君子養心

2/17/2016

To Cultivate Virtues

东山译

To cultivate virtues, the greatest part is to acquire the character of honesty and sincerity.

To be regarded as honest and sincere you must exercise benevolence and uphold righteousness.

With flaming honesty and sincerity in practicing benevolence you can influence people to do the same;

By being truly sincere and honest in implementing righteousness you will be able to transform social customs for the better.

Progressing for the better, thriving in the best, the social norms will surely conform to the angelic ethics of Heaven.

-《Essences of Myriad Books》, Vol. 38: “Sun Qing Zi”

【作者及该书简介】作者：魏徵、褚亮、虞世南、萧德言。《群书治要》（以下简称《治要》）是我国古代治政书籍的选辑。唐初著名谏官魏征及虞世南、褚亮等在贞观初年受命于唐太宗李世民（599年-649年），以辑录前人著述作谏书，为唐太宗"偃武修文"、"治国安邦"，创建"贞观之治"提供警示的匡政巨著。《治要》取材于六经、四史、诸子百家，"上始五帝，下迄晋年"，以"务乎政术，存乎劝戒"为宗旨，从一万四千多部、八万九千多卷古籍中"采摭群书，剪截淫放"，呕心沥血数年，于贞观五年（631年）编辑成书，计六十五部约五十余万言。 《群书治要》的特点，一言以蔽之，曰"博而要"。魏徵等人博采经、史、子典籍六十五种，又以"务乎政术"、"本乎治要"为原则，删其繁芜，择其精粹，浓缩成五十卷的珍本。魏徵乃经国之大器，兼具高尚之道德与卓越的史识，这更使得《群书治要》成为一部"用之当今，足以鉴览前古；传之来叶，可以贻厥孙谋"的经典之作。

（原载《海外南开人》102期，2/20/2016）