Without careful carving, a piece of raw
jade cannot become a precious jade artefact.(玉不琢不成器)
Dai Sheng was a prominent Confucian scholar
during the Han dynasty.
He compiled and edited numerous articles on
etiquette and Confucian thought, which he then published as a book. This book
is known as the 'Book of Rites'.
One chapter details the role, purpose and
mission of Confucian scholars in education and the school system, including the
principles and methods of teaching, the status and role of teachers, and the
relationships between teachers, students and classmates during the educational
process. A passage from this chapter reads as follows:
'A kingdom's leader may issue
well-thought-out laws and recruit virtuous individuals to join his team. While
these actions may earn him a good reputation, they alone will not resonate with
all his subjects.
A kingdom's leader may also cultivate close
ties with virtuous individuals and care for all his subjects with a benevolent
heart. These actions may resonate with all his subjects, but they alone will
not improve their moral character.
So, how can a leader improve the moral
character of their people and guide them to cultivate good morals and
behaviour? There is only one way: to provide opportunities for education.
A piece of raw jade cannot become a
precious artefact without careful carving. Similarly, a person cannot grasp the
principles of life and the laws of the universe without diligent study.
The great leaders of ancient Chinese
kingdoms understood the importance of education to their kingdoms and placed
great emphasis on it.
The success stories of these leaders
reflect a saying from an ancient Chinese text called the 'Book of Documents':
'We must always maintain a habit of learning.'
This idiom literally translates as, 'A piece
of raw jade cannot become a precious artefact without careful carving.'
This idiom illustrates the idea that a
person must receive a good education and overcome various hardships before
achieving success.
Dear friends, what insights or thoughts
does this story give you? Have you continued to study regularly since
graduating? In the internet age, how long has it been since you last read a
book?
I hope this story will provide you with
some new insights.
玉不琢不成器(Without careful carving, a piece of
raw jade cannot become a precious jade artefact.)
(戴聖)是漢王朝時代的一個重要的儒家學者。
他整理並編纂了許多闡釋禮儀規範與儒家思想的文章並彙集成書。這本書就是(禮記)。
這本書中有一章的主題是有關於儒家學者對於教育的作用、目的和任務、學校制度與教學的原則和方法、教師的地位和作用與在教育過程中的師生關係以及與同學之間的關係作了詳細的說明，這章中有一段內容如下。
一個王國的領導者發布思慮周詳的法令並且招攬一些賢良的人士加入自己的團隊，領導者的這些做法可以為自己贏得好的名聲，但只做這些事情並無法打動所有百姓。
一個王國的領導者親近賢能的人並且用仁慈的心去照顧所有王國中的人民，領導者的這些做法可以打動所有百姓，但只做這些事情並無法提升百姓的品德。
一個王國的領導者要如何提升百姓的品德，用引導的方式讓百姓們有著良好的品德與行為呢?只有一種方法，這種方法就是讓百姓有機會透過教育來學習。
一塊玉的原石如果沒有經過仔細的雕琢就無法成為珍貴的玉器。一個人如果沒有經過用心的學習就無法理解人生的道理與宇宙的規律。
中國的古代的王國中的那些偉大的領導者，他們知道教育與學習對於一個王國的重要性，他們都非常的重視教育與學習。
這些偉大的領導者的成功經驗印證了中國古代的一本名字叫做(尚書)的經典書籍中的這句話，我們必須時時刻刻保持學習的習慣。
這句成語直接翻譯的意思是一塊玉的原石如果沒有經過仔細的雕琢就無法成為珍貴的玉器。
這句成語被用來比喻一個人必須接受良好的教育及各種磨練後才能有所成就。
親愛的朋友，你聽完這個故事有怎樣的啟發或有怎樣的想法呢。
你畢業之後你還有在固定的學習嗎?在這個網路時代，你有多久沒有認真地看過一本書了呢?
我期待這故事能讓你產生一些新的收穫。
出處為禮記-學記篇