[REBORN FROM THE ASHES][comment][01.03]

qisaimanUID: 2703629

as far as I know , zhou guoping is a contemporary poet and philosopher . I had read some poem by him, most of which are short but meaningful.
this article presents a special idea of the author about the bewildering value system of modern people, especially those who after a struggle in market economic , winner or loser , all felt lost somehow. the righteousness and mean, both controlled by the external belief, all led to a boring life, since the two attitudes lack the pursuit of individual, this is individuality.


the author creates a new interpretation to philosophy of life, by which one can feel contented about himself. however, just as the author 's explanation, I don't think this is an effective way in today , especially in china. the era we belong can be described as what Dickens had written in his famous novel , "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness" . both righteousness and mean are important in the forming of a civilized society . during the first three decades of new china, great mistake is made by eliminating the personal property, resulting a low production and very insufficient supply of common requisite. it is a passive righteousness, followed by nothing but tragedy. while in the following years of reforming and opening-up, most of the chinese can feed himself. Mean take over the stage.

123runfordreamUID: 2697608

There was once a time when almost everyone claimed to be a gentleman and every word uttered was about righteousness. At that time, there might have been some truly virtuous men who were so righteous as to give up whatever was profitable. But, more likely, one might meet hypocrites who used righteousness as a fig leaf for their cupidity, or pedants believed in whatever passed for righteousness. Gone are the old days. The social trend has taken on a dramatic change unawares: the reputation of righteousness nosedived (a sudden extreme drop), truly virtuous men became extinct, hypocrites dropped the fig leaf and the scales fell from the eyes of the pedants. Without exception, they all joined in the scramble for gains. It is believed that the philosophy of life has changed and a new interpretation of righteousness and gain looms large: seeking material gains is not the exclusive patent of the mean, but a golden rule for all.


But, when it is worshipped as a motto of life and commercialism takes the place of other wisdom of life, life is then turned into a corporation and, consequently, interpersonal relations into a market.

Indeed, righteousness and gain, seemingly poles apart, have much essence in common.


The true meaning of life lies not in giving or possessing, but in creating, which actively unfolds your true disposition, or, in other words, the emotional gratification you obtain through the exertion of your essential power.

A man of disposition seeks nothing but the communication of feelings while in company, and the cultivation of taste while possessing something. More valuably,

Bernard Shaw once said, “There are two tragedies in life. One is not to get your heart’s desire. The other is to get it." With it I couldn’t agree more. I did admire him for his easy and humorous way in describing the quandary (state of perplexity or doubt)
of life. However, a deep ponder over it has brought home (to make unmistakably clear) to me that Shaw’s standpoint is no other than "possessing",

nd look at life with an esthetic eye,


help me sail through the unpredictable waters of my future life.

COMMENT:
Mr. Zhou’s essays always are full of things guiding us to think throughout. He points out a fact in nowadays that all the people seem pursue money more than anything else. They don’t even have time to stop to say hello and give a smile to the pass-bys. Definitely, more money could our material life better, but somehow it is an obstacles for us to pursue the spiritual world. If you are not persuaded, try to listen to the voice of what the teenage all complain about.
As what the author says, we don’t choose righteousness nor gain, but disposition, what we obtain from creating. My poor understanding of disposition is that the things we gain form our belief lays our daily life. For instant, what you are doing now is based on what you are pursuing, what you are pursuing is based on what you believe in. The process of this circle produce disposition.
Martial life is important, so does the spiritual. The point is not just following what the ancestor had said in their days. Considering our stand today is much more meaningful. Taking the philosophy of life today serious would help us out , what the author says, of unpredictable waters of future life.

123runfordreamUID: 2697608

You do not five for the doctrines you believe in or the materials you possess.何解，“不盲目遵从”？

结合下一句
Instead, your true "self" makes you who you are.   five 应该是虚指，就是不需要为了你相信的学说和你所崇尚的物质财富戴不同的面具。其实就是表里不一（不一定是贬义）。

个人理解...

windandrain2004UID: 2597690

占占~~

hugeseaUID: 190158

<Beyond Righteousness and gain> is a polished prose which is full of philosophy of life.

It is not known if “there was once a time when almost everyone claimed to be a gentleman and every word uttered was about righteousness.” But what we can affirm is such a different scenario—no matter a sage or a gigmanity, no matter a truly virtuous man or a hypocrites or a pedant, might forget his integrity when tempted by personal gain. Just as well, the people’s true dispositions, which are beyond the righteousness and gain, are worthy promoting and enhancing.

So, what are the true dispositions? If a person can manager his emotions as well as understand his own emotions appropriately, we say he is a man with true disposition. Such a person, no matter he lives in groups or lead a monastic life, no matter he goes into politics or pursues a scientific study, will follow his own bliss.

As we all know, today’s social trend has taken on a dramatic change, and the thinking mode and life philosophy of today’s people have changed dramatically. Today’s people may be more willing to accept such a new proposition on the philosophy of life that was provided by Mr. Zhou Guoping in his essay <Beyond righteousness and gain>: "righteousness" stands for an ethical philosophy of life, and "gain," a utilitarian one; "disposition" is an aesthetical philosophy of fife. When we think about lives with such a proposition, we will find that the concepts of “righteousness”, “gain”, and “disposition” are juxtaposed and linked with each other, on the one hand, and, oppose and divorce from each other, on the other hand. Just as what Mr. zhou said in his essay that “righteousness and gain, seemingly poles apart, have much essence in common. Righteousness calls for a devotion to the whole society while gain drives one to pursue material interests. In both cases, one’s disposition is over- looked and his true “self” concealed”, only living with his own true disposition, can a person manifest his true self and show forth his real intention. In light of the fact that “a man of disposition seeks nothing but the communication of feelings while in company, and the cultivation of taste while possessing something”, it is understandable that “a man of disposition is always at ease in social intercourses”. Therefore, any person, no matter he has gotten your heart’s desire or not, can be fully content, if he lives in an aesthetical life, which is “a life more worth living”.

敛寒影UID: 2613052

seeking material gains is not the exclusive patent of the mean, but a golden rule for all.


"Time is money" is a vogue
word nowadays. But, when it is worshipped as a motto座右铭，格言 of life and commercialism takes the place of other wisdom of life, life is then turned into a corporation and, consequently, interpersonal relations into a market.


The former turns one’s life into a process of fulfilling endless obligations while the latter breeds a life-long scramble for wealth and power.

Instead, your true "self" makes you who you are. The true meaning of life lies not in giving or possessing, but in creating, which actively unfolds显露，阐明，呈现，伸展 your true disposition, or, in other words, the emotional gratification you obtain through the exertion of your essential power.

there is a life more worth living than the one haunted by righteousness and gain. And, this belief will help me sail through the unpredictable waters of my future life.

Nevertheless, beyond righteousness and gain, I believe, there are other attitudes towards life; beyond virtue and meanness, there are other individualities.

the true value of life is beyond obligations and power.

a tense interpersonal relationship

You do not live for the doctrines you believe in or the materials you possess.

but about a peaceful mind coming from a non-materialistic attitude towards life.

scramble for 争夺
looms large显得突出
poles apart截然相反，南辕北辙
crystal clear极明白，十分清楚
highlights（center attention on）
places a premium on诱发，鼓励


Comment:


This article are talking about the author’s view on life,he coin a form called "disposition",an aesthetical philosophy of life, "righteousness" and "gain".That means you do not live for the doctrines you believe in or the materials you possess,but to unfolds your true disposition, the emotional gratification you obtain through the exertion of your essential power, or, in other words,to self-fulfillment.
In my oppinion,the performance of creating is an other
process of fulfilling endless obligations,which is a high level of giving.We are living a unique life accoding to our own way,at the same time,we create significative things that is gifts for comminity.The middlebrow person giving at all times,lacking the spirit of innovation can not promot social progress.But without these people willing to dedicate,which would aggravate the tense interpersonal relationship and the society becoming more chaotic.To some extent,the extreme self-fulfillment would evolve into scramble for profits fit for self-development.
I agree with the author stated at last that a moderate dedicaton and gain,more over to enjoy a graceful life of ourselves.

KiKi~淇水滺滺UID: 2679824

Comments


This is an article talking about the real valuation of our lives, which is very impressed and self-examination. By the way, Mr Zhou is an extreme famous writer in contemporary Chinese literary world. His works always make people think about their lives.

In this article, he talks about the attitudes we need towards life between moral value and personal gain. In a world full of industrial lives, we can find that more and more people become ruthless, selfish and caring about the personal gain.

However, Mr Zhou thinks he need to have a "returning to self" attitude towards life. The new life attitude encourages one to follow the call of one's inner self to advance one's interest in a topic of one's own choice and stop where the same inner self demands it. Life becomes beautiful not because of your making sacrifice or your possessing wealth, but the enhancement to its richness which you have succeeded in making. In his point of view, innovation is very important and I agree with him.

doodaUID: 2712643

Comment:
Struggling, more or less, the righteousness and gain in our time caused a tense life. The writer coined new terms called “Disposition” and “Creation”. He believes we can make a better life when we use the relatively neutral
terms “Disposition and Creation” and replace the “Righteousness and gain” which is seemingly poles apart.

When the true self take into consideration, you will find to be righteous all the time which means thing about your docitren before you take any action will make you so tired and unwillingly. While abandon yourself in gain will be over selfishness. It is not too hard to understand the quandary because everyone has a calculating mind. We need to accept that both give and take are the human’s basic needs. By give, we offer others the opportunity to take and by take we gain the necessary materials we need. As the author suggested, “Taking your disposition as the operational guidance for your life, whereby everyone is allowed to keep his true ‘self’".

As a summery, Use disposition attitudes to handle the definition of righteousness and gain will make a batter life in the future.
Highlights:
Beyond Righteousness and Gain

by Zhou Guoping

"A virtuous man is concerned with righteousness正直
正义 while a mean 卑鄙
吝啬man, with gain,” Confucius says. The "righteousness" and "gain" have long been a central theme in the Chinese philosophy of life. But, what if I am neither virtuous nor mean?

There was once a time when almost everyone claimed to be a gentleman and every word uttered was about righteousness. At that time, there might have been some truly virtuous men who were so righteous as to give up whatever was profitable. But, more likely, one might meet hypocrites伪君子
who used righteousness as a fig leaf遮羞布
for their cupidity贪婪, or pedants学究
书呆子 believed in whatever passed for
被称为
被看作righteousness. Gone are the old days. The social trend has taken on a dramatic change unawares（adv. 不知不觉地）: the reputation of righteousness nosedived俯冲
急降, truly virtuous men became extinct, hypocrites dropped the fig leaf and the scales fell from the eyes of the pedants. With- out exception, they all joined in the scramble for争夺
勉强拼凑
gains. It is believed that the philosophy of life has changed and a new interpretation of righteousness and gain loom(s) large:显得突出
seeking material gains is not the exclusive patent of the mean, but a golden rule for all.

"Time is money" is a vogue时髦的 word nowadays. Nothing is wrong when entrepreneurs apply it to boost productivity. But, when it is worshipped as a motto座右铭 of life and commercialism商业主义 takes the place of代替 other wisdom of life, life is then turned into a corporation and, consequently, interpersonal relations into a market.

I used to mock嘲笑 at the cheap "human touch". But, nowadays even the cheap “touch” has become rare and costly. Can you, if I may ask, get a smile, a greeting, or a tiny bit of compassion同情
怜悯 for free?

Don’t be nostalgic怀旧的, though. It is in fact of little help if you try to redeem赎回
挽回 the world or salvage海上救助，抢救打捞 the corrupt minds through preaching说教
讲道术 various brands of righteousness. Nevertheless, beyond righteousness and gain, I believe, there are other attitudes towards life; beyond virtue and meanness, there are other individualities个性（复数表个人的嗜好）. Allow me to coin创造，
杜撰（新词、新语等）a sentence in the Confucian style: "A perfect man is concerned with disposition."

Indeed, righteousness and gain, seemingly poles apart截然相反
南辕北辙, have much essence本质 in common. Righteousness calls for a devotion to the whole society while gain drives one to pursue material interests. In both cases, one’s disposition is over- looked and his true “self” concealed隐藏. "Righteousness" teaches one to give while "gain" induces劝诱
促使
导致引起 one to take. The former turns one’s life into a process of fulfilling endless obligations while the latter breeds a life-long scramble for争夺
勉强拼凑 wealth and power. We must remember, however, the true value of life is beyond obligations and power义务和权力. Both righteousness and gain are yoked结合
链接 by calculating minds. That’s why we often find ourselves in a tense interpersonal relationship 【whether Mr. Righteousness is commanding or Mr. Gain, controlling.】

If "righteousness" stands for an ethical philosophy of life, and "gain," a utilitarian功利的
现实的 one, what I mean by "disposition" is an aesthetical philosophy of fife（我认为作者可能意指life,这里写成fife应该是个typo）, which advocates提倡 taking your disposition as the operational guidance for your fife, whereby由此
凭借这个
everyone is allowed to keep his true "self". You do not five（live，可能是作者笔误） for the doctrines you believe in or the materials you possess. Instead, your true "self" makes you who you are. The true meaning of life lies not in giving or possessing, but in creating, which actively unfolds打开
显露
阐明 your true disposition, or, in other words, the emotional gratification情感上的满足 you obtain through the exertion行使
运用 of your essential power. Different from giving, which is the performance of an external responsibility, creating is the realization of one’s true self. The difference between creating and possessing is more than crystal clear极为明白
十分清楚. Let’s take creative writing as an example: "Possessing" focuses on the fame or social status a piece of writing may bring, while "creating" highlights the plea- sure in the process of writing. A man of disposition seeks nothing but the communication of feelings while in company, and the cultivation培养
耕种 of taste while possessing something. More valuably, in a time when most people are busy hunting for wealth and being hunted by it, a man of disposition is al- ways at ease in social intercourses社会交往. Here I' m not talking about the leisure of traditional Chinese scholar-officials, nor the complacency满足 of conservative peasants, but about a peaceful mind coming from a non-materialistic attitude towards life. Using the writing example again, I’ve been wondering why a writer needs to be prolific多产的. If he dreams of being enshrined把...置于殿内祀奉; 把...安置在龛内, an immortal不朽的 short poem is enough. Otherwise, he could be pretty much satisfied with a carefree无忧无虑
轻松快乐的 life. In this sense, writing is merely a way for such a life.

Bernard Shaw once said, “There are two tragedies悲剧 in life. One is not to get your heart’s desire. The other is to get it." With it I couldn’t agree more. I did admire him for his easy and humorous way in describing the quandary困惑
进退两难 of life. However, a deep ponder over沉思
深思
it has brought home to me that Shaw’s standpoint is no other than正是 "possessing", which keeps us stranded束手无策
进退两难 in a double dosage tragedy of life: it' s a pain not to possess your heart' s desire, and a tedium单调乏味, to have possessed it. However, if we shift the standpoint from "possessing" to "creating", and look at life with an esthetic感觉的 eye, we can interpret Shaw’s words the other way round: there are two comedies in life. One is not to get your heart’s desire, so you still have the opportunity to seek or create it. The other is to get your heart’s desire, and then you are able to enjoy tasting or experiencing it--Of course, life can never be free from pains, and a wealth hunter can not dream of the sadness of a man who places a premium on诱发
鼓励 his true disposition. However, to be free from the mania癫狂
狂热 for pos- session may at least save you many petty worries and pains, and let you enjoy a graceful life. 1 have no intention to prescribe the esthetic viewpoint as the cure for a corrupt world. I just want to express a belief: there is a life more worth living than the one haunted by righteousness and gain. And, this belief will help me sail through轻快地走过 the unpredictable waters of my future life.

jinziqiUID: 2387034

Beyond Righteousness (adhering to moral principles) and Gain
by Zhou Guoping

"A virtuous man is concerned with righteousness while a mean man, with gain,” Confucius says. The "righteousness" and "gain" have long been a central theme in the Chinese philosophy of life. But, what if I am neither virtuous nor mean?

There was once a time when almost everyone claimed to be a gentleman and every word uttered was about righteousness. At that time, there might have been some truly virtuous men who were so righteous as to give up whatever was profitable. But, more likely, one might meet hypocrites who used righteousness as a fig (微不足道的事) leaf for their cupidity (extreme greed for material wealth), or pedants believed in whatever passed for righteousness. Gone are the old days. The social trend has taken on a dramatic change unawares: the reputation of righteousness nosedived, truly virtuous men became extinct, hypocrites dropped the fig leaf and the scales fell from the eyes of the pedants. With- out exception, they all joined in the scramble for gains. It is believed that the philosophy of life has changed and a new interpretation of righteousness and gain looms large: seeking material gains is not the exclusive patent of the mean, but a golden rule for all.

"Time is money" is a vogue (the popular taste at a given time) word nowadays. Nothing is wrong when entrepreneurs apply it to boost productivity. But, when it is worshipped as a motto of life and commercialism takes the place of other wisdom of life, life is then turned into a corporation and, consequently, interpersonal relations into a market.

I used to mock at the cheap "human touch". But, nowadays even the cheap “touch” has become rare and costly. Can you, if I may ask, get a smile, a greeting, or a tiny bit of compassion for free?

Don’t be nostalgic, though. It is in fact of little help if you try to redeem (restore the honor or worth of) the world or salvage (save from ruin, destruction, or harm) the corrupt minds through preaching various brands of righteousness. Nevertheless, beyond righteousness and gain, I believe, there are other attitudes towards life; beyond virtue and meanness, there are other individualities. Allow me to coin (?) a sentence in the Confucian style: "A perfect man is concerned with disposition."

Indeed, righteousness and gain, seemingly poles apart, have much essence in common. Righteousness calls for a devotion to the whole society while gain drives one to pursue material interests. In both cases, one’s disposition is over- looked and his true “self” concealed. "Righteousness" teaches one to give while "gain" induces one to take. The former turns one’s life into a process of fulfilling endless obligations while the latter breeds a life-long scramble for wealth and power. We must remember, however, the true value of life is beyond obligations and power. Both righteousness and gain are yoked by calculating minds. That’s why we often find ourselves in a tense interpersonal (人与人之间的) relationship whether Mr. Righteousness is commanding or Mr. Gain, controlling (这个放在这里是修饰什么的?).


If "righteousness" stands for an ethical philosophy of life, and "gain," a utilitarian (功利主义者) one, what I mean by "disposition" is an aesthetical philosophy of fife, which advocates taking your disposition as the operational guidance for your fife, whereby everyone is allowed to keep his true "self". You do not five (?) for the doctrines you believe in or the materials you possess. Instead, your true "self" makes you who you are. The true meaning of life lies not in giving or possessing, but in creating, which actively unfolds your true disposition, or, in other words, the emotional gratification (great satisfaction) you obtain through the exertion (hard work) of your essential power. Different from giving, which is the performance of an external responsibility, creating is the realization of one’s true self. The difference between creating and possessing is more than crystal clear. Let’s take creative writing as an example: "Possessing" focuses on the fame or social status a piece of writing may bring, while "creating" highlights the plea- sure in the process of writing. A man of disposition seeks nothing but the communication of feelings while in company, and the cultivation of taste while possessing something. More valuably, in a time when most people are busy hunting for wealth and being hunted by it, a man of disposition is al- ways at ease in social intercourses. Here I' m not talking about the leisure of traditional Chinese scholar-officials, nor the complacency (the feeling you have when you are satisfied with yourself) of conservative peasants, but about a peaceful mind coming from a non-materialistic attitude towards life. Using the writing example again, I’ve been wondering why a writer needs to be prolific. If he dreams of being enshrined, an immortal short poem is enough. Otherwise, he could be pretty much satisfied with a carefree life. In this sense, writing is merely a way for such a life.

Bernard Shaw once said, “There are two tragedies in life. One is not to get your heart’s desire. The other is to get it." With it I couldn’t agree more. I did admire him for his easy and humorous way in describing the quandary (state of uncertainty or perplexity especially as requiring a choice between equally unfavorable options) of life. However, a deep ponder over it has brought home to me that Shaw’s standpoint is no other than 就是 "possessing", which keeps us stranded in a double dosage tragedy of life: it' s a pain not to possess your heart' s desire, and a tedium, to have possessed it. However, if we shift the standpoint from "possessing" to "creating", and look at life with an esthetic eye, we can interpret Shaw’s words the other way round: there are two comedies in life. One is not to get your heart’s desire, so you still have the opportunity to seek or create it. The other is to get your heart’s desire, and then you are able to enjoy tasting or experiencing it--Of course, life can never be free from pains, and a wealth hunter cannot dream of the sadness of a man who places a premium on his true disposition. However, to be free from the mania for pos- session may at least save you many petty worries and pains, and let you enjoy a graceful life. 1 have no intention to prescribe the esthetic viewpoint as the cure for a corrupt world. I just want to express a belief: there is a life more worth living than the one haunted by righteousness and gain. And, this belief will help me sail through the unpredictable waters of my future life.

My Comment
In this article, Zhou Guoping believes that there are other attitude towards life beyond righteousness and gain. Righteous man is always waiting for give, while a “gain” man exerts every effort to get power or money. However, Mr. Zhou prefers a non-materialistic attitude towards life instead. As far as I am concerned, everyone has a dream or you may call it a desire. People will spend the whole life to fulfill his dream. On the middle way to the success, some people give up because they are hurt by the crucial society, some people change his mind to do something else to achieve his goal. What a difficult way. However, will people who succeed in getting the top of the mountain be satisfied? More often, people are disappointed because they find that all he gained is totally not what he has been dreamed of. As the author suggested, we should shift our attitude into creating. So, we can enjoy pursuing our future or tasting or experiencing.

海王泪UID: 2673613

I believe this article was wrote by or translated by a Chinese. Feeling flowing in this essay is different from those we read in Economists or NY Times before. Generally speaking, the idea is good. But I doubt some words used here, including the “Righteousness”  in the title and "Gentleman” in a sentence.

We can see the definition from author about “Righteousness “ and “Gain” here.
Righteousness calls for a devotion to the whole society while gain drives one to pursue material interests.
But in Merriam-Webster, Righteousness seems like the behavior in moral principal or mind for judging. It doesn’t contain the meaning of altruism. That is, a man who is in pursuit of righteousness, such as a judge or attorney in a lawcourt, need not sacrifice himself for some principal or attend volunteer movement without payment. I can fight for righteousness, but I need not be a Virtuous man.


“Virtuous man” may be properly used in this article, but “Gentleman” in the sentence below is irrelevant.
“There was once a time when almost everyone claimed to be a gentleman and every word uttered was about righteousness.”
We can see some key qualities referring to “gentleman” in Merriam-Webster: Noble (rank), good manner (behavior), decent job (position).
However, “Junzi” in today’s topic mainly emphasize property in mind, specifically moral character; while “Gentleman” only focuses on the social class and appearance as the explanation in Merriam-Webster. Those who argue “Gentleman” is similar to “Junzi” have to explain why we do not hang a label of Junzi on those who show good manner and noble birth but in evil. For instance, European aristocrat living in 17 to 18 century are in good manner, on table or at ball, but most of them holding character of capitalism and thus show little mercy to poor people. In books I read some of these noble even abuse or beat commons who unintentionally jog them with elbow. Undoubtedly we call these guys as gentleman, but impossibly we agree they are Junzi.

Finally, I want to say sorry that all I wrote here may be nothing but chop logic.

dingyi0311UID: 2627919

"A virtuous man is concerned with righteousness while a mean man, with gain,” Confucius says.
But, more likely, one might meet hypocrites who used righteousness as a fig leaf for their cupidity, or pedants believed in whatever passed for righteousness
Can you, if I may ask, get a smile, a greeting, or a tiny bit of compassion for free?
Bernard Shaw once said, “There are two tragedies in life. One is not to get your heart’s desire. The other is to get it."
Gone are the old days. The social trend has taken on a dramatic change unawares: the reputation of righteousness nosedived, truly virtuous men became extinct, hypocrites dropped the fig leaf and the scales fell from the eyes of the pedants.
Here I' m not talking about the leisure of traditional Chinese scholar-officials, nor the complacency of conservative peasants, but about a peaceful mind coming from a non-materialistic attitude towards life
However, a deep ponder over it has brought home to me that Shaw’s standpoint is no other than "possessing", which keeps us stranded in a double dosage tragedy of life:Premium报酬

disposition.性情


my comment
This article, though read a little bit chinessh, is indeed well present and thoughtful. Creatively, it regards that helping others as the same with possessing since both process is meant to fulfill once’s desire, a desire that was overlooked and under the leaf. The author expresses his belief that the live-long pursuit should be to create which means to exert one’s essential power. This viewpoint is a little bit too cynic, the society should encourage people to give. Otherwise, the difference between the rich and poor will be further widen. And it is idealism to think that we should only remain peaceful and have a non-materialized attitude toward our live. This is the idea that was cherished by Confucius thousands years ago to control the mind of subjects. It is just a tool make used by the empire. In a society so competitive today, this idea should have been got rid
of

aladdin.ivyUID: 2596664

comments

This article is undoubtedly a well reasoned issue with perfect standpoint and precise words. When I am think about to draft out a comments, I suddenly realized that no matter what I will write down, it would be nothing compared with this issue. I have to say, as a famous Chinese writer and ideologist, Zhou Guoping has a more insight thinking of a particular issue than other people is not that odd. Yet，to clearly express those ideas in English, a foreign language, and make every reader understand, need a outstanding controlling power of this language. Moreover, the structure of this passage, and the words the author used also worth us to learn.

番茄斗斗UID: 2720914

1.Gone are the old days
2.the reputation ofrighteousness nosedived, truly virtuous men became extinct, hypocritesdropped the fig leaf and the scales fell from the eyes of the pedants.With- out exception, they all joined in the scramble for gains.
3.when it is worshipped asa motto of life and commercialism takes the place of other wisdom oflife, life is then turned into a corporation and, consequently,interpersonal relations into a market.
4. The former turns one’slife into a process of fulfilling endless obligations while the latterbreeds a life-long scramble for wealth and power.
5.The difference between creating and possessing is more than crystal clear

COMMENT:
In this article, author labels a novel idea of "man with disposition", which is beyond the "righteousness and gain". As he affirms, rather than the gauge of taking or gaining, disposition reveals the philosophy of life aesthetically, drawing out the true self.
I cannot agree more as point like this clearly characterizes a brand new idea of life, which is supposed to be appreciated rather than suffering through.
As I see it, ethic and law, combined with each other, serve as a strong regulation over a country. And mostly, the difference between one country and another is its preference.Righteousness and Gain,being seemed as ethic regulation, once dominated every Chinese's minds. Juding from its context, it's perfect under the feudal rule,until the appearence of formal regulation and laws. True self is realized and brought out. Yet, it's nothing related to the selfishness,but the self realization.

miki7catUID: 2533330

Beyond Righteousness and Gain
by Zhou Guoping

1. "A virtuous【A virtuous person behaves in a moral and correct way.】 man is concerned with righteousness【n.正直；正当；正义】 while a mean man, with gain,” Confucius says. The "righteousness" and "gain" have long been a central theme in the Chinese philosophy of life. But, what if I am neither virtuous nor mean?

2. There was once a time when almost everyone claimed to be a gentleman and every word uttered was about righteousness. At that time, there might have been some truly virtuous men who were so righteous as to give up whatever was profitable. But, more likely, one might meet hypocrites【n.伪善者；伪君子】 who used righteousness as a fig leaf【People sometimes refer disapprovingly to something which is intended to hide or prevent an embarrassing situation as a fig leaf. (JOURNALISM)】 for their cupidity, or pedants believed in whatever passed for righteousness. Gone are the old days. The social trend has taken on a dramatic change unawares: the reputation of righteousness nosedived, truly virtuous men became extinct, hypocrites dropped the fig leaf and the scales fell from the eyes of the pedants. Without exception, they all joined in the scramble for gains. It is believed that the philosophy of life has changed and a new interpretation of righteousness and gain looms【If a worrying or threatening situation or event is looming, it seems likely to happen soon. (JOURNALISM)】 large: seeking material gains is not the exclusive patent of the mean, but a golden rule for all.

3. "Time is money" is a vogue word nowadays. Nothing is wrong when entrepreneurs apply it to boost productivity. But, when it is worshipped as a motto of life and commercialism takes the place of other wisdom of life, life is then turned into a corporation and, consequently, interpersonal relations into a market.

4. I used to mock at the cheap "human touch". But, nowadays even the cheap “touch” has become rare and costly. Can you, if I may ask, get a smile, a greeting, or a tiny bit of compassion for free?

5. Don’t be nostalgic, though. It is in fact of little help if you try to redeem the world or salvage the corrupt minds through preaching various brands of righteousness. Nevertheless, beyond righteousness and gain, I believe, there are other attitudes towards life; beyond virtue and meanness, there are other individualities. Allow me to coin a sentence in the Confucian style: "A perfect man is concerned with disposition."

6. Indeed, righteousness and gain, seemingly poles apart, have much essence in common. Righteousness calls for a devotion to the whole society while gain drives one to pursue material interests. In both cases, one’s disposition is over- looked and his true “self” concealed. "Righteousness" teaches one to give while "gain" induces one to take. The former turns one’s life into a process of fulfilling endless obligations while the latter breeds a life-long scramble for wealth and power. We must remember, however, the true value of life is beyond obligations and power. Both righteousness and gain are yoked by calculating minds. That’s why we often find ourselves in a tense interpersonal relationship whether Mr. Righteousness is commanding or Mr. Gain, controlling.

7. If "righteousness" stands for an ethical philosophy of life, and "gain," a utilitarian one, what I mean by "disposition" is an aesthetical philosophy of life, which advocates taking your disposition as the operational guidance for your life, whereby everyone is allowed to keep his true "self". You do not live for the doctrines you believe in or the materials you possess. Instead, your true "self" makes you who you are. The true meaning of life lies not in giving or possessing, but in creating, which actively unfolds your true disposition, or, in other words, the emotional gratification you obtain through the exertion of your essential power. Different from giving, which is the performance of an external responsibility, creating is the realization of one’s true self. The difference between creating and possessing is more than crystal clear. Let’s take creative writing as an example: "Possessing" focuses on the fame or social status a piece of writing may bring, while "creating" highlights the pleasure in the process of writing. A man of disposition seeks nothing but the communication of feelings while in company, and the cultivation of taste while possessing something. More valuably, in a time when most people are busy hunting for wealth and being hunted by it, a man of disposition is always at ease in social intercourses. Here I' m not talking about the leisure of traditional Chinese scholar-officials, nor the complacency of conservative peasants, but about a peaceful mind coming from a non-materialistic attitude towards life. Using the writing example again, I’ve been wondering why a writer needs to be prolific. If he dreams of being enshrined, an immortal short poem is enough. Otherwise, he could be pretty much satisfied with a carefree life. In this sense, writing is merely a way for such a life.

8. Bernard Shaw once said, “There are two tragedies in life. One is not to get your heart’s desire. The other is to get it." With it I couldn’t agree more. I did admire him for his easy and humorous way in describing the quandary of life. However, a deep ponder over it has brought home to me that Shaw’s standpoint is no other than "possessing", which keeps us stranded in a double dosage tragedy of life: it' s a pain not to possess your heart' s desire, and a tedium, to have possessed it. However, if we shift the standpoint from "possessing" to "creating", and look at life with an esthetic eye, we can interpret Shaw’s words the other way round: there are two comedies in life. One is not to get your heart’s desire, so you still have the opportunity to seek or create it. The other is to get your heart’s desire, and then you are able to enjoy tasting or experiencing it--Of course, life can never be free from pains, and a wealth hunter can not dream of the sadness of a man who places a premium on his true disposition. However, to be free from the mania for possession may at least save you many petty worries and pains, and let you enjoy a graceful life. 1 have no intention to prescribe the esthetic viewpoint as the cure for a corrupt world. I just want to express a belief: there is a life more worth living than the one haunted by righteousness and gain. And, this belief will help me sail through the unpredictable waters of my future life.

My comment
I think the essay tells us a sense, that is: to be yourself and then you will have a graceful life. Our philosophy of life should be an aesthetical one, rather than an ethical one or utilitarian one. And the author asserts that the true meaning of life lies in creating. In my opinion, the "aesthetical life" and "creating" are both in a broader sense. Not everyone enjoys writing or painting and could create appealing essay and other kinds of article works, but everyone could find the beauty of their own life. Take my own feeling as an example. My major is about the Internet. The topology of net structure is always confusing, and the program instructions are so tedious and changeless that I couldn't connect it with creating in a narrow sense, but I am really happy and passionate about my life. This is must because, just what the author mentioned in his essay, the career that I am pursuing has unfolded my true disposition.

中原527UID: 2707367

Beyond Righteousness and Gain
by Zhou Guoping

"A virtuous man is concerned with righteousness while a mean man, with gain,” Confucius says. The "righteousness" and "gain" have long been a central theme in the Chinese philosophy of life. But, what if I am neither virtuous nor mean?

There was once a time when almost everyone claimed to be a gentleman and every word uttered was about righteousness. At that time, there might have been some truly virtuous men who were so righteous as to give up whatever was profitable. But, more likely, one might meet hypocrites who used righteousness as a fig leaf for their cupidity, or pedants believed in whatever passed for righteousness. Gone are the old days. The social trend has taken on a dramatic change unawares: the reputation of righteousness nosedived, truly virtuous men became extinct, hypocrites dropped the fig leaf and the scales fell from the eyes of the pedants. With- out exception, they all joined in the scramble for gains（追逐利润的队伍）. It is believed that the philosophy of life has changed and a new interpretation of righteousness and gain looms large: seeking material gains is not the exclusive patent of the mean, but a golden rule for all.

"Time is money" is a vogue word nowadays. Nothing is wrong when entrepreneurs apply it to boost productivity. But, when it is worshipped as a motto of life and commercialism takes the place of other wisdom of life, life is then turned into a corporation and, consequently, interpersonal relations into a market.



I used to mock at the cheap "human touch". But, nowadays even the cheap “touch” has become rare and costly. Can you, if I may ask, get a smile, a greeting, or a tiny bit of compassion for free?

Don’t be nostalgic, though. It is in fact of little help if you try to redeem the world or salvage the corrupt minds through
preaching various brands of righteousness. Nevertheless, beyond righteousness and gain, I believe, there are other attitudes towards life; beyond virtue and meanness, there are other individualities. Allow me to coin a sentence in the Confucian style: "A perfect man is concerned with disposition."

Indeed, righteousness and gain, seemingly poles apart, have much essence in common. Righteousness calls for a devotion to the whole society while gain drives one to pursue material interests. In both cases, one’s disposition is over- looked and his true “self” concealed. "Righteousness" teaches one to give while "gain" induces one to take. The former turns one’s life into a process of fulfilling endless obligations while the latter breeds a life-long scramble for wealth and power. We must remember, however, the true value of life is beyond obligations and power. Both righteousness and gain are yoked by calculating minds. That’s why we often find ourselves in a tense interpersonal relationship（紧张的人际关系） whether Mr. Righteousness is commanding or Mr. Gain, controlling.
If "righteousness" stands for an ethical philosophy of life, and "gain," a utilitarian one, what I mean by "disposition" is an aesthetical philosophy of fife, which advocates taking your disposition as the operational guidance for your fife, whereby everyone is allowed to keep his true "self". You do not five for the doctrines you believe in or the materials you possess. Instead, your true "self" makes you who you are. The true meaning of life lies not in giving or possessing, but in creating, which actively unfolds your true disposition, or, in other words, the emotional gratification you obtain through the exertion of your essential power.
Different from giving, which is the performance of an external responsibility, creating is the realization of one’s true self. The difference between creating and possessing is more than crystal clear. Let’s take creative writing as an example: "Possessing" focuses on the fame or social status a piece of writing may bring, while "creating" highlights the plea- sure in the process of writing. A man of disposition seeks nothing but the communication of feelings while in company, and the cultivation of taste while possessing something. More valuably, in a time when most people are busy hunting for wealth and being hunted by it, a man of disposition is al- ways at ease in social intercourses. Here I' m not talking about the leisure of traditional Chinese scholar-officials, nor the complacency of conservative peasants, but about a peaceful mind coming from a non-materialistic attitude towards life. Using the writing example again, I’ve been wondering why a writer needs to be prolific. If he dreams of being enshrined, an immortal short poem is enough. Otherwise, he could be pretty much satisfied with a carefree life. In this sense, writing is merely a way for such a life.

Bernard Shaw once said, “There are two tragedies in life. One is not to get your heart’s desire. The other is to get it." With it I couldn’t agree more. I did admire him for his easy and humorous way in describing the quandary of life. However, a deep ponder over it has brought home to me that Shaw’s standpoint is no other than "possessing", which keeps us stranded in a double dosage tragedy of life: it' s a pain not to possess your heart' s desire, and a tedium, to have possessed it. However, if we shift the standpoint from "possessing" to "creating", and look at life with an esthetic eye, we can interpret Shaw’s words the other way round: there are two comedies in life. One is not to get your heart’s desire, so you still have the opportunity to seek or create it. The other is to get your heart’s desire, and then you are able to enjoy tasting or experiencing it--Of course, life can never be free from pains, and a wealth hunter can not dream of the sadness of a man who places a premium on his true disposition. However, to be free from the mania for pos- session may at least save you many petty worries and pains, and let you enjoy a graceful life. 1 have no intention to prescribe the esthetic viewpoint as the cure for a corrupt world. I just want to express a belief: there is a life more worth living than the one haunted by righteousness and gain. And, this belief will help me sail through the unpredictable waters of my future life.
comments:
This is a graceful essay which is concern on the argument between the “creating” and “possessing”. Many people always pursuit to the righteousness or gain in China as the Confucius says. However, the author points that there is only one thing beyond them that we should concern on creating, which can immerse us in our lives with no any goal. Since in the society with the fashion word that “Time is money”, life is then turned into a corporation and, consequently, interpersonal relations into a market. ”human touch” becomes more rare and costly in this era of money when a number of people are joining in the scramble for gains.
Socioty>society
quandary n.窘困，不知所措
no other than 除…之外没有，只是；正是，就是
stranded a.处于困境
tedium n.单调乏味
premium n.额外费用，附加费
crystal a.水晶般的，清楚的
at ease n.安逸，自由自在
peasant n.农民；粗俗的人
enshrine v.放置或保存某物于…；作为神龛以保存某物
immortal a.长生的，名垂千古的
utilitarian n.功利主义的
fife n.横笛
whereby adv.靠那个，凭那个，借以
doctrine n.教条
gratification n.满意，满足
exertion n.努力，费力；运用，行使
conceal v.隐藏，隐瞒，遮住
obligation n.义务，责任，职责
commanding a.指挥的，威严的，居高临下的
nostalgic a.对往事怀恋的，怀旧的，乡愁的
redeem v.实践，履行；补偿；赎回；解救，为…赎罪
salvage n. To save from loss or destruction.
corrupt n.堕落的，不道德的
preach v.宣扬，宣传
nevertheless conj.&adv. 然而，尽管如此
virtue n.美德
coin v. To make (pieces of money) from metal; mint or strike:
confucian n.孔门弟子，儒家
mock v.愚弄，嘲弄；使受挫折，蔑视；
a.仿制的，模拟的；虚假的
vogue a.流行的，时髦的
entrepreneur n.企业家
worship v.崇拜，尊敬；做礼拜，爱慕
motto n.座右铭
commercialism n.商业主义，重商主义
hypocrite n.伪君子
pedant n.书呆子
fig leaf 遮羞布
nosedive v.(价格，费用等)骤降，暴跌
virtuous a.品德高的，善良的，贞洁的，自命不凡的
mean a.吝啬的
righteousness n.正当，正义，正直
Gain n.利润