Cryptocurrency Exchange - "Analects" Detailed Explanation: To all those who distort Confucius - "To hear the Way in the morning and die in the evening" is enough.

A preliminary understanding of the three “Not Yet” in the first chapter must ultimately focus on “承担” (bearing/undertaking). Without this sense of “bearing” towards “Heaven, Earth, and Humanity,” towards “the Way of the Sage,” and towards the practice of “the Way of the Sage” culminating in a “world without irritation,” there is no need to continue studying the Analects. As mentioned above, ducks do not need to read the Analects; although ducks also have “承担,” only a gentleman needs the Analects and can “承担” the Analects.

Below, what I, this ID, am about to do is something no one has done since the compilation of the Analects: to reorder the chapters of the Analects. The Analects, a collection of sayings by Confucius and his disciples, systematically discusses how a gentleman should “hear, see, learn, and practice” the “Way of the Sage.” However, since the compilation of the Analects occurred after Confucius and others, and was later tampered with by corrupt scholars, the current order of the chapters is not correct. To better grasp and restore the true face of the Analects, it is necessary to reorder it. In the subsequent explanations, all original chapters of the Analects will be preserved, only reordered in a more reasonable sequence. This must be clarified. This journey through the Analects will continue according to the new sequence I have arranged.

The Master said: “To hear the Way in the morning and die in the evening—this is enough!”

Detailed explanation: This sentence is placed after the overarching “Three ‘Not Yet’” in the general outline and is the first statement in the Analects. The so-called “hearing, seeing, learning, and practicing” the “Way of the Sage” begins with “hearing the Way.” If the Way is not heard, then there is no way to “learn or practice.” However, this familiar phrase is often misinterpreted as a humorous exaggeration like “Hearing the Way in the morning, dying in the evening is worth it.” If that were true, then I ask: if one only dies at night, what was he doing at noon? Was he still learning to be a duck or just being a duck? If one dies in the morning or at noon, is it still worthwhile? If it is truly “hearing the Way in the morning and dying in the evening,” then it is worth it, but it is a private way, not benefiting others. What is worthwhile or not worthwhile about that? These fallacious interpretations have been passed down for thousands of years, treating the Analects as some kind of gospel or similar, which is completely contrary to the spirit of Confucianism and the Analects.

In fact, “死” (death) does not mean dying, but rather “固守” (steadfastness, perseverance). The so-called “固守” is exactly “承担” (bearing/undertaking). The “morning and evening” should not be taken simply as “morning and night,” but should be examined from the perspectives of “Heaven, Earth, and Humanity.” From the “Heaven” perspective, it represents the “beginning and end” of time. Starting from “hearing the Way,” one must continuously “固守,” “承担,” and practice the “Way of the Sage” until ultimately achieving a “world without irritation” without retreat; from the “Earth” perspective, it represents “East and West,” and the entire world—any place, regardless of harsh or favorable conditions—must constantly “固守,” “承担,” and practice the “Way of the Sage” until the final achievement of a “world without irritation” without retreat; from the “Human” perspective, the greatest responsibility is the responsibility of life and death—birth and death—continuously “固守,” “承担,” and practice the “Way of the Sage” until the final achievement of a “world without irritation” without retreat. Only by understanding these three aspects can one truly understand “morning and evening.”

The original punctuation “子曰：朝闻道，夕死可矣！” (The Master said: “To hear the Way in the morning and die in the evening—this is enough!”) is incorrect. Since classical Chinese texts have no punctuation, the placement of punctuation is a major issue. For ages, the commonly used punctuation has mistakenly taken “死” (death) as actual death. From the analysis above, we know that “死” here means “固守” (steadfastness, perseverance), i.e., “承担.” Accordingly, the correct punctuation should be “子曰：朝闻道夕死，可矣！” Actually, the character “道” (Way) can be omitted because the entire Analects discusses the “Way of the Sage” and practicing the “Way of the Sage.” Omitting “道” does not affect understanding. “朝闻夕死” (Hearing the Way in the morning and dying in the evening) aligns more with the tone of classical Chinese. Just “闻” (hear) without “死” (die) cannot practice the “Way of the Sage,” only as a verbal play. The greatest flaw of corrupt scholars in history is that they only “闻” (hear) but do not “死” (persevere/undertake). This “死” (perseverance/undertaking) is “固守” (steadfastness), “承担” (bearing). To “固守” and “承担,” one must be “死心塌地” (steadfast and unwavering), “痴心不改” (single-minded and unchanging). To “偷心不死” (to secretly abandon one’s heart) is impossible to practice the “Way of the Sage.”

“朝闻道夕死，可矣,” a gentleman begins with “闻其道” (hearing the Way). Regardless of place or conditions—harsh or favorable, even life and death—one must constantly “固守,” “承担,” and practice the “Way of the Sage” until the final achievement of a “world without irritation” without retreat. Only then can one truly practice the “Way of the Sage.”