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管子 (中华经典藏书)
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April 30, 2022
416-Guanzi-Guan Zhong-Philosophy-475BC
Barack
2022/04/30
"Guanzi", from about 475 BC to 221 BC. It is a compilation of speeches from various schools of thought in the pre-Qin period. "Guanzi" is basically a collection of works by Jixia Taoist Guan Zhong. That is the Guanzi School of Jixia. There are 86 chapters in the early Han Dynasty, 76 chapters in this edition, and the remaining 10 chapters only exist in the catalog.
Guan Zhong was born in 723 BC and died in 645 BC. Ji surnamed, Guan's family name, Yiwu, styled Zhong, Shijing, and a native of Yingshang (now Yingshang County, Anhui Province). Famous ancient Chinese economists, philosophers, statesmen, and military strategists. The representative of Legalism in the Spring and Autumn Period, the descendant of King Mu of Zhou.
the 33rd year of Duke Xi ( 698 BC), he began to assist Prince Jiu. In the first year of Qi Huan's reign (685 BC), he was recommended by Bao Shuya to serve as the prime minister of the state, assisting Duke Huan of Qi to become the head of the Five Hegemons in the Spring and Autumn Period. Internally, he promoted reforms, enriched the country, and strengthened the army; externally, he respected the king and repelled barbarians, and the nine feudal lords, one to the world, we're honored as "Zhongfu". Duke Huan of Qi died in the 41st year (645 BC). Later generations were honored as "Guanzi", known as "Legalist Pioneer", "Master of Saints", "Protector of Chinese Civilization" and "First Prime Minister of China".
Jixia School, according to historical records, at that time, the state of Qi once built a high-level mansion at Jixia, the capital of Qi, to attract sages. The origin of "Jixia" is said to be named because there is Ji Mountain in the south corner of Qidu, and Linzi is on the north side of it. Down". Since the historical records do not contain the exact location, there are different opinions today. However, the fact that the state of Qi established the "Jixia Academy" is beyond doubt. Back then, many scholars with different academic views from all over the world came to teach and have free debates from far away. People called these people "Mr. Jixia". Their respective disciples were called "Jixia scholars".
Table of Contents
herdsmen first
situation second
Quan Xiu the third
Standing fourth
fifth on horse
Seven Laws Sixth
Seven rules
Young Officer Eighth
Young official map ninth
Five auxiliary tenth
"Tanglin knows the etiquette in reality and knows honor and disgrace when they have enough food and clothing." How can ordinary people abide by the law if they don’t have enough to eat and don’t wear warm clothes? Since ancient times, ordinary people have known that breaking the law and discipline is a risky thing. A small number of people may break the law and discipline for the sake of excess profits, but most of them still fear punishment. Most people riot only when basic survival needs are not met. This is actually the fundamental reason for the replacement of past dynasties.
Legalists are very particular about rules and regulations. When talking about governing a country, in the final analysis, it is still self-cultivation, which is the foundation and root of all external behaviors. If you don't manage yourself well, you can't manage others well, and if you can't follow the rules yourself, you can't make others follow the rules.
The appearance of things is different, but the pattern may be the same. What human nature looked like 1,000 years ago is roughly what it looks like today. What the objective law looked like 1,000 years ago is roughly what it looks like today. What changes in form, what does not change is the core? However, we also need to pay attention to the differences at the specific operational level. If we must forcibly apply the specific forms of the past to today, it may lead to acclimatization. So it's all about grasping the core. This core is the Tao. What we need to strive to grasp is not the appearance or a specific form, but its core, its essence. So, we say that the Great Way is invisible and indescribable.
Some ideas and strategies were actually based on the agricultural society at that time, such as emphasizing agriculture and suppressing commerce. In fact, in today's social environment, it is obviously not feasible. But we cannot say that the idea is completely useless. Maybe we can think deeply about why we should emphasize agriculture and suppress commerce in those days. In the past, productivity was backward, and agricultural production required a lot of manpower. If everyone was engaged in business, no one would farm, the poor would starve to death, and society would be in turmoil. Today's productivity is sufficient, and the food produced by a small number of people is enough to feed the entire nation, and even rich enough to be used for export. Only then can the extra manpower in agriculture be distributed to industry and service industries. So, the rationale behind it is understandable. The actual measures are different because the specific circumstances are different. Therefore, the discussion of measures must be based on the specific circumstances, ignoring the specific circumstances and only talking about the practice, there is a danger that it will not work.
"A one-year plan is better than a valley of trees; a ten-year plan is better than trees; a life-long plan is not to cultivate people." People's plasticity is the greatest, and people are also the most important strategic resource. But at the same time, finding, appointing, and cultivating talents is very difficult. Therefore, it is often overlooked because of its complexity and long-term nature; or some people want to do it but cannot do it properly. How can people who think for the long-term not understand people?
Everything has its meaning; the important thing is to coordinate the appropriate ratio. Even in a special period, you need to concentrate on key breakthroughs, but you must be deeply aware that it is only a temporary measure. In the long run, it is still necessary to return to the right track and return to a reasonable state.
Chinese mainstream thinking is very particular about order and rules. What a leader plays is actually the role of formulating and maintaining rules. With order, stability can be achieved without causing chaos. Especially in a country with a large population and relatively few resources like ours, stability is paramount.
The Chinese pay attention to victory before a battle. Planning is the key. Before taking action, you have prepared the conditions that may be needed for success. When the conditions are not ripe, you continue to accumulate strength, and when the time is ripe, you will act quickly. The view on military affairs in Guan Zi is similar to that in Sun Tzu's Art of War. "It is as fast as the wind, it is as gentle as a forest, its invasion is as fire, and it's motionless as a mountain." Planning and action are indispensable, in order to do grand things, complex things, and long-term things as well as possible.
The teacher is famous. There must be a reasonable reason for doing things, a reason that can be generally accepted by most people. Chinese people tend to think that strength and weakness are relative. If the strong do things unreasonably and act recklessly, they will become weak, and when the weak do things in accordance with the rules, they will gradually become stronger.
Guanzi is even reflected in the modern strategic thought of "the enemy advances, we retreat, the enemy is stationed, we disturb, the enemy is tired, we fight, and the enemy retreats, we pursue". The reason is the same, the key is how it works. People who can sum up general laws from individual cases are amazing, and people who can apply abstract general laws to specific cases and implement them are equally remarkable. The so-called "reading" means seeing the words in the eyes, and it can only be said that it is "reading with the eyes", and more importantly, reading with the heart. We need to think, what does this sentence mean? How does it apply to my real life? How does it work for me? How can the essence of the ideological logic behind this be absorbed and become part of my value system?
The human factor should be fully emphasized. When it comes to running a country, it is necessary to pay attention to the back of the people; when it comes to dealing with others, it is necessary to emphasize how to get along with others and how to make the majority support you. Following the will of the people does not mean blindly pleasing the people and finding ways to get the majority to support themselves; nor does it mean having no opinion. The key is to give full play to the human factor and identify and appoint people.
If you want fame, be prepared to give up profits. If you want to make money, be prepared to give up your name. If you want to gain both fame and fortune, you may lose both fame and fortune in the end. From the very beginning, you have to figure out whether to seek fame or fortune. The changes in things are mutual circulation, maybe there are always lows, but few are always highs. When you are at a high point and you are complacent, you must share your blessings with others. This is like when the water is about to boil, you need to transfer some water to another bowl, otherwise, the hot water will boil and splash outside, which may cause a short circuit.
Things are never done. We are faced with various things, and we must distinguish the priorities, which are high and which are low. When you are not proficient at the beginning, you might as well use a stupid method, a good memory is not as good as bad writing, write down various things, and prioritize them on paper. Doing this may seem a little troublesome, but it's better than trying to prioritize everything in your head. After we have enough experience and our intuition becomes strong enough, we may be able to directly write the difference between good and bad. This is to know the importance and prioritize.
There are probably two different types of sages. One is to think about things that others can't think of. This kind of talent probably needs a lot of talent, because some things can't be thought of. The second is to be able to do things that others can’t do. What are the advantages and what are disadvantages, the intelligence and judgment of ordinary people are enough to help us understand? But the problem with ordinary people is that they know that this is not good, but they cannot control themselves to avoid it. I know this is good, but I can't take the initiative to pursue it.
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