加密数字货币交易所-《论语》详解：给所有曲解孔子的人-子曰：三年学不至，於榖不易，得也

Confucius said: “Three years of learning without reaching the level of ‘Yu Gu’, and yet not easy to attain, that is ‘getting’.”

Yang Bojun: Confucius said: “Studying for three years without the thought of holding office is rare.”

Qian Mu: The teacher said: “After three years of study, if one’s mind still cannot rise above ‘Yu Gu’, that is not easy to achieve!”

Li Zehou: Confucius said: “After three years of study, if there are no plans to hold office, that is very rare.”

Detailed explanation:

The above, as well as the usual punctuation, is “Three years of study, not reaching ‘Yu Gu’, not easy to attain.” According to this punctuation and logical interpretation, does it mean “A hundred years of study, not reaching ‘Yu Gu’, even less easy to attain”? The correct punctuation should be “Three years of study not reaching, ‘Yu Gu’ not easy, ‘getting’.”

What does “reach” mean? It means to be perfect and complete; “not reaching” means not achieving perfection. In the previous chapter, Confucius said: “In ancient and modern times, true learning and scholars are all inseparable from ‘Inner Sage and Outer King’, ‘for oneself and for others’—a unified study.” This kind of knowledge is not only in books but more importantly in current practice, through comparison and correction. Therefore, it is impossible to achieve perfection in three years of study, but does that mean one has achieved nothing? Confucius does not think so; as long as one can “not easily reach ‘Yu Gu’”, it counts as having gained something.

What does “not easily reach ‘Yu Gu’” mean? “‘Yu Gu’ (grain)”—since now simplified characters are used, it is written as “谷”, which can be confused with the valley “谷”. Usually, “Yu Gu” here is interpreted as the general term for grain, and further extended to salary and provisions. Actually, “Yu Gu” here should be understood as “to live, to be alive.” The Book of Songs says: “Yu Gu, then different chambers; die, then share the same tomb,” which reflects this meaning. “Not easily reach ‘Yu Gu’” means as long as one is alive, one does not change; a lifetime remains unchanged. “Yi” (易) here means change.

“Learning” involves a retreat or regression issue. “Three years” is just an approximate number, not strictly three years; five or seven, even thirty or forty years, many people’s “learning” changes entirely. Why? Because they haven’t reached a state of non-retreat; they bow to the five pecks of rice, chase fame and fortune, or are fooled by new trends. Their learning has no fundamental foundation of non-retreat; when the wind shifts or the environment changes, everything changes. Although their learning may not be perfect, fundamentally they are clear and understand deeply, which makes non-retreat possible. Only then can they “not easily reach ‘Yu Gu’”, and this state is an important level of “learning,” meaning they have achieved some success, hence “getting.” If one has not reached this state of non-retreat in the study of the “Way of the Sage,” it cannot be considered as “getting.”

Chánzhōng Shuō Chán plain translation:

Confucius said: “Three years of learning without reaching the level of ‘Yu Gu’, and yet not easy to attain, that is ‘getting’.”

Confucius said: “Years of hearing about the ‘Way of the Sage’, seeing the ‘Way of the Sage’, comparing with the ‘Sage’, and constantly ‘校对’ (checking and correcting) in real society—although not perfect, being able to reach a level in ‘learning’ that does not retreat for a lifetime—that is ‘learning’ with gains.”