If you don't know what others don't know, you don't know what others do. What does Confucius mean? thank you
It means: don't worry that others don't know you, just worry that you don't know others.
[Source] The Analects of Confucius - Learning from Confucius in the Spring and Autumn Period
Confucius said, "If you don't suffer from others, you don't know who you are, and if you suffer from others, you don't know who you are."
[Interpretation] This passage is the way Confucius taught us to behave. The aim of a gentleman to cultivate himself is to govern others. If you want to manage people successfully, you must let your image be recognized and accepted by others. Only in this way can you directly or indirectly control or influence the behavior of others. However, due to various factors, it is always more difficult for people to understand others than themselves.
Extended data
1. The Creation Background of The Analects of Confucius · Xueer
Xueer is the title of the first chapter of The Analects of Confucius. In the Analects of Confucius, the first two or three words of the first chapter are generally used as the title of each article. Xueer consists of 16 chapters, covering many aspects.
2. Introduction to the Author of The Analects of Confucius · Xueer
Confucius (September 28, 551 B.C. - April 11, 479 B.C.), with the surname of Zi, the surname of Kong, the name of Qiu, and the word Zhongni, was born in Zou (now Qufu, Shandong Province) of the State of Lu at the end of the Spring and Autumn Period. His ancestral home was Liyi (now Xiayi, Henan Province) of the State of Song, an ancient Chinese thinker and educator, and the founder of Confucianism.
What is the meaning of "if you don't suffer from others, you don't know who you are, and if you suffer from others, you don't know who you are."
What you should worry about is that you don't know others.
Source: The Analects of Confucius, Xueer Chapter
Original text:
Zi Gong said, "What is it like to be poor without flattery, rich without pride
Confucius said, "If you don't suffer from others, you don't know who you are, and if you suffer from others, you don't know who you are."
Translation:
Zi Gong said, "How about being poor but not fawning on others, and being rich but not arrogant? Confucius said," Yes, but it's better to be poor but happy, and rich but modest and polite. "
Zi Gong said, "The Book of Songs says:" Like the processing of bones, horns, ivory, jade, etc., we should first cut materials, then file them, carve them carefully, and then polish them. That's what it means. "Confucius said," Gi ah, now we can discuss the Book of Songs with you. Tell you what happened in the past, so you can know what will happen in the future. "
Confucius said, "Don't worry that others don't understand you. What you should worry about is that you don't understand others."
Text interpretation
Confucius taught students that they should have the spirit of not being sullen when dealing with the world. They should be able to do what they should do in loneliness and complete the moral cultivation they should have. Learning is for your own progress, not for complaining about others.
You need to know others when dealing with the world. You can truly understand others only when you are calm. Instead of demanding others, we should focus on improving our ability. A gentleman does not worry that no one knows him or herself, that he or she cannot build a good reputation without worrying, that he or she is not well educated enough to fully understand others.
What does it mean to be ignorant of people without suffering from them
It means: don't worry that others don't understand you, just worry that you don't understand others. From The Analects of Confucius, Xueer.
This passage is the way Confucius taught us to conduct ourselves. The aim of a gentleman's self-cultivation is to govern people. If you want to manage people successfully, you must let your image be recognized and accepted by others. Only in this way can you directly or indirectly control or influence the behavior of others. However, due to various factors, it is always much more difficult for people to understand others than to understand themselves.
Just because it is not easy to know people, it is common that people are not understood or misunderstood, so scholars often have dissatisfaction with talent. But if you put yourself in the other's shoes, a gentleman should consider problems from the standpoint of others.
When you want others to understand you, you should first make sure that you can correctly understand and understand others, try not to misunderstand others, so as to have enough understanding and respect for others. Being able to fully respect others is also a condition for obtaining respect and understanding from others.
Extended data:
Yang Jiang, Qian Zhongshu's wife, wrote about her understanding of this sentence in her "Walking to the Edge of Life": "You can see your own face in the mirror. If this person's face is crooked, he can look at the mirror every day. If he is used to looking at the mirror, he will not feel crooked. When an ugly person looks at the mirror, he will not see how ugly he is, but only see the beauty that others cannot see. The self styled" handsome guy ", I can't see the smoothness or vulgarity of his true appearance.
Because the "person in the mirror" in our mirror is always the "right person" in our own mind, not our true face. Even so, let alone human character! Everyone thinks he is what he thinks he is. Everyone deceives himself to some extent, which is called 'compromise'.
