加密数字货币交易所-《论语》详解：给所有曲解孔子的人-子曰：不知，命无以为君子也；不知，礼无以立也；不知，言无以知人也

Confucius said: If one does not understand fate, one cannot be a gentleman; if one does not understand rites, one cannot establish oneself in society; if one does not understand speech, one cannot know others.

Yang Bojun: Confucius said: “Without understanding destiny, it is impossible to be a gentleman; without understanding rites, it is impossible to stand firm in society; without understanding speech, it is impossible to recognize others.”

Qian Mu: The master said: “Without understanding destiny, one cannot become a gentleman. Without understanding rites, one cannot establish oneself. Without understanding language, one cannot judge others.”

Li Zehou: Confucius said: “Not knowing fate means one cannot be a gentleman. Not understanding rites means one cannot stand among people. Not understanding speech means one cannot know others.”

Detailed explanation:

The above interpretations are all based on the following segmentation: “Not knowing fate, no way to be a gentleman; not knowing rites, no way to establish oneself; not knowing speech, no way to know others,” which still reflects the absurd logic of “my own standpoint.” However, here the logical relationship has been turned around to focus on “fate, rites, speech,” and then, assuming one has mastered these so-called skills of “fate, rites, speech,” one can obtain the great rewards of “gentleman, standing, knowing others.” The absurdity of this logic has been discussed extensively before, so I will not elaborate further.

The correct segmentation should be: “Not knowing, fate has no way to make a gentleman; not knowing, rites have no way to establish oneself; not knowing, speech has no way to know others,” which describes the consequences of “not knowing.” The fundamental characters are “know” and “wisdom,” with “not knowing” meaning a lack of wisdom. This “not knowing” does not only refer to individuals but also to society itself—“people do not know.” “Fate, rites, speech” are not purely individual phenomena; in social human existence, they are all related to society itself. Unfortunately, over more than two thousand years of Confucian scholars’ distortions, these have been regarded as empty talk or as some kind of a priori concepts, which completely contradicts the fundamental stance of Confucianism rooted in reality.

“Fate,” mission— even Taoists can say “My fate is decided by myself, not by heaven,” let alone Confucianism. Chinese culture’s view of destiny has always been much more positive and powerful than the Western tradition represented by Greek tragedy. For individuals, “My fate is decided by myself, not by heaven,” means “fate” is just a mission. This mission is not assigned by God but comes from oneself. Heaven and earth are my stage, and without wisdom, one cannot understand that “my fate is decided by myself, not by heaven.” Many mistakenly believe that their destiny is arranged by heaven, that slaves can only be slaves, rulers can only be rulers, but they do not realize that all this is “created by humans.” Only by breaking through this so-called nonsense of heaven’s decree and destiny can one truly undertake the real mission of a person. Only then can one become a true gentleman who practices the “Way of the Sage.”

“Rites” refer to the basic social order formed by the bottom lines of relationships between people—if society lacks the minimum bottom line, it can only be a chaotic mess, susceptible to violence and law. Violence and law are only necessary when society cannot operate normally. A normal society relies on these as last resorts; violence and law are unavoidable in such cases. However, a society without wisdom, one that only trusts violence and law and abandons all bottom lines, makes it impossible to establish “rites.” The system connecting social relationships will break down, and society can only be in turmoil.

“Speech” includes discourse, public opinion, and all social expressions. An unwise person or an unwise society cannot produce speech that makes others wise. Without wisdom, speech cannot generate wisdom; it only creates chaos and foolishness. Speech and action are closely related, especially in a society with widespread dissemination of speech. The role of “speech” in shaping individuals and society cannot be overstated.

Zhan Zhong’s plain translation of Zen sayings