Confucius once said, "Being old and never dying is also a thief". What does this sentence mean?

Confucius said that? Being old and not dying is for thieves? If it's swearing, it's also the advanced swearing words of a literate person, which means that a person will not die if he doesn't do good deeds when he is old, and he is a thief who does harm to people. However, combined with the background of the times, this may be a joke between two good friends, joking with the two old people now? You old bastard? Something like that

Confucius was the pioneer of Confucianism in the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period. At that time, Confucianism was not the only mainstream thought, and there were many schools such as Taoism, Mohism, Legalism, Yin and Yang, Farming, Strategist and so on. Therefore, everyone has his own set of ideas and codes of conduct. Confucius' thoughts are just the words of one family, which can't influence the behavior of people all over the world.

In his Analects, there is such a record:? The original soil has been destroyed. Confucius said: Young without grandchildren, long without words, old without death as a thief, hitting the shin with a stick. ? Translated into vernacular, it means: Yuanrang has no manners at all, just like a primitive savage, with his legs spread apart and his feet spread out. Confucius saw it and said:? You, you have been arrogant and lawless since you were a child, and you have done nothing since you grew up. Now you are old and not dead. You are a thief! ? After scolding, Confucius felt that it was not enough, and he also tapped the calf of the original soil with a cane.

Simply reading this passage, you may think that Confucius is also a boaster who doesn't pay attention to etiquette, but rationally analyzing the background of the incident at that time is actually a joke between two friends. Let's review the whole story:

Yuanrang is a good friend of Confucius' hometown. When his mother died, Confucius would naturally visit him and help him. When Confucius was about to clean the coffin, the original soil knocked on the coffin nervously and sang a song: raccoon head has spots, and women roll their hands (meaning: the spotted raccoon head holds your soft hand). It is difficult for Confucius' students to understand why he didn't cry after hearing Yuan Jean's songs, but was in the mood to sing. Confucius was very calm about this. He told his students that Yuan Jean was singing leisurely on the surface, but his heart was very sad.

It took some time for Confucius to see the original soil again before telling him? Being old and not dying is for thieves? This proves that Confucius actually knows the original soil, but as a Confucian, he should remind his friends to pay attention to some manners. We thought it over. How similar is the Song of the Coffin Beating of the Earth and the Song of the Drum Basin by Taoist Zhuangzi? Everyone's sadness is the same, but everyone expresses it in different ways.

Confucius? Being old and not dying is for thieves? It's just a joke between friends, and it's a witness of good friends.