加密数字货币交易所-《论语》详解：给所有曲解孔子的人-子曰：古之学者为己；今之学者为人。

Confucius said: The scholars of antiquity studied for themselves; the scholars of today study for others.

Yang Bojun: Confucius said: The purpose of ancient scholars was to cultivate their own knowledge and morality; modern scholars, however, aim to adorn themselves and impress others.

Qian Mu: The master said: The scholars of ancient times studied for themselves. The scholars of today study for others.

Li Zehou: Confucius said: In ancient times, scholars aimed to improve themselves; today’s scholars aim to teach others.

Detailed Explanation:

This is a chapter with many different opinions, but all explanations are based on the approach of favoring the ancient over the modern, dividing “studying for oneself” and “studying for others” into two separate categories, demeaning “studying for others” and sanctifying “studying for oneself.” These are just tricks of the Song and Ming Confucian scholars to “exalt inner sages and belittle external kings.” Ultimately, the fall of the Song and Ming dynasties was not mere coincidence but largely due to these absurd tactics that misled the people and harmed the nation.

“Inner sage, outer king” is originally one unity; how can an outer king who is not sage last long? And what use is an inner sage who is not a king externally? The so-called “learning” is based on “listening more,” “seeing more,” and involves “comparison and correction,” always rooted in the flow of the great change between “heaven, earth, and humans.” “Studying for oneself” and “studying for others” ultimately aim to achieve “inner sage, outer king.” How can “studying for oneself” and “studying for others” be separated? Pure “for oneself” and pure “for others” can only create a vicious cycle of “famine, plowing, and eating.” Whether it’s the Anglo-American capitalism that claims to be “for oneself,” or Stalinist capitalism that claims to be “for others,” they cannot escape this cycle.

From a grammatical perspective, this chapter is clearly intertextual; in classical Chinese, for the sake of linguistic smoothness and symmetry, this is very common. Here, there is no need to debate the so-called chicken-and-egg problem, nor whether it is “studying for oneself or for others.” Ultimately, it all boils down to “inner sage, outer king,” and “studying for oneself or for others” as one inseparable whole. There is no difference between ancient and modern in this regard; any study that departs from this is pseudo-study and cannot be genuine knowledge. And if it is pseudo-knowledge, how can it be called “learning”?

Chan’s Plain Language Literal Translation

Confucius said: The scholars of antiquity studied for themselves; the scholars of today study for others.

Confucius said: Regardless of ancient or modern, true learning and scholars are inseparable from the unity of “inner sage, outer king,” and “studying for oneself or for others.”