Chapter 24 Chapter Twenty Two

The crooked makes the whole, the crooked makes it straight, the hollow makes it full, the hollow makes it new, the little makes it rich, and the too much makes it confusing.If you don't see yourself, you will be clear; if you don't see yourself, you will show; if you don't cut yourself, you will be meritorious;husband!Only if you don't fight, so there is no way in the world to compete with it. The ancient so-called music is perfect, is it a lie!Come back with sincerity. turn around Speaking of this, the arrangement of the articles in the book "Laozi" is different again, from the "Taoism" to the "Yong" response from the body.Everyone should know that Taoist thought has a "body" and a "use" between being born and entering the world.It is wrong to only advocate the body of the Tao, only to cultivate the Tao, and to despise the use of it.It is certainly wrong to be born but not to enter the world.It is also a mistake to only talk about utility without talking about style, and it falls on the other side.

The Tao of Laozi, Zhuangzi and Confucius and Mencius all come from the same origin. Every time Laozi gives an example, he talks about both positive and negative sides. This is the function of "one yin and one yang are called Tao".So we say that what the ancestors left behind is the philosophy of philosophy and the classics of classics.It believes that one body contains two sides, and when two parts are separated, they become many sides.Some people say, it's amazing!It is the same as Hegel's dialectics!What a joke!I often have a metaphor: you see a grandfather and grandson walking together, you insist, your grandfather is amazing, you look just like your grandson!Talking about the same dialectics as Hegel's is equivalent to saying that your grandfather is so amazing that he is exactly the same as his grandson.There is no such reason.Hegel's dialectics is only the syllogism of positive, negative, and combined, not just the syllogism, and the dialectics of Hegel is eight or even ten syllogisms.Because, everyone has not learned the principle of "Gua", each hexagram is intricate and exquisite, and has eight sides of views. In the deepest point of view, there are ten sides of views.If any theory is only positive, negative, combined, affirmative, negative, and unity of contradictions, then it can be said that there will always be only negation, and it can also be said that it will always be affirmative!This is the reason why it has changed again and again, and it has become "this is the saying that makes the common people wrong"!Based on this principle, we have repeatedly explained that the thoughts of Lao Zhuang and Zhuangzi and the theories of Confucius and Mencius are all derived from the "Yi" in order to understand the long history of Chinese culture.

For example: the principle of "the music is complete" was not created by Lao Tzu, it has been around for a long time.Especially in Confucius' "Xi Ci Zhuan" when describing the principles of "Yi", this principle is explained more thoroughly.Because our ancestors have long known that the universe is curved and circular, and the circumference is not composed of straight lines.In this physical world, nothing is straight, everything is round, and a circle is straight.The so-called straightness means that we cut and pull the circle and force it to be straight. Therefore, everything in the universe is curved, so it is called "curve into all things".For example, our human life, the body, is described by Taoists as a small universe. The law of change between the human body and the universe is the same, and the relationship between the change of weather and the mutual change of the sun and the moon is exactly the same.For example, there is a book in Taoism called "The Sutra of the Supreme Yin Talisman".Some people say that it was written by Lao Tzu's Lao Tzu, and that the old lady of Lao Tzu's mother is called "Tai Shang", which is of course a joke. "Yin Fu Jing" said: "The way of observing the sky and the way of following the sky are exhausted"!You have to deeply observe the natural laws of the heaven and the earth, and grasp the principles of the operation of the heaven and the earth, then the kung fu methods of cultivating the Tao can be trusted, and you can't be completely clear.In ancient culture, just use such a simple sentence, including explaining that the human body is a small world.

Now, in order to understand the phrase "Qu Zequan", the question is separated. Lao Tzu grasped the principles of the traditional culture of our ancestors, and pointed out the way to be a human being and to benefit oneself and others - "the music is all".In dealing with people, being good at using ingenious curves, everything will be fine with just one turn.In other words, if one is to be artistic, one must pay attention to the beauty of curves.Cursing is of course a bad thing.For example, say: "You bastard!" The other party must not be able to bear it, but you can turn to art, you and I will scold you at the same time, change your tone and say: "Don't mess around, if you make a mistake, we will all become tofu If you have a scumbag head, you will be called a bastard!" Then although he is not happy, he still accepts your warning in his heart.If you say: "You bastard, that's the way to go." This doesn't understand the principle of "the song is complete". Can be fine with each other.Going straight to the right sometimes doesn't work.However, in the curve, of course, the principle of going straight must also be followed. If you keep turning, you will slip and become a slicker.Therefore, in our inherent folk literature, there is a motto: "Don't believe in the straight, you must guard against benevolence".In short, "the wonderful use of straight and straight lies in one mind".

"In vain is straight".To be in vain is to correct, and to correct crooked things is vain.Our ancestors have long known the laws of physics in the universe. Nothing is straight. Straightness is man-made and forced. Therefore, the idiom "overcorrection" has been formed. Too much correction becomes crooked.One thing is too bent to the left, just a little correction.If the correction is too much, it will bend to the right again, and it will be wrong if it is left or right.The logic and philosophy in the middle is too much to play. If you separate every sentence I said here, it will go very far.In short, is it right or wrong, or is it a problem?Straightness, although man-made and forced, can meet the needs of the public, so we have to admit that "the wrong is straight"!

This chapter starts with "the song is complete, the vain is straight, the hollow is full, the hollow is new, the little is good, and the many are confusing". The few sentences written in one go seem to be very powerful and easy to understand in terms of the momentum of the text.However, the philosophical principles contained in it can inspire our spiritual wisdom, but there are many connotations. It can be viewed from various aspects and different angles. This so-called Lao-Zhuang philosophy itself has its own principles.For example, the Tao of Confucius and Mencius, which emphasizes the concept of benevolence and righteousness, can be used in many ways to inspire thought and wisdom, and it is also multi-faceted.We mentioned last time that the law of the universe is round and curved. There is absolutely no straight road. There is a straight road in the world, which is artificially cut and straightened.Therefore, aesthetics and art mostly focus on the beauty of nature and curves.Now, in order to illustrate the art of curves in the application of personnel, I will temporarily find some information from my memory and give an explanation.However, this information is not enough to fully explain Lao Tzu's original intention of "Qu Zequan", and it is probably useful only in dealing with the world.Although it is not a common practice, it can be used as a flexible reference.Therefore, just citing historical facts to illustrate this principle may be helpful to everyone, but it is also easy to cause abuse.I hope that we can really remember that it should be based on the highest morality, and it should be done occasionally, not as a means of dealing with the world.In addition, a lot of information can be used to illustrate it, which needs to be inspired by each person.For example, the art of swearing has been mentioned before, and the principle of "the curve is perfect" turns around, and everyone is calm and peaceful, and there is nothing wrong with each other.Cursing inexplicably is a rude behavior, and it will cause anger instead.

Yao's son, nanny of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty There are many examples of "Qu Zequan" in history, such as the succession of Yao and Shun.Yao's son was named Danzhu (although he was the emperor's son, there was no title of prince at that time). The so-called unworthy Danzhu was not as good as his father.Yao tried every means to teach him, but he was still not very successful.A son of a family with money, status, and power, from the standpoint of education, has his innate superiority, and at the same time has an innate deficiency that is difficult to learn.It is said that Yao invented Go for his son (the Go we play now was invented by Yao) to teach his son and train his mind to be careful and peaceful. It has not reached the realm of national players, and it is still invalid in the end.Therefore, Yao passed the throne to Shun, which was called "Gongtianxia" in history.Later historians believed that Emperor Yao was really brilliant, so he had the highest morality in politics, and it was also the best way to protect his descendants.If Danzhu ascended the throne and became the emperor at that time, he might have been domineering, but instead became very bad and cruel. Then Yao's descendants may also be "dead without respect".He passed the world to Shun, but preserved his descendants. This is the highest principle of "Qu Zequan".

Now, three more historical examples: The wet nurse of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty tried to commit crimes abroad.The emperor wanted to apply for the constitution, and the wet nurse begged Dongfang Shuo.Shuo said: This is not the lip Those who are fighting for tongues and must hope for help will go, but when you repeatedly look at the emperor, be careful not to say this, or it may be just in case. When the nurse arrived, Shuo also waited on her side, saying, "You are crazy!"The emperor has grown up now, how can he rely on you to feed him!emperor Sadly, that is to say, he was exonerated.

"Historical Records" records that the person who rescued the nursing mother was Guo Sheren. According to Liu Xiang's "Shuo Yuan" and other records, it is said to be Dongfang Shuo.Yu tentatively thinks it is Dongfang Shuo, which is more interesting. In the historical records, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty was said to be "military and aggressive", and he was called Qin Shihuang, and he was also the Ming Lord in history.Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty had a nanny, and he was brought up by her since he was a child.Historically, the emperor's nanny often went wrong, and the problem was very serious. Because the emperor was her godson, the nanny's invisible power was of course very high. "The emperor wants to apply for the constitution", Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty also knew, and planned to punish her strictly according to law.The emperor really lost his temper, even the nanny had no choice but to ask Dongfang Shuo for help. Dongfang Shuo was a famous person who could play tricks in front of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty.Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty was different from Emperor Qin Shihuang. There were at least two people he liked very much. One was Dongfang Shuo.But Emperor Wu of Han liked him very much, because what he said and what he did made sense.The other is Ji An, who has a good moral character and often contradicts him in front of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty. He speaks frankly, which makes Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty unable to step down.From this point of view, the emperor was able to tolerate and reuse these two people alone. Although he was not a big official, he was very close and had a neutralizing effect on himself.Therefore, Dongfang Shuo has such a great relationship in front of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty.The nurse thought about it for a long time, but she had to ask someone else.The emperor had to deal with it according to the law, and he really couldn't accommodate it, so he had to come and beg him to find a way.After hearing what the nanny said, he said, this is not a matter of words——Nurse: Pay attention!It is useless to talk about this matter only by mouth.Therefore, he taught his nurse to say: "Those who must hope for help will go away, but you should be careful not to say this when you repeatedly look at the emperor, or you can help me just in case!" If you want me to really help you, there is hope that I can help you. If you are busy, when the emperor orders you to be executed, he must ask you to be pulled down. When you are taken away, don’t say anything. The emperor wants you to go, so he has to go, but you take two steps, and then look back. The emperor, take two steps, and then look back at the emperor.Never ask: "Emperor! I am your nanny, please forgive me!" Otherwise, your head will fall to the ground.Don't say anything, let alone the matter of feeding the emperor. "Maybe it's just in case"!Or there is still a ten-thousandth hope that can save you.

Dongfang Shuo told the nanny to do this. When Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty called the nanny to ask: "You have done so many bad things outside, it is too abominable!"After hearing this, the nanny followed Dongfang Shuo's instructions, walked a step or two, and then turned to look at the emperor with snot and tears streaming down her face.Dongfang Shuo stood beside him and said: You old woman is crazy!The emperor has grown up, does he still rely on you for breastfeeding?You just go away!When Dongfang Shuo said this, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty was very sad when he heard it. He thought that he had grown up in her hands since he was a child, and now he was going to tie her up and behead her, or go to jail. Forget it, let me spare you this time!Don't make mistakes again in the future. "The emperor is sad, that is, he is exonerated."For the time being, it will be fine if it is handed over to guard.

Things like this, it seems, are a small thing in history, but the small can be generalized.That's why Dongfang Shuo's humor is not random.In a funny way, he used the art of "Qu Zequan" to save the life of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty's nanny, and also saved Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty from feeling guilty later. If Dongfang Shuo went to Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty and said, "Emperor! Whether she is good or not, she is always your nanny, so forgive her!" Then the emperor would be even more angry.Maybe say: "So what about the nanny, does the nanny have three heads?" "And it's none of your business, why did you intercede for her?" It would be too much for the talking guys to be cut off at the same time.When he did this, he lost his temper for the emperor on the one hand, your old woman is crazy, thirteen o'clock!Such scolding made the emperor sad, and he didn't need to intercede for her anymore. The emperor regretted it himself, and he couldn't blame Dongfang Shuo, because Dongfang Shuo didn't ask the emperor to let her go. It is "the song is complete". Liu Bei's prostitute, Qi Jinggong's executioner (The First Lord) When Liu Bei was in Shu, there was a severe drought, and private brewing was forbidden. Officials in other families asked for brewing utensils, and wanted to punish them. Jian Yong traveled with the former master, saw men and women walking the way, and said to the former master, "If he wants to commit adultery, why is he not bound?"The First Lord said: How do you know it?Confrontation: He has his tools.The First Lord stopped laughing. During the Three Kingdoms period, when Liu Bei was the emperor in Sichuan, when there was a drought—it didn’t rain for a long time in summer, in order to pray for rain, he ordered that private wine making was not allowed, just like the current government order that no slaughter is allowed.Because wine making would waste rice and water, they ordered that wine making not be allowed.When the order is issued, the officials who execute the order have deviations in law enforcement. Some wine-making utensils are found in the homes of ordinary people and they are also punished.Although the common people did not make wine, and only found some wine making tools used in the past, how could it be considered a violation of the law?However, the bad officials in the execution, whenever they have the opportunity, will "take advantage of the time" and play a variety of tricks. Not only can they ask for credit, but they can also extort and extort from the common people with excuses. Penalties should be added, ranging from fines to imprisonment.Although Liu Bei's order did not say that the wine-making tools would be punished, but the sky was high and the emperor was far away, and the common people had nowhere to complain about their sufferings.Jian Yong is Liu Bei's wife-in-law. One day, Jian Yong and Liu Bei's two uncles went out together and inspected them. They were sitting in the same car and walking forward. Jian Yong saw a man and a woman in front of him. Walking together, when the opportunity came, he said to Liu Bei: "These two people are going to commit adultery. They should be arrested and punished as the crime of adultery." Liu Bei said, "How do you know that the two of them intend to commit adultery? Evidence, how can we mess around?" Jian Yong said: "Both of them have tools for adultery!" Liu Bei laughed and said: "I understand, let those who have wine making utensils go Let’s go.” This is another farce of “Qu Zequan”. When a person is angry, the so-called "anger cannot be contained, evil cannot last".Especially in the era of the ancient imperial autocratic regime, once the emperor lost his temper, it would be terrible if he tried to block his temper, but his temper would grow even bigger. You can't block it, you can only go with the flow—" Qu Zequan"—turn a corner and just melt him away.This is to say that as a minister, as a cadre of others, especially a senior cadre, you must be good at using it.There are many such stories in history, let's look at the third one: Qi had offended Duke Jing, who was furious.Bound to His Majesty, ordered the left and right to dismember him, and those who dared to remonstrate were punished. Yanzi held his head in his left hand and sharpened his knife in his right. He looked up and asked, "In ancient times, the king and sage of the Ming Dynasty dismembered people. I don't know where to start." at the beginning.The public left the table and said: "If you let it go, it's the widow's fault." Duke Jing of Qi in the Zhou Dynasty and the Spring and Autumn Period, after Duke Huan of Qi, was also a Ming Lord in history.He has Yan Zi, the first-class statesman in history, as prime minister.At that time, there was a person who offended Qi Jinggong, Qi Jinggong lost his temper, arrested him and tied him to His Highness, and wanted to cut him off one by one.The ancient "dismemberment" is to separate the hands, feet, limbs, brain and body, one by one, which is very cruel.At the same time, Qi Jinggong also issued an order that no one can dissuade this matter. If anyone wants to dissuade, they must be dismembered in the same way.The words of the emperor are the law.After hearing this, Yanzi rolled up his sleeves and pretended to be fierce. He picked up the knife and grabbed the man's hair. While sharpening the knife under the sole of his shoe, he pretended to kill the man himself. The emperor vented his anger.Then he slowly raised his head and asked Jinggong, who was sitting on it and lost his temper: "Report to the emperor, I have been watching for a long time, but it is difficult to start. It seems that the history records that Yao, Shun, Yu, Tang, King Wen and other Ming kings and sages are the kings of the Ming Dynasty. My lord, when it comes to dismemberment and murder, there is no indication of which part should be cut first? May I ask the emperor, where should I cut this person first? In order to kill as well as Yao and Shun?" Qi Jinggong immediately became alert after hearing Yanzi's words. , if I want to be a Ming King and Holy Master, how can I use this cruel method to kill people!So I said to Yanzi: "Okay! Let him go, I was wrong!" This is another chapter of "Qu Zequan". Why didn't Yan Zi kneel down and beg for mercy and said: "Your Majesty! What this man did has nothing to do with the country's plans. He just committed a small crime and made your Long Live Lord angry. This is not a public crime. Private crimes are just two hundred spankings." That's fine, why kill him!" If Yan Zi pleaded for him in this way, it would be bad, it might add fuel to the flames, and this person must die.Why did he take the knife first and act as the executioner himself?Because I was afraid that there would be some ignorant people around Duke Jing who heard that the lord was going to kill someone, and if they picked up the knife and slashed at him, the person would die.As a minister, he took the first step, held the knife, pulled his hair, and performed for a long time, then turned around and asked the boss, where did the holy emperors attack first when they wanted to kill people?I don't know, ask the Lord to advise whether it is a knife cut?It means, how can you be such a monarch and give such an order?But he couldn't be so straightforward at that time, and he couldn't speak directly, which made Jinggong unable to get down the stairs and made things worse.So he used the art of persuasion and persuasion of "Qu Zequan"! After understanding these historical stories, it can be used as a reference for life and conduct.This is true of many things in the world, even the relationship between family members and friends.People have to study, and they have to apply what they have learned, but sometimes even though they have read a lot, when encountering an incident, they lose their temper and throw away all the books they have read. Straightforward education Secondly, we will use historical stories to explain the truth of "falseness is straightness".Emperor Wen of the Han Dynasty was a good student of Lao Tzu, so when we talked about Lao-Zhuang’s ideology and academics, he quoted quite a few stories from him, and now we want to borrow another historical story from him: Emperor Wen of the Han Dynasty ascended the throne at the beginning, and made Dou, the mother of the crown prince, the queen.Later brother Jun.Brother Guangguo, styled Shaojun. At the beginning, he was a little sold, and passed on to more than ten families.After hearing that the queen stood up, she wrote a letter to herself.A generous gift of fields and houses, and his home is in Chang'an. Zhou Bo, Guan Ying and others said: I am immortal, and my life hangs on these two people.The two of them have a secret, they have to make a choice Master and guest, I am afraid that they will return to the Lu family.It is to choose those who practice discipline as their residence.The two are thus the concession king Son, dare not be proud of your dignity. In the patriarchal society in the past, the eldest son was valued, and the eldest son could inherit the throne of the emperor. This is an ancient traditional custom.The mother of Emperor Wenwen's eldest son was named Dou, and when the son became the prince, the mother would naturally become the queen (the emperor had many wives in the past, and whoever gave birth to a son quickly had the greatest hope of becoming the prince).However, the queen of the Dou family does not have a very good family history, and she came from a poor and humble background.The queen's elder brother is named "Changjun", and there is a younger brother named "Guangguo", also known as "Shaojun".The little brother of the Dou family was even more miserable. When he was young, he was deceived by a scammer and sold him. He was bought by this family and sold to that family, and he was sold more than ten times.When he was in his twenties, when he heard that his sister had become the queen, he wrote to the queen, explaining the relationship between his siblings.After Empress Dou received the letter, she was pleasantly surprised, but also doubtful. Is the person who wrote the letter a brother who was tricked and sold?But he then explained to the queen how siblings lived together when he was young, and how the siblings loved each other. After citing the facts, the queen believed that this was really his brother, because what was said in the report was only true between the siblings. know.From then on, he returned to his family and recognized his relatives, and reached the sky in one step. He "gifted a lot of farms and houses" and rewarded many farms and houses; But we know the history of the Han Dynasty, if we work together, there will be disasters for foreign relatives.The reason why Emperor Wenwen of the Han Dynasty became the emperor was because the old lady of the Liu family in the Han Dynasty, Empress Lu, had a problem with the rebellion, so it was his turn to be the emperor.After the death of Emperor Gaozu of the Han Dynasty, Empress Lu came to power, and wanted to wipe out all the descendants of the Liu family——the descendants of Emperor Gaozu of the Han Dynasty, and make the descendants of the Lu family of her mother's family the emperor.The catastrophe of this coup d'etat was quelled by the design of Zhou Bo and Chen Ping, the veteran cadres who revolted at the same time as Liu Bang.Both Zhou Bo and Guan Ying were generals who followed Han Gaozu Liu Bang to conquer the world and made great contributions.When the two of them saw the situation between Empress Dou's sister and brother, they thought of the story of Empress Lu and Lu's family just now, and they discussed that we, together with Han Gaozu, went out to fight the world, went through life and death, and finally left behind an old man. We have already passed the retirement age, and if we want to keep our whole family alive in the future, but judging from the current situation, our fate must still be in the hands of the Dou family brothers and sisters. Morality and self-cultivation are very low.Once a person like this enters the political arena and has power in his hands, if he becomes brutal, he will be much more brutal than someone from an intellectual background.Although Zhou Bo and Guan Ying were born in the army thousands of years ago, based on their life experience, they have already seen that once people who have not received a good education, correct central thinking and profound academic accomplishment come to power, the consequences will be unimaginable.With this foresight, he is indeed superior, and it is no wonder that he can be one of the founding heroes.The only way to discuss the results is to first educate them to read and understand, "you must choose your master and guest."The only remedy, for their own good, for the good of the Dou family, and for all our senior and veteran cadres, so that they will not be wronged and persecuted in the future, is to educate him.Therefore, carefully select a group of good teachers and make friends with a group of good young students to guide him on the right path.Zhou Bo and the others believed that if they didn't do this, and they didn't start with education, they "would be reverting to the Lu family." When these two people came to power in the future, it would be too dangerous to follow the example of the Lu family. "It is to choose people who are virtuous to live in", so they choose people who are knowledgeable, moral, and virtuous (a person who is knowledgeable does not necessarily have good character, so he must add an item of virtuous conduct) to be friends with him. And teach him to read.The two Dou family brothers received a good education, and since then they have become gentlemen who are modest and reserved, and they do not contend with the world. How wonderful this is!Among the royal relatives, if anyone dares to bully him, he will not bully anyone.As a relative of the emperor, this is the only way, if you don't pride yourself on your dignity, you will naturally be more noble!These two brothers later achieved academic achievements. Unlike other relatives of the emperor, they were very knowledgeable and moral. They would never use their own dignity to bully or look down on others. They could respect themselves without being bound by the law.He himself had such knowledge and self-cultivation, so he ended up in the Han Dynasty, and the Dou family lived a long life and became a big family.This is the principle of "the wrong is straight". In fact, Zhou Bo and Guan Ying's treatment of Queen Dou's sister and brother in this way is also very unfair, and it can be said that they have ulterior motives.They do it for the sake of not being wronged and persecuted in the future, and they are afraid that they will be framed, so they are not the way of saints.The way of a sage is not to consider his own interests, but to consider the public.If one thinks that a person like Brother Dou Shaojun, when he reaches the first-class position, should be educated so that he can be used by the country and not only care about personal interests, then it is the intention of a benevolent person.Of course the way of Confucius and Mencius should be like this, and the way of Laozi and Zhuangzi is no exception.It is clearly recorded in history that the motivation of the two of them was not for the sake of others, nor for the sake of the country, but only for the sake of their own wealth and life, and they had such a motive, so it can only be said to be a political tactic .But this method is clever enough and beautiful enough, and in fact, it is also in line with Lao Tzu's principle of "the wrong is the straight"! The following Yan Zi’s story of “in vain is straight” is the moral principle of “in vain is straight”: Yan Zi (infant) said to Zeng Zi: "The wheel of today's husband is the straight tree of the mountain."A good craftsman kneads it, and the rules are in the prison. Although there is violence, there will be no more wins.Therefore, a gentleman should be cautious about kneading.The wall of Heshi, the trap in the well.Good job repair it, It is the treasure of the country, so the gentleman should be careful about it. Yan Zi is Zeng Zi's predecessor, named Ping Zhong, he is the best friend of Confucius, and Confucius admires him very much (probably Zeng Zi was very young at that time, so he should be called Uncle Shi).Once, Yanzi said to Zengzi: "The wheel of today's husband is the straight wood of the mountain." The ancient wheel was made of wood, not rubber like modern ones.The wheels are round, but the wood on the mountain is straight and not bent. "A good craftsman kneads it, and it is the standard in the country."A good carpenter takes straight wood and turns it into a curved circle. Once carved, the circle is just in the right shape, just a circle, without any deviation. "Although there is violence, it will never win again!" Although the wood itself has withering places, or there is a protruding part of the wood, or there is a place in the wood that is sunken, both of these are the shortcomings of wood. , but after carpentry chiseling, "there is no more winning!" If this wood has defects and is made into wheels to carry heavy things, how can it be done!But after being tidied up by a carpenter, it has no defects and can play a strong role. "So a gentleman is cautious about kneading."What is "hidden kneading"?Slowly, gradually.Therefore, to learn how to be a gentleman, you must be cautious, dedicated to learning and self-cultivation, and slowly carve into a tool day by day, just like a carpenter making a wheel. Carving slowly, you can't usually see the effect, and wait until the thing is done. Once done, the effect will come out, and only then will the results be seen.The so-called "knead carefully".It is to do it slowly, gradually, quietly, without haste.This is to tell Zeng Zi that the knowledge and moral cultivation of life cannot be done overnight. The second concept is "the wall of Heshi".In Chinese history, it is a big gem-jade, which is the piece of jade that Shang Xiangru saw King Qin Zhao "returned to Zhao".It was Bian He, a jade craftsman from the state of Chu, who observed a large stone in Jingshan Mountain and concluded that there was a piece of beautiful jade in it.At first, no one believed him, accusing him of lying and deceiving others, so Bian He was punished for this, and his legs were amputated.Later, it turned out that there was indeed jade in it, and it became a priceless precious jade.Bian He was so wronged!But this piece of precious jade, when it has not been excavated, is just a piece of stone.Like country bumpkins, they have no choice but to go to the mountain to get a stone—to find jade—if they spot it right away, and if there is jade in it, they will make a fortune.It's the same as poor people panning for gold on the beach.However, although the right stone is found, it must be carefully studied and carved by excellent workers to make it into a high-quality treasure. Then, this stone can become a "treasure for preserving the country", which symbolizes the great treasure of preserving a motherland.It was originally just an unwanted stone in the mountains, even cattle and sheep could defecate on it. After it was dug out, it was carved and arranged manually, and it became a "national treasure".To quote this story as a metaphor, "So gentlemen practice carefully".An ordinary person, if he wants to become a saint, or start a career, he needs knowledge, morality, knowledge, and skills everywhere, but it depends on what you have learned, cultivated, and paid attention to?This is an illustration of one of the functions of "the wrong is straight". Attraction of fox and leopard skin Let's talk about the story of "Wa Zeying": During the reign of Duke Wen of Jin, there were people from Zhai who offered the skins of foxes and leopards.Wen Gong sighed and said: Fenghu, Wenbao What is the crime?The crime of its skin, the doctor framed the branches and said: "The land is vast and uneven, and wealth is gathered but not dispersed. It is not the fox or leopard alone." Is it a crime?Wen Gong said: "It's good to say it."Jia Zhi said: "The land is vast and uneven, and people will level it."gather wealth but not Dispersed, people will fight for it.So the land was divided to divide the people, and the wealth was distributed to relieve the poor. "The depression is full".The nature of water flows downwards. Wherever there are low-lying places, there must be a lot of running water, and it is easiest to fill up.During the Spring and Autumn Period, Duke Huan of Qi and Duke Wen of Jin were among the Five Hegemons.But the so-called overlord in the Spring and Autumn Period was not the overlord that Xiang Yu later called himself the "Overlord of Western Chu".The so-called "overlord" in later generations should be equal to the developed countries in the world today, with their great force and special political prestige and power in the international arena.In particular, Jin Wengong was the second overlord in the Spring and Autumn Period, and he was similar to but different from the family problems encountered by Qi Huangong.Because of his stepmother's struggle for power, he fled abroad, went through hardships and dangers, suffered a lot, went hungry, and almost lost his life. He was in exile for nineteen years, gained rich life experience, and finally returned to the country, so The state of Jin became an overlord in his hands.When he became the overlord, in the place of Zhai (in today's Shandong), there was a commoner who came to present the "Fenghu Wenbao Skin", and presented a very large one to Duke Wen of Jin—the size of which was seven. After eight hundred years of practice, the fox became an elf, but he was caught and killed, and got a big skin.In the past, the clothes made of fox fur were called fox fur, which was the first-class clothing material. It was very expensive, and ordinary people could not afford to wear it. Dedicated to the monarch.Another piece of leopard skin is also a leather bag with special patterns, all of which are high-quality leather goods.Duke Wen of Jin received such treasures from the common people. Because he had been in exile for many years and had suffered all kinds of hardships, after seeing it, he couldn't help but sighed and said, "What's wrong with Fenghu and Wenbao? It's a crime." A fox doesn't break the law when it grows up, and a leopard doesn't break the law when it grows beautiful. So what crimes do animals have?But these two guys were beaten and killed, and it was only because their fur was too beautiful that they could not avoid the catastrophe! At this time, a hero named Rongzhi, a doctor who had been in exile with him for many years, heard Jin Wengong's sigh, and went on to say: "The land is vast and uneven, and wealth is gathered but not dispersed. It is not the fault of the fox and leopard. ?” These few sentences are wonderful puns. He said: “A country has a vast land (in the Spring and Autumn Period, the population was small and there were many undeveloped areas), and the monarch’s inner government (court) had so much money, But the common people still have no food to eat. Wouldn’t that be as terrifying as the two foxes and leopards that were killed?” Rongzhi’s words were very humorous, in other words, what he said at that time was the same as that of the later generations of Zen masters , all have the value of looking at everything, and you must have a high degree of comprehension and a genius who can listen to other people's bragging to understand it.People like Duke Huan of Qi, Duke Wen of Jin, and Emperor Gaozu of Han were good at listening to other people's bragging, so they naturally knew it well.Laizhi’s words can also be interpreted as: our country’s land is so vast, and your private palace’s property is so large, “the fortune is where the misfortune rests”, maybe one day, like this leopard’s leather goods, it will fall to the In the hands of others!These few sentences are difficult to explain and express clearly. When translated directly into vernacular, there is no implicit beauty. The reason why this is an ancient prose is a set of literary logic.Why didn't the ancient Chinese speak clearly?If you use the style and tone of the current vernacular, after the lecture is over, it is equivalent to looking at a naked body in a bathing hall, with a clear view and no smell at all.Moreover, in the art of speaking, it is absolutely unacceptable to become too straightforward, which is tantamount to contradicting, and it does not conform to the principle of "the song makes the whole".The same meaning, modified by language, can be used as an accusation or a metaphor.Don't think that articles are just articles. The ancients may not really be able to speak like that.In my experience, knowing what my seniors said, I really said that, because when I was a child, I heard the senior gentlemen speak, and the words that came out of their mouths were gentle.If I didn't read well, I would often hear them wrong when I listened to their speech. Unlike the normal speech now, there is no charm at all.For example: OK!OK!What is the purpose of saying "Excellent! Excellent!"Because the ancients believed that if the meaning of the word is not modified, it is not enough to express the cultivation of knowledge.Now if you use this kind of vocabulary and say euphemistic words, you will be ridiculed as "little words". What a smart man Jin Wengong is, he felt emotional when he saw the skin of the fox and leopard, and then he said, "Isn't it the fault of the fox and leopard alone?" through the cronies who followed him. Jin Wengong said: "善哉说之！”意思是说：好！你的道理说得对，你就把你要说的道理直接讲个彻底吧！不要含含糊糊，有所顾忌了！ 来枝说：“地广而不平，人将平之；财聚而不散，人将争之。”你没有平均地权，把没有开发的地区分配给人民耕种，将来就会引起老百姓的反感，别人就会起来分配。你宫廷中财产那么多，没有替社会谋福利，将来就会有人将你皇宫的宝藏拿走了。晋文公说：你说的全对！因此马上就实施政治改革，“于是列地以分民，散财以赈贫。”这就是“洼则盈”的道理。 我们再说一个“洼则盈”的故事： 晋文公问政于咎犯。咎犯对曰：分熟不如分腥，分腥不如分地，地割以分 民而益其爵禄，是以上得地而民如富，上失地而民知贫，古之所谓致师而 战者，其斯之谓乎？ “咎犯”是一个人名，不要认为“咎”是过错，“犯”是犯了罪，这样解释那就糟了（一笑）。咎犯和架枝，都是晋文公身边的高级干部，而且都是跟晋文公流亡在外十九年吃尽苦头的人。有一天晋文公与他讨论政治的道理，咎犯对曰：“分熟不如分腥，分腥不如分地，地割以分民而益其爵禄，是以上得地而民知富，上失地而民知贫。”咎犯答复说：你要在经济上、财政上，做平均的分配，合理的分配。比如我们分配一块肉，煮熟了来分配，还不如分腥的好。拿一块生的猪肉分给人家，五斤也好，十斤也好，分到猪肉的人，也许红烧，也许清炖，比较方便，一定要煮熟切片再分送给人家，那么，人家就固定非吃白切肉而不可了！这样，就有点强迫别人的意志了！这是分熟的不如分腥的涵义，是用譬喻的逻辑。再说，分食物给人家，不如分地给人家自己去耕地好。也就是说，最好是把王室的私有财产——土地，平均地权，分配给老百姓以后，“而益其爵禄”，不但分配给他土地，使其生活安适，而且给他适当的职务，使他有事情可做。这样一来，自己的财产虽然分配给了老百姓，在形态上好像是把财产分掉了，其实老百姓富有了，也就是王室国家的富有。“是以上得地而民知富，上失地而民知贫。”这两句又是什么内涵呢？因为万一有敌人来侵犯，全国老百姓不要你下达命令，自然会起来作战，如果我们共有的国土被敌人占据了，那大家也完了。何谓“致师而战者”？“致师”，是不等到下达命令，老百姓自动地都来动员，因为国家的灾难，就是人民自己的灾难，这是“致师而战”的内涵，同时也说明了“洼则盈”的原理。 我们现在费了很多时间力气，说明了这几句话的道理，下面再讲一则历史故事，来说明“敝则新”。 赵简子谓左右车席泰美，夫冠虽贱，头必戴之。履虽贵，足必履之， 今车席如此泰美，吾将何以履之。夫美下而轻上，妨义之本也。 赵简子也是战国时代的大政治家之一，“谓左右车席泰美”。他看到左右的人，如一般官吏或侍随官等人，都把他的车子里铺的席子，做得太讲究了，拿现在比喻，地毯太好了，所以，他很不高兴，向左右的人说：为什么把我车子里面布置得那么漂亮，那么名贵呢！帽子再坏，还是戴在头上。鞋再名贵，还是穿在脚底下，踏在地面。现在你们把车子铺上那么好的地毯，那么我要穿上什么鞋子，才能踏这地毯上面，以便名贵中更加名贵呢！即使换了一双更名贵的鞋子，我可无法再到我妈妈那里找一双漂亮的脚来穿这双好的鞋子呢！So what to do! “夫美下而轻上，妨义之本也”。这句话，就同参禅一样是话头，人只顾眼前，不顾将来，“美上而轻下”也是不合理的，这不是道德的根本。他吩咐把漂亮的地毯拿掉，保留原来的朴实，那才是永远是常新的。 我们引用历史的故事，来说明老子这几句话的作用，使大家了解在行为上、做人处事的原则。一个人做人做事，无论大事小事，一定要把握住道家的精神——“曲全”、“枉直”、“洼盈”、“敝新”这几个原则才好。这是人生的艺术，自己要把这一生的生活，个人的事业前途，处理得平安而有韵味，就应该把握这一些原则。而这四个原则，归纳起来，统属于“曲则全”的延伸而已。 有了富贵，失去欢乐 接着，更加引申“曲全”之道的正面告诫，便说出“少则得，多则惑”的名言。当清末民初的时期，有一山西商人，生意做得很大，财产很多，可是这人一天到晚，必须自己打算盘，亲自管理会计。虽然请有帐房先生，但总帐还是靠自己计算，每天打算盘打到深夜，睡又睡不着，年纪又大，当然很烦恼痛苦。挨着他的高墙外面，却住了一户很穷的人家，两夫妻做豆腐维生，每天凌晨一早起来磨豆子、煮豆浆、做豆腐，一对活宝穷开心，有说有笑，快快活活。可是这位富商，还睡不着，还在算帐，搅得头晕眼花。这位富商的太太说：“老爷！看来我们太没意思！还不如隔壁卖豆腐这两口子，他们尽管穷，却活得很快乐。”这位富商听了太太这样讲，便说：“那有什么难，我明天就叫他们笑不出来。”于是他就开了抽屉拿了一锭十两重的金元宝，从墙上丢了过去。那两夫妻正在做豆腐，又唱歌，又说笑，听到门前“扑通”一声，掌灯来看，发现地上平白地放着一个金元宝，认为是天赐横财，悄悄地捡了回来，既不敢欢笑，更不想歌唱了，心情为之大变。心里想，天上掉下黄金，这怎么办！这是上天赐给我们的，不能泄露出去给人家知道，可是又没有好地方储藏——那时候当然没有使用保险柜——放在枕头底下不好睡觉，放在米缸里也不放心，直到天亮豆腐也没有磨好，金元宝也没有藏好。第二天，两夫妻小组会议，这下发财了，不想再卖豆腐了，打算到哪里买一幢房子，可是一下子发的财，又容易被人家误以为是偷来的，如此商量了三天三夜，这也不好，那也不对，还是得不到最好的方法，夜里睡觉也不安稳，当然再也听不到他两口子的欢笑声和歌唱声了！到了第三天，这位富商告诉他的太太说：“你看！他们不说笑、不唱歌了吧！办法就是这么简单。” 穷人没有见过很多的钱，也没有经历过财富的日子，以为财富很好，认为财富多了，就会快乐和幸福。过去的时代，住在海边的穷人家就很可怜，一年到头，只吃一点番薯干，掺了一些糙米做稀饭，除此之外，一点液得发臭的成鱼，算是佐餐的副食。偶然吃到一点青菜、豆腐，那是一种大享受。曾经有一个穷人，发了一个大愿，他说，如果我某人将来有钱的时候，天天要吃青菜豆腐，才够意思，这就是他一生的最高欲望了！他可不知道，有钱的人吃青菜豆腐，并不算一回事，他以为青菜豆腐便是世上最好的菜肴。但是，谁又真能了解，知识愈多，烦恼愈大。财富越大，痛苦越深呢！所以佛经里把烦恼叫做“烦惑”，愈有烦恼，思想就愈迷惑不清。 “是以圣人抱一为天下式”。老子说：自古以来，有道的人——圣人，必是“抱一为天下式”，确然而不可拔，固守一个原则以自处。但是，什么叫“一”？“一”者，道也。下面会有解释，这里暂时保留。总之，他是说人生于世，做人做事，要有一个准则，例如现在很多青年同学，并不如此。问到他们的人生观是什么？他们都茫然不知所对。许多读到大专毕业的同学，甚至拿到硕士、博士的人，谈到他的人生观，总是说还没有确定。你作木匠就作木匠，做泥水工就做泥水工，当皇帝与作泥水工，只是职业上的不同，人格则仍然是一样的。人要认定一个人生的目标，确定自己要做什么。要做一个学者，就准备穷一辈子，如果又怕穷，又想当学者，几乎是不可兼得，无法两全的事。但是人生观总是要有个确定的目标才对。所以“圣人抱一而为天下式”是为至要。 四不的领导学 接着一式以后，便讲：“不自见故明，不自是故彰，不自伐故有功，不自矜故长。”道家的老庄，与佛家、儒家，三家教人的道理，几乎都是一样的。不过佛家、儒家是从正面上讲，老庄道家是从反面上说的。反面说的意义深刻，不但深刻，而且更具有启发性的作用。因为佛家与儒家是从正面上说的，往往变成了教条式的告诫，反而使人产生抗拒性的意识。至于老庄道家的说法，却合乎“曲则全”的作用，比较使人容易接受。 “不自见故明”。人本来要随时反省，使自己看见自己才好，为什么在这里却说要“不自见故明”呢？这是说，要人不可固执自己主观的成见，执着了自己的主观成见，便同佛家所说的“所知障”，反为自障了！因为自有主观成见，就无法吸收客观的东西，因此而说“不自见故明”。尤其对一个领导的人来讲，千万不要轻易犯了这个错误，即如一个公司的老板、董事长，一旦事业成就，便不可得意忘形，须有“不自见”，才能更加明白事理。有人说，老庄是帝王学，是伟大的领导术，也许重点就在这些至理名言中。当一个领导群众的人，千万不可有“自见”，需要多听听别人的意见，把所有的智慧，集中为你自己的智慧，你的智慧就更大了。那就合乎“不自见故明”的道理了。 “不自是故彰”。“自是”与“自见”差不多是同一个道理，但同中有异。“自是”是主动的认为我一定都对的，我的绝对没有错。譬如现在的人，喜欢引用拿破仑说的：“拿破仑的字典里没有难字”。乍听很有气魄似的，其实，拿破仑就太“自是”，所以变成拿破了轮，结果还是要失败。只引用拿破仑的话，没有看到拿破仑的一生，他不过是像项羽一样的人物，并没有真正成功的内涵。他的字典里面没有难字，那是“自是”，所以，成功果然很难，人不自是，才能开彰大业。 “不自伐故有功”。“自伐”，是自我表扬的代名辞。有了功劳的人爱表功，差不多是人们的常态。尤其许多青年同学们，很容易犯这个毛病，虽然只做了一点事情，就想人家表扬一下，要鼓励鼓励。常常以此来作为课题，考察青年同学，看他能稳得住多久时间。有些人稳几天可以稳得住，多过几天，心里就稳不住了，我做的事这么久了，好像老板都不知道一样，就要想办法表现出来。真正有修养的人要不自伐，有功等于无功，儒家的人常以尧舜来做标榜，“功在天下”，“功在国家”，而他自己好像一点都没有做一样，而且更加谦虚，觉得自己没有什么贡献似的，那才是不自伐的最高竿，当然不会埋没了你真正功高望重的知名度的，因为天下明眼人毕竟很多。 “不自矜故长”。“自矜”，也就是现在所讲的自尊心，说好听点叫自尊心，说不好听就叫做傲慢，自尊心与傲慢，几乎是同一心态，但用处不同，效果也不一样。比如，走在街上，看到别人的钞票掉了，很想把他捡起来，但又不敢去捡，为什么？因为有自尊心。那你就干脆捡起来等人来认领，或是送到警察派出所招领，这也没有什么不对，所以自尊与傲慢，看是用在什么地方，用不对了，就是傲慢，用得好就是自尊。傲慢的人不能成功，所以要不自矜才能成长。“不自见故明，不自是故彰，不自伐故有功，不自矜故长”。这四不的名句，是告诉我们，为人立身处世必然要记住的道理，岂止要把它作为“座右铭”，应当要把它作为“额头铭”，要贴在额头上，记在脑子里，则终身受用不尽。 “夫唯不争，故天下莫能与之争，古之所谓曲则全者，岂虚言哉，诚全而归之。”讲到这里，全篇还是一句老话——“曲则全”。 刚才是分开作解说，现在老子他说：因为人能够真做到无争才行。要怎样才能做到无争呢？好处都属于别人的。例如佛家所说，就要菩萨发心，慈悲爱人，爱一切世人，一切牺牲都是为别人，自己不想得到任何一点报酬。因此，“天下莫能与之争”。纵然要争，也没有用，我既什么都不要，本来便是空，与“空”争个什么！人之所以有祸害、有痛苦、有烦恼，就是因为想抓住点什么，既然一切都不要、都舍出去了，那自然无争，自然争不起来。综合上面这些道理，也都是为了“曲则全”原则的发挥，看来都是反面文章，同现实一般的人生，都是相反。其实，相反地，正是为了正面可保全自己，成就自己的道德，完美自己的人格，所以，老子加重语气说：“岂虚言哉”！这不是空话啊，不是空理论啊！ “诚全而归之”。这句话可以作两种解释。一种是说：“曲则全”最重要，人生最伟大的作为，不必要求成功在我，无论在道德学问上的成功，或是事业上的成功。如果“功成、身退而不居”，一切付之全归，这赤裸裸的坦诚，就是“曲则全”的大道，这才是人生的最高艺术。“诚”字，可以把它作动词用，说明实在要走“曲则全”的道理，才能够得上为天下之所归，众望之所属。另外的一种解释是：“诚”字下面加一标点，构成“诚，全而归之”。这样一来，便是说明如何做到“曲则全”的真正条件，那只有一个“诚”字才可。绝对不能把“曲则全”当做手段，要把它当做道德，要真正诚诚恳恳地去做。如果知道“曲则全”的名言，却把它当成手段去做，那就“不诚无物”，完全不对了。所以，也可以读成“诚，全而归之”。这种解释。也不是我的发明，看了很多古人的注解，果然早已有这一见解。所以，书读多了，常常发现自己不能“自见”、“自是”，好像有很了不起的见解，以为前无古人，但过了几年以后，忽然看到另一本书，就脸红了，原来你的见解，古人早已说过，所以人不能“自是”。固然我并非偷袭古人的见地，但古人也绝不是偷去你的。 这是《老子》第二十二章，他在讲“曲则全”之后，下面再给我们申述了很多。也由此可以发现《老子》这本书的编排，有很多章第一句话是最重要，下面即是这个纲要的申述，等于现在写文章一样，先标出一个纲要，纲要下面就说出很多重要的道理。