A Focused Mind and Unwavering Will(專心致志)
The Spring and Autumn and Warring States
periods in China were extremely chaotic, yet they also represented a golden age
for Chinese philosophy.
Many famous thinkers lived during this era,
offering their own solutions to social and existential problems.
One such figure was the Confucian scholar
Mencius. He believed that a king should rule with benevolence and compassion,
and that his most important task should be to meet the needs of his people.
Mencius travelled extensively to various
kingdoms to promote his ideas to the kings.
His writings include a record of a dialogue
between him and a scholar named Gaozi.
Mencius said to Gaozi:
'You ask me why the kings ruling the
various kingdoms are all so foolish. Why are they unwilling to accept good
advice from honest people that could improve their kingdoms? Why do they always
listen to bad advice from cunning people that harms their kingdoms' progress?'
Mencius first gave an example involving
planting, then said to Gaozi:
'Let me give another example to illustrate
my point. Do you know how to play Chinese Go?"
Gaozi replied,
'Yes, I know how to play Go.'
Mencius asked.
'Are you good at Chinese Go?'
Gaozi smiled and touched his head, but
didn't answer specifically.
Mencius smiled and said to Gaozi,
'We both know a friend named Yiqiu. He's
the best Go player in our kingdom. Many people come to him to learn Chinese Go
techniques. One student, in particular, maintained a focused mind and an
unwavering will while learning. He listened attentively in class and learned to
play well in a short time.'
Another student was very inattentive in
class. They often looked out of the classroom window at the swans flying around
and thought about going hunting after class. Despite having studied for a long
time, this student's grades were very poor.
Do you think the difference in academic
performance between these two students is because one is smarter than the
other, or are there other reasons?
Gaozi's answer:
I think the difference between the students
is that one is more focused on learning, while the other is very inattentive.
This idiom translates as "A Focused
Mind and Unwavering Will".
It is used to describe someone who is very
focused and determined when doing something.
Dear friend, what inspiration or thoughts
did you gain from this story?
Do you think you have a good attitude
towards learning? Are there any skills you want to learn?
I hope this story gives you some new
insights.
專心致志(A Focused Mind and Unwavering Will)
中國的春秋時代與戰國時代是一個極度混亂的年代，但那段間同時也是中國思想上的黃金時代。
有許多著名的思想家生活在那個年代，這些思想家針對當時的社會問題與人生問題提出了各自認為最好的解決的辦法和思想。
儒家的一位名字叫做(孟軻)的學者就是其中一個代表性人物，他認為一個國王應該要用仁愛與仁慈來治理他的王國，一個國王應該要把滿足百姓的生活需求當作最重要的任務。
孟軻持續地到各個王國中去向各個王國的國王宣傳他的想法。
在孟軻所寫的書中，紀錄的一段他與當時一個名字叫做告子的學者的對話。
孟軻對告子說。
你問我為何現在統治各個王國的國王怎麼都那麼愚昧呢?這些國王怎麼都不願意接受那些正直的人提出的能夠提振王國的發展的那些好意見呢?為何這些國王總是聽從那些狡詐的人提出的損害王國的進步的那些不好的意見呢?
孟軻先舉了一個種植植物的例子後又對告子說。
我再舉另外一個比方來說明我的看法，你是否會下中國圍棋呢?
告子說。
我會下圍棋啊。
孟軻問。
你下中國圍棋的技術好嗎?
告子笑了一笑摸摸自己的頭但沒有具體回答。
孟軻微笑地對告子說。
我們共同認識的一個名字叫做奕秋的朋友，他是我們王國中最會下中國圍棋的人。有很多人來找他學習中國圍棋的技巧，其中有一個學生學習的時候保持專注的心與貫徹的意志，他在學習的時候很認真地聽課，所以他在短時間內就學到了如何下好中國圍棋的技巧。
另外有一個學生在上課的時候很不用心，這個學生常常看著教室的窗戶外飛來飛去的天鵝，這個學生想著下課後要去打獵，這個學生已經學習了很久，但是這個學生的學習成績非常的不好。
你認為這兩個學生的學習成果的好壞差異是因為這兩個學生中一個比較聰明另外一個比較笨嗎?還是有其他的原因呢?
告子回答。
我認為這個學生的差別在於一個學生比較專注於學習而另外一個學生很不專心。
這句成語直接翻譯的意思是專注的心與貫徹的意志。
這句成語被用來形容一個人做事的時候很專注而且有堅定的意志。
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。
你認為自己的學習態度好嗎?你現在是否有想要學習的技術呢?
我期待這故事能讓你產生一些新的收穫。
出處為孟子-告子上-9條