Han Wangxi

CONFUCIANISM places special emphasis on the idea that to become a sage, one must wholeheartedly adhere to “the way.”

Mencius was skilled in using metaphors. He shared a story about two students who were studying the game of Go under the guidance of their teacher, Yi Qiu, a highly proficient Go teacher at the time.

One of the students was completely focused on learning Go, wholeheartedly absorbing the teacher’s instructions, and made rapid progress. The other student, however, only half-listened, with thoughts wandering to the outside world. He contemplated whether a swan was about to fly by and whether he should shoot it with a bow and arrow. Despite studying for several years, he showed no improvement.

Mencius explained that even though both students learned together, their outcomes were vastly different. Was it because one was more intelligent than the other? Not at all. The difference was due to the second student’s lack of focus.

Mencius concluded that learning Go is just a minor skill. Even with such a small skill, if you don’t learn it with dedication, you won’t succeed. A noble person’s learning is aimed at achieving “the way.” The way is profound and intricate, and without a single-minded goal and strenuous effort, it cannot be reached.

Another Confucian sage, Xunzi, in his “Encouraging Learning” essay, also emphasized this: “Accumulate little, and it becomes a mountain; gather drops of water, and they become a vast ocean. Accumulate virtuous deeds to cultivate noble character, and naturally, your mind will be clear and possess the spirit of a sage.”

So, without accumulating small steps, how can you reach hundreds of kilometers? Without gathering tiny streams, how can a great river or ocean be formed? A swift horse can only leap a short distance, whereas an inferior horse can pull a cart for many days, covering a much greater distance. Success lies in continuous progress and unwavering perseverance.

Xunzi repeatedly stressed that the eyes cannot focus on two things simultaneously, nor can the ears listen to two different sounds at once. Therefore, a kind-hearted noble person should focus both their mind and actions, as only through single-mindedness can their will become as strong as a rock. So, what does “one mind” refer to? It means focusing wholeheartedly on the way and dedicating oneself to learning, with a single-minded underlying commitment to goodness.

(The author is a cultural scholar.)

(Translated by Shenzhen Daily)