turns, their minds are very meticulous, their disguises are very ingenious, and there are too many ways to deceive, so the application of Confucius's three methods of observing people is not so easy, and you need to constantly figure out and understand it yourself. In addition, if you use these methods to look into your own heart and reflect on life, it is also very meaningful.