Binjiang’s narration expresses Zhao Yiman’s great spirit

Ask and explain Liu Kai (Qing Dynasty), courtesy name Mingdong, Fang Lai, nicknamed Mengtu

A gentleman must be good at asking questions. Asking and learning complement each other. Without learning, there will be no doubts. Without asking, there will be no broad knowledge. If you are eager to learn but not diligent in asking questions, you are not really a good scholar. The reason is clear, but it may not be enough to understand the matter. It is clear that it is big, but it may be ignorant of its details. How can it be ridiculed without asking?

Those who are wiser than themselves ask how to overcome their doubts. This is the so-called way to be right. If you are not as good as yourself, ask how you can get one thing. It is said that you should ask the able to the incompetent, and ask the many to the few. If you are equal to yourself, ask how you can discuss with each other. The so-called asking each other about difficulties (nàn) means interrogating and making clear distinctions. Isn't this true of "Book"? "If you are good at asking, you will be rich." Mencius talked about "seeking peace of mind" and called it "the way of learning". Learning is followed by asking. Zisi talked about "respecting virtue and nature" and attributed it to "Tao inquiry and learning". Questioning comes before learning.

The people of ancient times were interested in good deeds. They did not choose things but asked questions, and did not choose people but asked questions. They only took what was beneficial to themselves. Therefore, the words of a crazy man were chosen by the sage, and the ancestors inquired about the humbleness of the ráo. Shun regarded the emperor as the emperor and inquired about the ordinary people, and used the great knowledge to observe the words of the far away. He did not mean to be humble, but sincerely promoted the good things. From the third generation down, there are people who have learned but not asked. They are friends. As for admonishing people to do good and correcting mistakes, it is enough. They consult each other with principles and principles. They are diligent and eager to learn. They don't see it often. How about being vulgar?

It’s the self, not the person, the common disease is the same. If you have not yet reached your level of knowledge, you will pretend to know something, and if your principles are not yet settled, you will make assumptions based on your assumptions.

If this is the case, there will be very few questions that you can ask throughout your life. Those who are more virtuous than oneself will be jealous and unwilling to ask. Those who are not as good as oneself will be despised and will not bother to ask. Those who are equal to oneself will be embarrassed and unwilling to ask. In this case, there will be few people in the world who can ask. The person is not convinced, and the matter is not suspicious. This is just the teacher's heart and ears. If you use it for your own use, it is a small thing; if you know it is weak and guard it, you would rather not make progress in learning than to be weak.

Otherwise, what you are asking is not what you have learned: ask about the different texts and despicable things in the world to express them quickly; even if you already know something in your heart, ask people to test their ability, and the matter will be extremely difficult to understand. If you ask, you will find out the shortcomings. On the other hand, although there are things that are relevant to the body, mind, and life, you can reap the benefits of kindness, but you will not get it if you seek to bend yourself. Alas! Is this not the reason why learning cannot be as good as the ancients?

For those who are not good at asking questions, it is because their heart cannot be empty; if their heart is not empty, it is because they are eager to learn and are not sincere. Nor is it an enemy who does not concentrate his efforts. His learning is not that of the ancients, and his excellence is not that of the ancients. It is impossible to ask what is appropriate.

A wise man will make a mistake after thinking a lot. What a saint does not know may not be unknown to a fool; what a fool can do may not be impossible to a saint. There is no specific reason, and there is no end to learning, so why don’t we ask less? "Book of Rites of Zhou" states that foreign dynasties consult the people, and the common people are still asked about the political affairs of the country. Therefore, the noble can ask the humble, the virtuous can ask the unworthy, and the old can ask the young. It is only accomplished by the Tao. Confucius was not ashamed to ask questions, and the master was wise. The ancients regarded asking questions as a virtue, but did not see it as shameful. Later gentlemen argued that asking questions was a shame. However, what the ancients were deeply ashamed of, there are many people in later generations who practice it without feeling shame. Sad man!

A gentleman must like to ask questions when studying. "Asking" and "learning" are complementary to each other. Without "learning", you cannot ask questions, and without "asking", you cannot increase your knowledge. People who love learning but don’t ask too many questions are not people who really love learning. The principle is understood, but it may not be applied in practice. We understand the big ones (principles, programs, overall), but we may not understand the details. (For these problems) In addition to asking, how will we solve them? (For) people with higher moral abilities than yourself, ask them to eliminate the doubt, (this is what Confucius said) go to the learned people to judge right and wrong. (For) people who are not as good as you, ask them to get some correct opinions, (this is what Zengzi) said: use high talents to ask low talents (people); use high morals and knowledge to ask low morals and low knowledge. (person) asked. (For) people who are at the same level as yourself, ask them, so as to study together, (this is what "The Doctrine of the Mean" says) question each other, examine in detail, and make clear distinctions. Didn't "Shang Shu" say that? “He who loves to ask will be rich in learning and knowledge.

"Mencius discussed: "Recovering one's indulgent and undisciplined mind" (when), and mentioned "the way of learning", "learning" is followed by "asking". Zisi talks about "paying attention to moral cultivation" ( When), it boils down to asking (well) and (diligently) learning, (in his formulation) "asking" is in front of "learning". People in ancient times humbly accepted good words and good deeds, and asked questions without choosing things. Select people and ask questions, (as long as you can) seek those that are beneficial to your self-cultivation and studies. Therefore, the words of arrogant ordinary people, saints (also), low-status woodcutter, ancient sages and kings (also). Asking him, Emperor Shun asked the common people even if he was the emperor. With his great wisdom, he noticed Qian Jin's ordinary opinions. It was not accidental modesty, but he really wanted to listen to useful opinions from many sides. Three generations later, there was "Xue". "Without "asking", the exchanges between friends can be done by admonishing each other to do good deeds and not to do bad deeds. The kind of people who consult each other on major issues of right and wrong and who diligently only take learning as their top priority are rare. (Moreover) What about secular people? Thinking that they are right and others are wrong (this is) the common problem of secular people. They do not understand (what they do not understand) in their studies, (but) they just think they understand, (they hold on to it) The principle is unstable, but you make random subjective guesses. In this way, you will almost have nothing to ask in your life compared to people with higher moral talents. , (just) being jealous of him and unwilling to ask him, (for) people who are inferior to him, (just) despising him, (thinking) it is not worth asking him, (for) people on the same level as himself, (for) people with a playful attitude If you don't respect him and are not willing to ask him, then there will be almost no one in the world to ask questions about, and there will be no doubt about anything. It's just self-righteousness. Self-righteousness is still a small mistake; you know your own shallowness but cover up your faults closely, and would rather not make progress in your studies, (and) are unwilling to humbly ask others for advice, which harms your inner cultivation, ( The mistake can be huge, and people who fall into this kind of big mistake often account for eight or nine out of ten people. Otherwise, the question asked is not what he has learned: (such as). ) Ask (some) weird words and trivial things in the world to talk about for fun; even ask others (questions that you already understand in your heart, but deliberately ask them) to test that person's talent; (or) very Asking difficult questions to others will embarrass that person. If this is not the case, (or) even if there are things that are closely related to your own ideological and moral cultivation and can be enlightened, you should lower your dignity. Asking others humbly) can't be done. Alas! Isn't this the reason why we can't approach the ancients? And people who don't like to ask are because they can't be humbly; they can't be humbly. He does not sincerely like learning. It is not because he does not study hard. What he studies is not what ancient Confucians learned, and what he likes is not what ancient Confucians liked. It is natural for smart people to not be good at asking. A thousand times, a mistake will definitely occur. What a saint does not understand may not be what a fool understands; what a fool can do may not be what a saint cannot do. The truth is not only in the hands of some people, and there is no end to learning. So, can "asking" be avoided? "The Rites of Zhou" (said) that people should be asked (for their opinions on government affairs) outside the court, and common people should also be asked about major national affairs. Therefore, noble people can ask people of low status, people with high moral ability can ask incompetent people, old people can ask young people, as long as they can achieve success in learning and conduct. Confucius did not feel ashamed to ask for advice from those who were inferior to him. Confucius believed that he had high moral knowledge. The ancients regarded "asking" as a virtue and did not think it was shameful. Instead, the gentlemen of later generations rushed to regard "asking" as a shame. So what the ancients were deeply ashamed of, future generations do. There are so many people who are not ashamed of it, how sad!