加密数字货币交易所-《论语》详解：给所有曲解孔子的人-子曰：学如不及，犹恐失之

Confucius said: Learning is like not catching up; I still fear losing it.

Yang Bojun: Confucius said: Doing scholarly work is like [chasing something], afraid of falling behind; [if caught up,] still afraid of losing it.

Qian Mu: The teacher said: Seeking knowledge is like being unable to catch up, still afraid of losing it.

Li Zehou: Confucius said: Learning is like being afraid of not catching up, yet also afraid of losing it.

Detailed explanation:

If the previous chapter is unclear, then this chapter can only be roughly interpreted like the three scholars. The Guang Ya states: “Ji, means ‘reach’ or ‘arrive’,” and “not Ji” refers to “not arriving”; “Ru” means “like” or “as”; “learning like not catching up” means learning as if one cannot reach the end, comparing and aligning oneself with the “Way of the Sage” but unable to achieve perfection. Why is this? Because of “still fearing losing it.” “Still” (犹) is not the usual conjunction but means “hesitating and doubting,” as in Laozi’s “犹兮若畏四邻” (“Still, as if fearing the neighbors”). “Fear” (恐) means fear or doubt; “losing it” (失之) means causing it to be lost, with “之” referring to “learning.” “Still fearing losing it” (犹恐失之) indicates hesitation, fear, and doubt causing the “learning” to be lost, thus failing to reach perfection.

“Learning” (学) is often characterized by hesitation, fear, and doubt, especially when facing various theories and situations. Amidst the noisy voices, lacking sufficient wisdom to discern, one feels stuck, indecisive, anxious about gains and losses, unable to let go of the cliff or directly bear the burden. Ultimately, it’s about not daring to bear responsibility. In Chapter 7, this ID repeatedly emphasizes the importance of bearing responsibility, one passage being: “But only slaves need liberation, only slaves need freedom, only slaves need dignity. But you are already liberated, you are already free, you already have dignity. Why bother with liberation to free you, freedom to free you, dignity to dignify you? As long as you bear responsibility, all humans should bear it. What to bear? To bear this heaven and earth, humans, the heart of heaven and earth; heaven and earth, humans’ shell; if you cannot even bear your own shell, can you still be considered human? Bearing responsibility is the true spirit of Analects and Confucianism.”

The Yijing states: “Heaven’s movement is constant, the gentleman strives for self-improvement; Earth’s condition is receptive and nurturing, the gentleman carries things with virtue.” Humans take “learning” from heaven and earth, comparing and aligning themselves. It’s not just superficial like modern so-called practical science, nor can it be based on a priori assumptions like philosophical speculation. Instead, it involves direct bearing—embodying the virtues of heaven and earth, which are most immediate and present: “Heaven’s unceasing movement, earth’s bearing of all things.” No science or philosophy can violate this fundamental logical reality. This is what Confucian “learning” aligns with, compares, and bears. Human existence, individual existence, are also aligned with, compared, and borne by this learning. Abandoning bearing and placing it on illusory, divine-like premises shows a lack of wisdom, leading to hesitation, fear, and doubt. Any “learning” lacking human practical responsibility can only be considered petty, not the “learning” of a gentleman or sage. What is a “petty person”? Someone who, due to lack of wisdom, hesitates, fears, and doubts, diminishes the stature of a towering “person.” The smallness of a person is their own smallness; petty persons evade responsibility, shirk duties, but ultimately, responsibility remains. Because bearing responsibility is “not to worry,” whether facing it directly or avoiding it, bearing is a matter of practical existence.

The most important aspect of bearing responsibility is to bear the life and death of oneself, and all one’s mistakes and sins. Why does learning involve hesitation, fear, and doubt? Because it attempts to prove its correctness, to find a so-called eternally correct path. But heaven and earth are yours; the paths within heaven and earth are your paths. If you do not walk them, if no one walks them, how can you know they are wrong? All paths are made by humans; before walking, who has the right to declare right or wrong like a god? Confucianism is not about establishing a “correct” standard to plan heaven and earth, but about “acting” and bearing responsibility. All wisdom must be based on bearing; without bearing, there is no true wisdom. Perfection is not a fixed, a priori state; ultimately, it is about bearing itself. Only the wise, benevolent, and brave truly bear responsibility—this is true great wisdom, great benevolence, and great courage.

Chánzhōng’s plain translation of Zen teachings:

Confucius said: Learning is like not catching up; I still fear losing it.

Confucius said: Hearing “the Way of the Sage,” seeing “the Way of the Sage,” comparing “the Sage,” and constantly “aligning” and “correcting” oneself in society, but unable to reach perfection, is because hesitation, fear, and doubt cause it to be lost and unable to bear directly. **$NPC $BLAST **$ACX