Learn the right direction and attitude for life from the wisdom of the classics.
181 proverbs selected from the four books

There are writings that transcend time and space and move people's hearts and resonate deeply.
We call it a classic.
The author, who had started his major later than his peers and had difficulty reading Chinese characters, encountered a passage from Chapter 20 of the Doctrine of the Mean, which gave him the courage to push forward with his studies.
This book, 『Four Books and a Mirror of the Heart』, is a collection of aphorisms that we have selected from the Four Books, the Analects of Confucius, Mencius, the Great Learning, and the Doctrine of the Mean, which are representative classics of Confucianism, and are worth learning and engraving in our minds.
Although the classics were written thousands of years ago, as the author's experience shows, they contain powerful words that still motivate and inspire us today.
Reading this book, which selects the content of the four books, adds its own interpretation, and presents it in modern language, allows you to approach the essence of the classics with the comfortable feeling of receiving advice from those close to you on the direction of life, attitude, and how to resolve relationships.

This book is a translation of sentences selected from books that we, living in the modern era, judged to be worth reading.
Since everyone has different opinions, I hope you will read it with understanding and reference even if you do not agree with my judgment.
… … (omitted) I am also well aware that studying abroad teaches us the attitudes and conflict resolution skills necessary to build and maintain relationships with others, and that it also helps us to control our minds.
Confucianism is just one of many academic fields, so it is not necessary to live by its teachings, but I believe that there are some things worth referencing or practicing.
I believe that if you read it leisurely, you will definitely gain something.

--- From the "Preface"

The Analects of Confucius covers a wide range of topics related to benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom, and trustworthiness, which are familiar to us, through dialogue.
Among them, benevolence and loyalty and forgiveness can be said to be the core of Confucius's thought.
Benevolence is the heart that loves others, loyalty is the heart that is sincere to others, and forgiveness is the heart that is considerate of others.
These are all the qualities needed to build relationships.
Confucius believed that this kind of mindset should start from the family and expand to society.
In this way, the Analects of Confucius is a book that emphasizes the cultivation of one's inner self, but also places more weight on the topic of how to live with others.

--- From "Chapter 1 Introduction to the Analects"

If you want to gain money and status, you just have to reduce your slips of the tongue and the things you regret.
If you open your mind and accept the opinions of many people, but also carefully speak what you fully understand, you will make fewer mistakes in your speech.
If you observe and refer to the actions of many people, carefully choose the ones that are not dangerous, and put them into practice, you will have fewer regrets.

--- From "Chapter 1, Analects of Confucius, "On Government," Chapter 18"

I don't put on a good face and bow down too much to others, saying only nice things to them, and I don't hide my feelings towards others while being friendly with them.
Because it is shameful to oneself.

--- From "Chapter 1, Analects of Confucius, Chapter 24"

There are three ways to govern myself.
When doing something, rather than judging the results first, I should first do what I can do, reflect on my own shortcomings before pointing out others' shortcomings, and avoid losing my mind in a moment of anger and causing trouble for my parents.
--- From "Chapter 1, Analects of Confucius, Yan Yuan, Chapter 21"

Mencius (372-298 BC) was a thinker who followed in the footsteps of Confucius.
Confucius valued benevolence, while Mencius emphasized righteousness along with benevolence.
Ui means 'right' or 'natural', but in Confucius's time, it did not receive as much attention as benevolence.
Mencius defined 'in' as a virtue to be practiced in the family and 'yi' as a virtue to be practiced in society.

--- From "Chapter 2 Introduction to Mencius"

“You can avoid disasters that come from the heavens, but you cannot survive disasters that you create yourself.” These two proverbs tell us that misfortune and fortune do not come from outside, but are the result of our own thoughts and actions.

--- From "Chapter 2 Mencius, "Gongsun Chou", Part 1, Chapter 4"

Before entrusting a person with a great task, Heaven inevitably gives him troubles to torment his mind, gives him hard work to make him move his body, gives him poverty to make him starve, and puts him in a desperate situation to prevent him from doing what he wants.
This way, the person's body and mind are trained, patience is developed, and the strength to accomplish even the impossible is developed.

--- From "Chapter 2 Mencius, "The Proclamation of the Master," Part 2, Chapter 15"

Zhu Xi divided the text of the Great Learning into 1 chapter of the classics and 10 chapters of the biographies.
Chapter 1 of the book contains the concepts that appear in the Great Learning, and each concept is explained in Chapters 1 through 10.
These concepts are called 'Samgangryeong (three major principles)' and 'Paljomok (eight items)', and their contents are as follows.
The Three Tenets are: to further illuminate one's innate bright and good virtues, to cultivate new people, and to maintain the highest state of goodness. The Eight Precepts are: to investigate the principles of things to the end, to perfect knowledge, to rectify one's mind, to make one's heart sincere and free from deception, to cultivate oneself, to manage one's family properly, to govern the country, and to bring peace to the world.
In this way, 『The Great Learning』 can be said to be a book that contains methods for governing oneself as an individual and methods for contributing to the world as a member of society.

--- From "Chapter 3: Introduction to the University"

There is a saying, “Think carefully.”
It means not thinking self-centeredly about good and evil, and not deceiving yourself.

--- From "Chapter 3, "The History of the Great University," Chapter 6"

If I don't like my superiors being rude to me, I won't be rude to my subordinates. If I don't like my subordinates being disloyal, I won't be disloyal to my superiors. If I don't like my superiors to treat me, I won't do to my subordinates what I don't like my subordinates to treat me. And if I don't like my subordinates to treat me, I won't do to my superiors what I don't like my superiors to treat me.
To maintain good relationships with others, you need to remember the things you dislike and avoid doing them to others.

--- From "Chapter 3, "The History of the University", Chapter 10"

『The Doctrine of the Mean』 is not divided into separate chapters, but is comprised of 33 chapters.
If you look at the entire chapter, there are many contents that focus on inner cultivation and methods of practice, and they contain more specific content than the Analects, Mencius, and Great Learning.
This book can be said to be one that gives the feeling that the ethics and practical methods of Confucianism contained in the remaining three books are well organized and gathered in one place.

--- From the "Preface to Chapter 4 of the Doctrine of the Mean"

The state of being unbiased before emotions of joy, anger, sorrow, and pleasure arise is called 'middle', and the state of being moderately controlled after emotions arise is called 'harmony'.
While regulating your emotions to find your own center and achieve harmony with others is a personal endeavor, it also contributes to a healthy society.
In this respect, 'Jung' is the foundation of the world, and 'Hwa' can be a universal value that people in the world should pursue.
--- From Chapter 1 of Chapter 4 of the Doctrine of the Mean

To go far, you must first pass through the nearby places, and to climb high, you must begin from the low places. To do great things, you must first do well in small things.

--- From Chapter 15 of Chapter 4 of the Doctrine of the Mean

Confucius said:

“Disaster will befall those who are foolish and self-righteous, who refuse to accept the opinions of others, who cling to their own beliefs despite being of low status and act arbitrarily, and who try to restore the outdated values ​​of the past while living in the present.”

--- From Chapter 28 of the Doctrine of the Mean