You can't be square without rules(bù yǐ guī jǔ，bù néng chéng fāng yuán)

You can't be square without rules

"If we don't follow the rules, we can't make a circle" comes from the chapter and sentence of Lilou in Mencius. Mencius called for benevolent government. There are two aspects to implement: one is "king before law"; the other is selecting talents.

The so-called "no rules, no square" has become a common aphorism in people's life.

Original works

Mencius said, "if you leave louzhiming and gongshuzi skillfully, you can't be square and round without rules; if you are broad-minded and intelligent, you can't correct five tones without six rules; if you are Yao and Shun, you can't rule the world with benevolence. Today, there are people who are kind-hearted and kind-hearted, but they are not respected by the people. They can not follow the way of the former king. Therefore, to be good is not enough for government, and to be good is not enough for law. "The book of songs says:" don't be guilty, don't forget There is no one who follows the law of the former king. The sage not only exhausted his eyesight, but also followed by rules and standards, believing that the square is straight and can not be used; not only exhausted his ears, but also followed by six temperament and five tones, which can not be used; not only exhausted his mind, but also followed by intolerant politics, and benevolence over the world. Therefore, it is wise to be high because of hills and low because of rivers and rivers, and to be in power not because of the way of the former king? Therefore, those who are benevolent should be in a high position. If you are not benevolent but in a high position, you will sow evil in the public. There is no way to be a prime minister, but there is no way to be a prime minister. There is no way to be a prime minister. There is no way to be a prime minister. There is no way to be a prime minister. There is no way to be a prime minister. Therefore, it is not the disaster of the country if the city is not complete and there are not many soldiers and armours; it is not the disaster of the country if the fields are not opened and goods and wealth are not gathered. If you are rude, you will never learn. If you are a thief, you will never die. The book of songs says, "when heaven falls, there is no natural discharge." Let's let it go. It's not the way of the former king to speak, but it's not the way of the former king. Therefore, to censure you is to be respectful, to shut down evil is to be respectful, but I cannot call you a thief. "

Notes on works

(1) Lilou: it is said that when he was Emperor Huang, he had strong eyesight and could see the end of autumn from a hundred paces away. (2) gongshuo: gongshuo ban ("ban" is also written as "ban" and "pan"), a native of the state of Lu, so it is also called Luban, a famous craftsman in ancient times. He lived in the time of Duke ding or Duke AI of Lu. He was younger than Confucius and older than Mozi. His deeds can be found in the book of rites, Tangong, ZhanGuoCe, Mozi and so on. (3) Shi Kuang: a musician of Jin State in the spring and Autumn period. He was a very famous musician in ancient times. His deeds can be found in Zuo Zhuan, Li Ji, Guo Yu, etc. (4) six temperament: in ancient China, the temperament was divided into Yin temperament and Yang temperament, each of which has six kinds of tones. Six temperament is the six tones of Yang temperament, which are Taiju, Guxi, huobin, Yize, Wushe and Huangzhong. (5) five notes: Ancient Chinese scale names, namely Gong, Shang, Jiao, Zheng and Yu, are equivalent to the five notes 1, 2, 3, 5 and 6 in the simplified score. (6) Wen: reputation. (7) don't forget the mistakes, and be frank with the old chapter: quoted from the book of songs Daya false music. Fault, fault, rate, compliance. Kui: measurement. (9) the way of heaven's collapse, Wuran Xie (Yi): quoted from Da Ya ban of the book of songs. Kick, move; vent, speak more, talk more. (10) No: slander. (11) it describes that there are no rules in words and deeds, poor discipline and improper.

Modern translation

Mencius said: "even if you have good eyesight like Lilou and good skills like gongshuzi, if you don't use compasses and rulers, you can't draw squares and circles accurately; even if you have good ability of judging sound like Shikuang, if you don't use six temperament, you can't correct five tones; even if you have Yao Shun's theory, if you don't implement benevolent government, you can't govern the world well. Although some princes have a benevolent heart and reputation for benevolence, the common people can not receive his favor and become models for future generations. This is because he did not implement the benevolent government of the former king. Therefore, only good intentions are not enough to govern politics; only good methods can not be implemented on their own. The book of songs says, "don't make mistakes, don't be crazy, follow the old rules of our ancestors." There has never been a mistake in following the precepts of the previous king. The sage not only used up his eyesight, but also used compasses, rulers, levels, rope and ink to make square, round, flat and straight things, and those things could not be used up; the sage not only used up his hearing, but also used six rhythms to correct five tones, and all kinds of scales could be used endlessly; the sage not only used up his brain, but also carried out benevolent government, and his benevolence covered the whole world. Therefore, we must rely on the mausoleum to build a high platform; we must rely on the ravine and swamp to dig a deep pool; if we do not rely on the methods of the previous holy kings, can we say that it is wise? So only benevolent people should be in the dominant position. If the unkind person occupies the dominant position, he will spread his evil deeds to the common people. There are no moral standards for those above, and no laws and regulations for those below; the court does not believe in morality and justice, the craftsmen do not believe in standards, the officials violate justice, and the people violate the criminal law. If it goes on like this, it's really lucky that the country can survive. Therefore, it is not the disaster of the country that the city walls are not strong and the weapons are not sufficient; it is not the disaster of the country that the fields are not opened up and the materials are not rich; if the people at the upper level have no propriety and righteousness, the people at the lower level have no education, and more and more people violate the law and discipline, the country will soon perish. The book of songs says, "heaven is bringing chaos. Don't talk too much." To be talkative is to procrastinate. To serve the monarch without loyalty, to advance or retreat without etiquette, and to slander the way of the former king is procrastination. Therefore, it is called "Gong" to ask for the king with high standards, it is called "Jing" to give good advice to the king, it is called "Jing" to block bad ideas, it is called "thief" to think that the king can not do benevolent government

Appreciative Remarks

Or the advocacy and cry for benevolent government. There are two aspects to implement: one is "king before law"; the other is selecting talents. The reason for "the first king of law" is that "if we do not follow the rules, we can't make a square"; "if we do not follow the six laws, we can't correct the five tones"; "if we do not follow the benevolent government, we can't rule the world peacefully." On the contrary, "those who follow the laws of the former king will come." Both positive and negative enlightenments illustrate this point, so we must be "king before law". In fact, Mencius' thought of "law comes before the king" is the inheritance of Confucius' thought of "ancestors of Yao and Shun, charter of civil and military". The reason for selecting talents is that "only those who are benevolent should be in a high position." Once those who are not benevolent steal the high position, evil is in charge of the way, and harm the loyal and good, they will inevitably turn right and wrong upside down, confuse black and white, and lead to the downfall of the world. The historical basis is numerous. Therefore, we must pay attention to the selection of leading cadres. These two aspects are not new ideas in the Analects of Confucius and Mencius, but almost commonplace. But the so-called "no rules, no square" has become a common aphorism in people's life. Especially in the face of increasingly intense market competition, many new things and new phenomena emerge. Their right and wrong, right and evil, often make people feel confused and difficult to comment. At this time, people's feelings about "not following the rules, not forming a square" are more real and profound. Therefore, the call for a sound legal system and regulations is increasingly strong. According to some statistics, there are laws and regulations issued almost every day in China. I don't know if there is any exaggeration in this statement, but we attach great importance to "rules" and carry out universal legal education, which are very true. Speaking of all of these, are they not "following the rules" and "forming a square circle"?

Introduction to the source

"If we don't follow the rules, we can't make a circle" comes from the chapter and sentence of Lilou in Mencius. "Mencius" is a collection of Mencius' opinions, which is compiled by Mencius and his disciples. It records Mencius' language, political views (benevolent government, the distinction between the king and the overlord, people-oriented, the difference between the king's heart and the people's respect for the king's light) and political actions. Mencius once imitated Confucius and led his disciples around the world. But it was not accepted by other countries at that time. He retired and wrote books with his disciples. Mencius has seven chapters handed down from generation to generation: King Hui of Liang, Gongsun Chou, Teng Wengong, Lilou, wanzhang, Gaozi and Jinxin. The starting point of his theory is the theory of good nature, which puts forward "benevolent government" and "kingly way", and advocates the rule of virtue. In the Southern Song Dynasty, Zhu Xi combined Mencius with the Analects of Confucius, the great learning, and the doctrine of the mean, and called them "four books". Mencius was the largest and heaviest of the four books, with more than 35000 words. From then on until the end of the Qing Dynasty, "four books" had always been the compulsory content of the imperial examination.

About the author

Mencius (372-289 BC) was named Ke and was named Ziyu. During the Warring States period, people from the state of Lu were descended from the father of Lu Guoqing. He is a famous thinker and educator in ancient China and a representative of Confucianism in the Warring States period. He is the author of Mencius. Mencius inherited and carried forward Confucius' thoughts, and became a generation of Confucian masters next only to Confucius, known as "Yasheng", and together with Confucius as "Confucius and Mencius". Mencius' essays are eloquent, energetic, eloquent, logical, sharp and witty, representing the peak of traditional prose writing. Mencius put forward the theory of good nature on the issue of human nature, that is, "human nature is good at the beginning."

dispute

A great circle is made of nature. If there is no great circle, there is no great skill. If the husband treats the rope properly, he will cut off his nature; if he treats the rope firmly, he will invade his virtue; if he bends the rites and music, he will comfort Yu Renyi, which is not as usual as it is in the world. As usual, the crooked do not use hooks, the straight do not use ropes, the round do not use rules, the square do not use moments, the attached do not use paint, and the binding do not use ink. Therefore, all the people in the world are born without knowing why they were born, and all the people in the world are born without knowing why they were born. Therefore, ancient and modern times are different

Chinese PinYin : bù yǐ guī jǔ，bù néng chéng fāng yuán