加密数字货币交易所-《论语》详解：给所有曲解孔子的人-子曰：由知、德者，鲜矣

Confucius said: “Those who know and have virtue are few!”

Yang Bojun: Confucius told Zilu, “You! Those who understand virtue are rare.”

Qian Mu: The teacher said, “You! Very few people know about virtue.”

Li Zehou: Confucius said, “Zilu, very few people understand moral conduct.”

Detailed explanation:

The above interpretations are based on the phrase: “You! Those who know and have virtue are few,” which corresponds to a ridiculous logic derived from a hybrid of “my own standpoint” and “Lu model.” First, “virtue” is treated as something that can be manipulated by a small group of so-called “virtuous” elites. Once someone claims to possess this thing, it is as lively as a eunuch possessing a fake penis. Of course, these so-called elites with their fake “virtue” are always competing in various "I"s, ultimately just fighting for “discourse power,” making “my” “I” the standard of “virtue,” and turning “my” fake penis into a stick wielded over everyone’s head. The premise is that all people, men are castrated into eunuchs, women become slaves and maids. Then, regardless of gender, everyone is unified under the waving of this so-called “virtue” fake penis stick. The word “few” is defined as “high tone” by these fake penis traders, meaning “few, too few, very few,” with the underlying implication that only those who meet their so-called “virtue” are many, correct, “gentlemen,” and elites. This absurd logic has turned the Analects into a manual for installing fake penises, enslaving everyone’s thoughts for over two thousand years, ultimately facilitating the shameless deeds of the fake penis traders.

The correct segmentation should be: “You! Those who know and have virtue are few!” Here, “You” does not refer to Confucius’s students like Zilu, as commonly thought, but means “to tread, to walk, to practice.” This usage is quite common, as in the Book of Rites: “Therefore, the grand rites are based on rites, called the wise of proper form.” “Know” is the fundamental character for “wisdom”; “virtue” is what is gained from practicing “the Way of the Sage”; “few” is a level tone, meaning fresh, lively. “The Way of the Sage” is about transforming a world where “people do not know” into a world where “people do not get angry.” There are no fixed patterns or preordained methods here; the path is made by people, coming from “You” who “walk” and “practice.” Without people’s “walking and practicing,” where is the path? Besides “know” and “virtue,” a gentleman who practices “the Way of the Sage” has no need to “walk” or “practice.”

Transforming a world where “people do not know” into one where “people do not get angry,” the “Way of the Sage” is non-hierarchical, and “virtue” thus has a rank and can be obtained. The thing to be obtained is “virtue.” Because “the Way of the Sage” is not preordained but rooted in reality, it is always fresh and lively. What is “fresh”? Every day is a good day, every moment is a flower time, always in a state of innovation and creation, as in “Heaven’s movement is vigorous; the gentleman strives ceaselessly.” For the “Way of the Sage,” “know” is fundamental, as mentioned earlier: “Not knowing, one cannot be a gentleman,” without wisdom, one cannot undertake the mission of a gentleman. And what is the mission of a gentleman? It is to “hear, see, learn, and practice” the “Way of the Sage,” transforming the “world where people do not know” into a “world where people do not get angry.” The “hearing, seeing, learning, and practicing” of the “Way of the Sage” are not distant myths but must be implemented in every present moment, thus establishing hierarchy and “virtue.” Maintaining its freshness and vitality, vividly present in the moment, is the life force of the “hearing, seeing, learning, and practicing” of the “Way of the Sage.”

Chánzhōng’s plain translation of Zen talk