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The Great Learning and the Doctrine of the Mean, both integral to the Confucian “Four Books,” share a focus on “self-cultivation, family harmony, state governance, and universal peace” but diverge in philosophical emphasis, stylistic approach, and practical pathways, forming a complementary system of Confucian ethics.
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Xu Zi asked: “Confucius often praised water, exclaiming, ‘Ah, water! Ah, water!’ What did he admire about it?”
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Mencius said: “When the whole world is delighted and ready to submit to him, Shun regarded this universal acclaim as lightly as a blade of grass or a speck of dust. Only Shun could do this.”
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Mencius said: “When it comes to understanding a person, nothing is more revealing than their eyes.The eyes cannot conceal a person’s evil.”