plain book

Chapter 6 Interpretation of Plain Books (4)
Therefore, those who plan big things must pay attention to the small things between people, know what others dislike, know what others doubt, as long as you stay away from it, it will not hurt you.

After the middle of the Tang Dynasty, a traitor named Lu Qi appeared, who was ugly, treacherous, and extremely narrow-minded.There is a folk legend that can prove Lu Qi's character: In the Dezong Dynasty, there was a son named Zhong Kui, who had a leopard head and tiger eyes, and an iron face with a mustache. He was extremely ugly and terrifying, but he was full of talent.In the year of Tang Dezong's accession to the throne, Zhong Kui went to Chang'an to take the examination, and was selected as the No. 1 Kuijia in the written examination. During the interview, Dezong saw that his appearance was not good, and his face was displeased. Lu Qi, the prime minister at that time, said: " Zhong Kui is ugly, why not choose someone else." Zhong Kui was furious when he heard the words, Wuhu beat him, the hall was in chaos, Dezong was furious, Zhong Kui touched the steps and died.

Be extra careful with this kind of person, offending them unintentionally may cause a lot of trouble.Therefore, when Guo Ziyi, a famous ZTE general in the Tang Dynasty, learned of Lu Qi’s visit, he carefully sent out all his family members. Some people didn’t understand. Guo Ziyi said: “Lu Qi looks ugly, and his family may laugh when they see him. If one day Lu Qi gets rich , then I will be in trouble.” As the saying goes, it is better to offend a gentleman than to offend a villain.

【Original Code】Educated and asked, so widely known.

The note said: "Having the quality of a sage, but not extensively learning, it is because of Fumian."

Wang said: "If you want to understand the principles of nature, you must read the scriptures extensively; if you understand the difficulties, you should follow the teacher's etiquette. If you can explain the scriptures clearly and understand the difficulties, you will naturally have a broad mind."

【Interpretation】Setting up an ambition is like building a big ship. If this ship wants to sail far, it must have sails.Without sails, a ship cannot sail, and ambitions can only become dreams. A person with "big ambitions and few talents" is a ship without sails.So where did the sails come from?Only with learning as the classic and questioning as the weft can we weave the sails of long-distance voyages.Cicero once said: If the land is not cultivated, no matter how fertile it is, it will not bear fruit; if people do not learn, no matter how smart they are, they will not be able to read.

There is a famous saying in "The Analects of Confucius": "Be sensitive and eager to learn, don't be ashamed to ask your subordinates." Confucius is worthy of being a great educator. He explained the two ways of learning in one sentence - eager to learn and asking others. Asking others for advice is the best way to learn.Confucius said so, and he did so.Once, Confucius went to the ancestral temple of the king of Lu to participate in the ancestor worship ceremony. From time to time, he asked people about all the etiquette in the ceremony, almost everything.So, someone laughed at him behind his back, saying that he didn't understand etiquette and asked everything.After hearing these arguments, Confucius said, "As for things that you don't understand, ask them clearly. This is exactly what I want to know about etiquette."

[Original Code] Gao Xing speaks softly, so he cultivates himself.

The note said: "The desire to act is high but not to be subdued, and the words are to be emblematic but not to show."

Wang said: "Practice high to cultivate one's body, speak emblems to keep one's way; if you know everything, don't boast, and people will know when they are about to come out. If you say it first but can't do it, it means that words and deeds don't care. Smart people People, if they have self-cultivation, Jianfu will not talk too much. Words and deeds are noble, which is the way of self-cultivation."

【Interpretation】A person with great ambition must do things in a high-key manner and behave in a low-key manner.The so-called low-key life is to maintain one's noble virtues in self-cultivation, but to be tactful, low-key, and unassuming in speech.

When the ancients judged characters, their standards were somewhat different from those of modern people.In order to gain fame, modern people make great efforts to create momentum for themselves, commonly known as "hype", and there is a neutral word called "advertisement".In the meantime, there are some rhetoric, some braggadocio, some tricksters, and some who make fake news... But in the eyes of the ancients, none of these people were considered talents.

"The Analects of Confucius" says: "Smart words make people look good, and there is no benevolence." It means: people who often talk sweetly and pretend to be pleasant, such people have very little benevolence.Obviously, Confucius opposed those who talked blandly and boastfully, and believed that such people lacked the most basic qualities of being a human being.

So, who are the talents that Confucius admired?He said: "Strength, perseverance, wood, and tolerance are close to benevolence." He believes that the four virtues of being strong, courageous, simple, and prudent are close to benevolence.Among them, the word "stubborn" contains the meaning of plain language and cautious deeds.

The great philosopher Laozi’s evaluation of talents is similar to that of Confucius. In Chapter 81 of "Tao Te Ching", there are many places talking about the relationship between talents and words, such as: "Believe in words is not beautiful, but good words are not believed", "Words have principles "Everything depends on the king", "good words can be respected by the market" and so on.He believes that people's language must be simple and meaningful, and rhetoric can only gain a false name, and even damage a person's virtue.

Why do you criticize people like this?The ancients derived "words are the seedlings of the heart" from "the tongue is the seedling of the heart" in traditional Chinese medicine. Language is the reflection of the mind, and those who talk eloquently and boastfully have too many selfish purposes hidden in them. Not audible.Therefore, the ancients asked everyone to cultivate their xinxing from their daily language, just to prevent the erroneous progress and prevent evil thoughts from growing in the quiet soil of the mind.

[Original] Respectful, thrifty and modest, so self-restraint; foresight and foresight, so not poor.

The note said: "Guan Zhong's strategy can be said to be able to unite the princes, but poor in the way of kingship; Shang Yang's strategy can be said to be able to strengthen the country, but poor in benevolence and righteousness; Hongyang's strategy can be said to be able to gather wealth, but poor in supporting the people "Whoever is poor is not counted."

Wang said: "Respect comes first with propriety and righteousness, and frugality is always enough; if you are cautious about avoiding disasters, there will be no falsehood. If you can keep the four things of respect, frugality, sincerity, and covenant, you can keep yourself safe for life.

Therefore, if you are wise and resourceful, you will succeed in doing things; if you are virtuous and far-sighted, there will be no disasters.If a person is far-sighted, all things are in line with the Tao; adapt to the situation, there is no end. "

【Interpretation】People who have the four qualities of respect, frugality, modesty and simplicity can achieve great things if they advance, and they can improve their character if they retreat. , considerate and foresight when encountering problems, and will not be at a loss under any circumstances.

Most ambitious and successful people are not perfect, and always have shortcomings of one kind or another.But such people have a common advantage, that is, they are exceptionally outstanding in certain characters, and they will stick to several principles throughout their lives.And those ordinary people don't necessarily have more shortcomings, but they don't have outstanding character.Therefore, the person who walks on the road to success is not the person with the least shortcomings, but the person with the most outstanding advantages.

Today, Confucius, as a "sage of learning", is respected by all ages. It is because Confucius has many advantages that are more prominent than others.For example, Confucius' knowledge benefited from his very modest advantages.One day, Confucius and the others drove to the state of Jin.A child was playing with piles of rubble and tiles in the middle of the road, blocking their way.Confucius said, "You shouldn't be playing in the middle of the road, blocking our car!" The child pointed to the ground and said, "Old man, what do you think this is?" Confucius saw that the child was a city built of gravel and tiles.The child said again: "You said, should the city give way to the car or the car to the city?" Confucius was suddenly stopped by the question.So Confucius said to the students: "He can be my teacher!"

Buffett is the real big name in the field of securities investment, he is the myth of the stock market.But do you know how much Buffett's salary is?His annual salary has been maintained at $20 (no stock options, no bonuses) for more than 10 years. He has the lowest salary among all Fortune 500 CEOs, but he is the highest performing CEO in the world. good fund manager.He has run Berkshire for 27 years, the longest-serving CEO of a major U.S. company.

Buffett doesn't like to show his face, doesn't like to show off his personality, and keeps a low-key lifestyle.He described his living principles as: "simple, traditional and frugal".

Each of us always has some advantages. As long as we persist in and magnify our original advantages, and surpass others in this point, you will be able to succeed.

[Original] Relatives, benevolent friends and straight, so support the British.

The note said: "Those who are delighted by the reputation cannot gain friendship."

Wang said: "Parents give birth to their bodies, and teachers and friends grow their wisdom. People with benevolence, righteousness, virtue and sages should always be close to upright, loyal, and respectful. If you are in trouble, help each other."

【Interpretation】A good friend is a helper for your career. It can lend a helping hand when you are in danger; when it is dark, it can send a ray of light;

So what is a good friend? "The Analects of Confucius" said: "Three friends are beneficial, and three friends are detrimental. Friends who are straight, friendly, and friends who learn a lot are beneficial. Friends are evasive, friendly and soft, friends are sycophants, and friends are detrimental." Honest friends, sincere and magnanimous friends , friends who are knowledgeable and talented, can benefit us a lot; but in fact, friends who are not honest, who are good at catering to others and pleasing others, but friends who lack integrity, friends who are good at talking nonsense but have no real talent and knowledge, will only let us Hurt.

There is a very interesting test: Everyone takes out a piece of paper, and then writes down the 6 people who spend the most time with you on the paper, or the 6 closest friends with you, and write down the monthly period of each of them. income.Then, calculate the sum of the monthly income of these 6 people, and finally calculate the average of their monthly income.This average can reflect how much your personal monthly income should be.

There is a famous saying in ancient China, "One who stays close to vermilion is red, and one who is close to ink is black". What kind of people make friends with what kind of people; there is a similar proverb in the United States, "If you live with a fool, eat and drink all day; Think.” These two sentences have the same meaning, they both tell us the importance of choosing friends.

[Original Code] Close forgiveness and earnest practice, so pick up people.

The note said: "Extremely wise and moderate, the reason why sages accept people is also. The wise are unique to the saints; the moderate are the same as everyone."

Wang said: "Get close to the loyal and upright people, learn the way of loyalty and uprightness; respect the virtuous people, and explain the principles of virtue. This is the way to guide future generations, stop evil and do good."

【Interpretation】What you don't want to do, don't impose it on others, and be lenient, this is called "near forgiveness"; but for the goal you choose, you must be loyal, down-to-earth, single-minded, and persistent , This is called "devotion".With these two qualities, you can gain everyone's support and achieve success in your career.

A disciple of Confucius named Zi Gong once asked his teacher, "Is there a word that can be practiced for a lifetime?" Is there a word in this world that can become a standard of behavior for a person's life?Confucius replied: Yes, that is the word "forgiveness".This word means "Do not do to others what you do not want to be done to yourself".It can be seen how important this word is to Confucius. It is the standard for a person's lifelong behavior and affairs.

Everyone knows the truth of being a man before doing things.But "being a human being" doesn't mean being a good person. If you don't connect with anyone, even if you are a good person, it doesn't make sense.Only by doing other people's things well can you be good at yourself.So how to do this?Confucius taught us a lot of methods, such as "Establish others if you want to establish yourself, achieve others if you want to achieve yourself", "First obtain difficulties before obtaining", etc. Among them, "Don't do to others what you don't want yourself to do to yourself" is also an important one. in principle.This principle requires us to be lenient in our dealings with others.

There is a legend in Arabia, which can well illustrate the importance of generosity.Two friends were traveling in the desert. During the trip, they had a quarrel over a trivial matter, and one of them slapped the other.The person who got slapped felt humiliated, and without saying a word, wrote in the sand: "Today my best friend slapped me." They kept walking.They didn't decide to stop until they reached Woye.The one who was slapped almost drowned, but fortunately was rescued by his friends.After being rescued, he took a knife and carved on the stone: "Today my good friend saved my life."

The beating friend asked, "Why did you write it on the sand after I beat you, but now engrave it on the stone?" Where we forget, the wind will be responsible for erasing it; on the contrary, if we are helped, we will engrave it deep in our hearts, where no wind can erase it.”

Without a tolerant heart, even in the world of mortals, loneliness will be like a maggot attached to the bone, lingering.

[Original Code] Let the material enable, so save the material.

The note said: "What is adaptable is called talent, and what is usable is called ability. Those who are talented are allowed to be used but not used; those who are capable are made but not allowed to be used. This is also the art of employing people."

Wang said: "Appoint people according to their talents, and everything will be done; if you appoint talented people, you will achieve everything; if you can appoint talented people, you can benefit the time. For example: Han Gaozu used Zhang Liang and Chen Ping's plan, Han Xinying's ability, Establish Dahan Tianxia."

【Interpretation】Knowing people and making good use of them, putting the right people in the right positions, so that everyone can make the best use of their talents, and everyone can be in their own positions, and a great cause can be achieved.

As the saying goes, "the ruler is short, but the inch is long", and Li Bai's saying "I am born to be useful" is indeed a famous saying through the ages.Everyone is a genius in principle, and the reason why they don't show up as geniuses is because they are misplaced.The so-called "talent" refers to people who have the ability to respond to changes and have the ability to make overall plans. In a word, they refer to people who have leadership skills; A person who can do specific things well.

Many successful businesses were not founded by so-called elites at the beginning, but a group of very ordinary people, but each of them can use their talents in this business, so they are successful.As long as there is a suitable environment, any seed has the possibility to extend its life and value to the limit.

The so-called successful person must be such a person: he can help everyone around him succeed, the more successful people around him, the greater his achievement.If he cannot help others succeed, then he must also be a failure.

So, how do you help others succeed?There is a principle in education that "teach students according to their aptitude", and the principle of management is "enabling students according to their aptitude".Help someone find his strengths and make the most of them.

According to legend, one day the Buddha checked the situation of incense sticks in Buddhist temples all over the world, only to find that in the temple presided over by Maitreya Buddha, although there are many people who come to worship the temple, there is very little money for incense sticks.Because Maitreya Buddha is warm and happy, but he doesn't care about anything, and the accounts are messed up.The monastery presided over by Wei Tuo is deserted, with almost no pilgrims, and naturally there is very little money for incense.The reason is that Wei Tuo has a dark face every day, and no one dares to come to his monastery.

So the Buddha made some adjustments and transferred them to a monastery. The smiling Maitreya Buddha was in charge of public relations, welcoming pilgrims from all over the world with a smile every day, so the incense was very prosperous;As soon as they cooperated, the monastery flourished.

What the Buddha did was to help the two of them discover their advantages and magnify them infinitely.There is no useless person in the world, it depends on how to use it, if it is not used well, no matter how talented a person is, he is also a useless person.Ma Su in the Three Kingdoms period was a very talented military strategist, and even Zhuge Liang sometimes asked him for advice.If this person was a staff officer or a teacher, he would be top-notch, but he turned out to be the main general to guard the Jieting, and he ended up "killing Ma Su with tears."

[Original Code] It is evil to denounce slander, so the chaos is stopped.

Note: "Slanderous words and evil deeds are the root of chaos."

Wang said: "Traitors and evil are in power, and they are vicious and strong; slanderous officials, relying on power to monopolize power, and using evil to be strong: if you don't use loyalty and kindness, your country will be confused. If you use power to dominate, lightly destroy wise men, your family and country will perish; If you can kill evil people and go far away from slandering juniors, natural disasters will not happen and disasters will not happen."

【Interpretation】Aspiring people must stay away from all evil and reject all slander, which is a prerequisite for avoiding chaos and ensuring a successful career.

(End of this chapter)