What are the main topics of Chapter 12 of the Analects? What does it mean that a person who is pure can advance with his purity?

The Analects covers politics, education, literature, philosophy, and the principles of conduct. There are 20 chapters and 492 chapters in the Analects, of which about 444 chapters record the conversations between Confucius and his disciples and contemporaries, and 48 chapters record the conversations between Confucius' disciples. So, what are the main topics of the Analects? What does the Analects mean when it says that a person is pure and should be promoted? Let's take a look at the introduction of Encyclopedia Knowledge Network to answer these questions!

Contents of this article

1. What are the main aspects of the 12th chapter of the Analects?

2. What does the Analects of Confucius mean when a person is pure and can make progress?

3. Briefly describe the main ideological content of the Analects

What are the main topics of Chapter 12 of the Analects?

The main aspects covered in "The Analects of Confucius Chapter 12" are: the contents of "The Analects of Confucius" on moral cultivation and learning attitudes and methods.

The specific contents are as follows:

1. Directly discuss learning issues: Reviewing the old and learning the new can make you a teacher; learning without thinking is useless, thinking without learning is dangerous; when three people walk together, there must be one who can be my teacher. Choose the good ones and follow them, and change the bad ones.

2. On the issue of morality: I examine myself three times a day: Am I disloyal when I work for others? Am I trustworthy when I make friends? Am I not practicing what I preach? I eat simple food and drink water, and I can be happy with my arms as a pillow. Wealth and honor gained through injustice are like floating clouds to me.

3. Explain the problem of learning attitude: Hui is a virtuous man. He has only a bowl of rice and a jug of water, lives in a humble alley, and people cannot bear the worry, but Hui does not change his joy.

What does it mean when a person is pure that he can make progress?

What this means is that if someone corrects his mistakes in order to make progress, he should be encouraged to keep himself clean and upright.

Original text: It is difficult to talk with a boy from the same hometown. When the boy saw him, his disciples were confused. Confucius said, "It is better to advance than to retreat. Why is that? People purify themselves to advance. It is better to be pure than to protect their past."

Confucius thought it was difficult to talk to people from Huxiang, but a boy from Huxiang was received by Confucius, and his students were puzzled. Confucius said: "I am affirming his progress, not affirming his regression. Why should we go too far? People correct their mistakes to make progress, so we should affirm their corrections and not hold on to their past."

Briefly describe the main ideological content of the Analects

The core of the thought is benevolence and love. The concept of "benevolence" is the distinction between the elder and the younger, the noble and the humble, and the close and distant from the family. "Love" is reflected in the moral ethics of filial piety, righteousness, loyalty, and trustworthiness, as well as the slave order of "the ruler is the ruler, the subject is the subject, the father is the father, and the son is the son".

The Analects shows the characters through the description of expressions and voices. Confucius is the center of the description in the Analects. The Master's style is overflowing with aphorisms. The book not only contains static descriptions of his manners and behaviors, but also vivid portrayals of his personality and temperament. In addition, around Confucius, the Analects also successfully portrays the images of some of Confucius' disciples. For example, Zilu's straightforwardness and recklessness, Yan Yuan's gentleness and virtue, Zigong's intelligence and eloquence, Zeng Xi's unrestrained and unworldly, etc., all have distinct personalities and can leave a deep impression on people. Confucius taught students in accordance with their aptitude. For different objects, considering their different qualities, strengths and weaknesses, and the specific circumstances of their moral improvement and study, he gave different teachings. It shows the precious spirit of tireless teaching.