广义春秋|中立不倚，刚毅仁善《中立不倚，刚毅仁善》standerectwithoutincliningtoeitherkindnessorfirmness作者：隋广义/马小秋 善以柔和为表征，属阴；刚以果毅为特性，属阳。心存善意，故能和谐广博；行事刚正，则能破除迷惘、执念和险阻。《说文》谓：“善，吉也。”《左传》云：“善人，国之主也。”有善心，是人之所以异于禽兽者也。子曰：“刚毅木讷，近仁。”诗云：“允矣君子，展也大成。”有坚贞刚正之气，是君子成大事之必须也。自古及今，成事之君子皆是悠游于二者的阴阳动态平衡之中的，而非偏于任何一端。Kindness is characterized by forbearance， and it is considered to bear the nature of yin; firmness is characterized by endurance， and it is considered to bear the nature of yang. When a man has kindness inside， he will be in the states of staying close to equilibrium and harmony; when a man acts with firmness outside， he will be in the states of staying away from bewilderedness， stubbornness and arduousness. This kindness is the great root from which grows all the happiness in the world， said the Shuowen， an ancient Chinese character dictionary. This kindness is the great root from which grow all the qualities necessary for a ruler of a country， said the Zuo Tradition， an ancient Chinese narrative history. This kindness is what makes a man differs from an animal. On this account， Confucius said “the firm， the enduring， the simple， and the modest are near to virtue”， while the Book of Odes said “truly a princely man is the king， and great indeed are his achievements!” A superior man who wants to make great achievements should be honest and upright， and he who has made great achievements stands erect in the dynamic balance of the yin， the kindness; and the yang， the firmness， without inclining to either side. 南方之强，宽柔以教；北方之强，衽金革、死而不厌。孔子虽然称赞这两种德性，然而并不以之为尽善尽美。为什么呢？因为在圣人那里，“中立而不倚”才是最值得称道的原则。我们注意到很多人都自诩识人之广、经事之多，然而，最终他们不过是在这世上刻画了更多的平凡印记而已。他们所以显得极为平庸，不能像先贤一样被我们铭记，乃是因为他们无从把握“善心”、“刚毅”二者的中庸罢了。“To show forbearance and gentleness in teaching others， this is the energy of southern regions; to lie under arms， and meet death without regret， this is the energy of northern regions”. Confucius thought the two virtues are good， but not perfect， because the master believes that to stands erect in the middle without inclining to either side is worth of praise. From time to time， we may note a hint of smug self-satisfaction from somebody who claim that they have known people， got acquainted with people， and gained profound understanding of people， and who claim that they have gone through ups and downs， got accustomed to ups and downs， and gained profound insight about ups and downs; but the truth is that such people did nothing remarkable or memorable. They are common beings， and they will not be remembered or commemorated as a saint， because they never embody the course of the Mean–the harmonious existence between the kindness and the firmness.千古之下，哲人同心。“善确实能使人广博，但如果仅有善良的力量，没有刚毅的力量，也做不成伟大的事，因为他会生出怯懦心！所以没等他做时，那道原为他准备的大门就已关上了。而如果只有刚毅的力量，就会使人走向毁灭。成就大事的人都有这种伟大的力量，就是善良的力量加上刚毅的力量。”如此道理，惟愿识者深察，体悟，践行。The great minds always think alike， no matter in the past or at present. It is a common point of view that， “the kindness widens a man’s vision， but not sufficiently making him a hero of great achievements if he acts with no firmness， because he may hesitate before making a decision， and then the chance slips away unnoticeably. However， if the acts with firmness but without kindness， he may incline to self-destruction. Therefore， if a man wants to make achievements， he should stand erect between kindness and firmness.” The aphorism is worth of considering， pondering and practicing for those who wish to be enlightened and established.