There is nothing for a gentleman to fight with others, and if there is, it is an archery competition; During the game, they first gave in to each other and then went on the field, and after the competition, they made each other and then retreated, and then went to the hall to drink, which is the so-called gentleman's dispute. Zixia asked Confucius for advice: May I ask Master, there is a poem in the Book of Songs: "A beautiful smile is so beautiful, beautiful eyes are really bright, and only on the white paper will there be brilliant colors." What does that mean? Confucius replied: First have a white background, and then you can paint; Zixia thought for a while, and then asked: That means that a person should have good inner qualities before he can really understand etiquette, right? After hearing this, Confucius said happily: Zixia, you are really the one who can inspire me, now we can discuss the Book of Songs together!

I can say the rites of the Xia Dynasty, but the descendants of the Xia Dynasty, Qi Guo, cannot prove my words; I can also say the rites of the Yin Dynasty, but its descendants, the Song Kingdom, cannot prove my words; The reason for this result is that there are not many people who are familiar with the summer rites and the Yin rites in the written materials; If there are enough of them, I can prove it. Confucius said: For such a ritual as the ritual of performing the ceremony, since the first offering of wine, I do not want to look any further.

(There is an important point to explain here.) The ritual refers to a solemn ritual in which the ancient emperors sacrificed to their ancestors. The ritual was originally a ritual that only the emperor could perform, so why could Lu Jun also perform the ceremony? The state of Lu is a vassal state established by the descendants of the Duke of Zhou, and the Duke of Zhou is the younger brother of King Wu of Zhou. The so-called sacrifice, whether grand or simple, the main purpose of the sacrifice is to commemorate the difficulties of the ancestors and ancestors through the tribute to the ancestors of heaven and earth, so as to inspire the present generation to imitate the spirit of the predecessors, live up to the mission, and make unremitting efforts to carry forward the cause of the ancestors. ）

(When it comes to rituals, it is to make the present generation face to face with the ancestors of the previous generations, worship the gods as if they were gods, face the tablets of the ancestors and ancestors, as if the heroic spirits were there, full of reverence for the feelings of the ancestors, and carefully examine and torture their own behavior.) We must have determination in our hearts, and from generation to generation, we must inherit the heroic spirit of our ancestors, create a benevolent and virtuous social order, and bless all generations to come. In the whole process of the ceremony, the solemnity of the scene is only external, and the most important thing is that there must be sincerity and respect, which must be from the heart. ）

(Confucius was very dissatisfied after seeing the powerful people of the Lu State perform the ceremony, and there is a reason: Lu Jun did not know how to cherish the honor given by Zhou Tianzi to Lu Guoyu, and in the whole process of sacrifice, all the people were in the form, and did not come from the heart, and the grandeur of the scene and the falsehood of the heart formed a strong contrast.) Confucius has always emphasized the important role of the ritual system, which is nothing more than wanting to penetrate the concept of ritual into everyone's heart through this form of ritual, and the ultimate wish is to build a harmonious and orderly social environment, which is why Confucius never talked about ghosts and gods but was obsessed with rituals. Now Confucius was angry and helpless in the face of Lu Junxing's courtesy, so he simply didn't look down. ）

Someone asked Confucius about the rules for holding the ceremony, and Confucius replied: I don't know, people who know this kind of regulation, when they govern the world's major affairs, probably think that governing the world's major affairs is as simple as putting things there! Confucius pointed to his palm and said: Sacrifice to the ancestors, just like the ancestors are really in front of you, and sacrifice to the gods, just like the gods are really in front of you. If I don't attend the sacrifice in person, it's the same as not having a sacrifice! Wang Sun Jia, the great doctor of the patriotic country, asked Confucius for advice: People say that instead of flattering the god of the Ao, it is better to flatter the god of the stove, what does this sentence mean? Confucius replied: In fact, it is like this, if you offend the heavens, it is useless to flatter any god.

The etiquette system of the Zhou Dynasty is borrowed from the Xia and Shang dynasties, how colorful it is, I follow the etiquette system of the Zhou Dynasty! When Confucius arrived at the Taimiao, he had to ask people for advice on everything, and the people next to him saw that Confucius was so lacking in knowledge, and said mockingly: Who said that Confucius knew how to be polite? When he arrived in the temple, he had to ask others about everything; Confucius later heard this sentence and replied: This is etiquette! Zigong put forward an idea, he wanted to get rid of the live sheep used to sacrifice to the ancestral temple on the first day of the new month, Confucius replied: Zigong, what you cherish is that sheep, but what I cherish is that kind of ceremony. Confucius said: I am serving the monarch in full accordance with the rules of the Zhou ceremony, but others think that I am flattering!

Confucius said: Archery is not about penetrating the target, because everyone's strength is different, and this has been the case since ancient times. (A little explanation here.) In archery competitions, you don't have to shoot through the target, you just need to hit it. Confucianism does not regard things that are beyond its power as its life goals, that is to say, what Confucianism tells everyone is what they can do as long as they work hard, such as reading and being a person, and every effort will be gained. Shooting salute is a kind of ritual often held by the nobles of the Zhou Dynasty, which belongs to one of the contents of the Zhou ceremony. Confucius said archery here, it is just a metaphor, you can understand this sentence of Confucius in this way, learning etiquette, you don't necessarily need to learn what level is good, as long as you are willing to learn, no matter what level you learn, it is worthy of affirmation. ）

Lu Dinggong asked Confucius: How should the monarch call the courtiers, and how should the courtiers serve the monarch? Confucius replied: The monarch should call his courtiers with courtesy, and the courtiers should serve the monarch with loyalty. When Confucius commented on "Guan Ju", he said: The poem "Guan Ju" is happy but not debauched, sad but not sad. Lu Aigong asked me: What kind of wood should be used to be the god of the land? Zai replied: The Xia Dynasty used pine trees, the Shang Dynasty used cypress trees, and the Zhou Dynasty used chestnut trees; The use of chestnut trees means to make the common people tremble; When Confucius heard this, he said: Don't mention what has already been done, don't dissuade what has already been done, and don't pursue what has already passed.

Confucius once commented on Guan Zhong, saying that this man's instrument was very small. Someone asked Confucius: Is Guan Zhong thrifty? Confucius replied: He has three luxurious treasury vaults, and the stewards of his family are all one person and never concurrently hold the same position, how can this be said to be frugal? The man then asked, "Do you know what to do?" Confucius replied: The monarch set up a wall at the gate, and Guan Zhong also set up a wall at the gate of his house; When the monarch holds a meeting with the monarch of another country, there is a special device for emptying wine glasses in the hall, and Guan Zhong also has such a device in his house; If Guan Zhong knows etiquette, then who else doesn't know etiquette?