The Doctrine Of The Mean

by Confucius

While there are no stirrings of pleasure, anger, sorrow, or joy, the mind may be said to be in the state of Equilibrium. When those feelings have been stirred, and they act in their due degree, there ensues what may be called the state of Harmony. This Equilibrium is the great root from which grow all the human actings in the world, and this Harmony is the universal path which they all should pursue.

Genres: Philosophy, Nonfiction, Classics, History, China, Religion, Eastern Philosophy

22 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 451

About the author

Chinese philosopher Confucius, originally Kong Fuzi and born circa 551 BC, promoted a system of social and political ethics, emphasizing order, moderation, and reciprocity between superiors and subordinates; after his death in 479 BC, disciples compiled the Analects , which contains a collection of his sayings and dialogues.

Teachings of this social thinker deeply influenced Korean, Japanese, and Vietnamese life.

孔子 - Kong Zi
孔夫子 - Kong Fuzi (Kung Fu-Tzu)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confucius

Reviews

[Vaishali · Rating 5 out of 5]

My goodness, are ancient texts wonderful! A lovely immersion into an Ocean of Truth. Found myself reading this ultra slowly for maximum impact. Excellent for those studying leadership or government reform, which Confucius comments on extensively.

Quotes
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"What Heaven confers is called 'nature.' Accordance with this nature is called the Way."

"That which is called Way cannot be separated from for an instant. What can be separated from is not the Way. Therefore the Superior Man is cautious in the place where he is not seen, and apprehensive in the place where he is not heard."

"Nothing is more visible than the hidden, and nothing is more apparent than the subtle."

"When joy, anger, sorrow, and pleasure have not yet arisen, it is called the Mean 中 [centeredness, equilibrium]. When they arise to their appropriate levels, it is called Harmony 和. "

"Confucius said: 'The Superior Man actualizes the mean; the inferior man goes against it. The Superior Man actualizes the mean because he is always with it; the inferior man's non-actualization is due to his heedlessness.' ”

"... the Superior Man is harmonious without getting sloppy. How correct his strength is! He stands in the center without leaning to either side."

"... the Superior Man, who depends on his actualization of the mean, hides himself from the world such that he is unseen and unknown, and has no regrets about it. Only the sage can do this.”

"When in a high position, he does not step on those below him. When in a low position, he does not drag down those above him. Correcting yourself and not expecting things from others, you will not create resentments. You will not resent Heaven above, nor blame men below."

"The Superior Man abides in change and awaits his destiny. The inferior man practices manipulation and prays for luck."

"Therefore we can say that the greatly virtuous always attain their appropriate position, always receive their proper reward, always get their recognition and are always long-lived."

"...Heaven develops each thing according to its preparation. Thus, Heaven nourishes the growing sprout, and throws down the leaning tree."

"In all affairs, if you plan ahead you can be successful, and if you don't plan ahead, you will fail."

"Sincerity is the Way of Heaven. Making oneself sincere is the Way of Man. If you can be perfectly sincere without effort, without concern regarding its attainment, and walk embracing the Middle Way, you are a sage."

"If you are working at making yourself sincere, you must find your goodness and hold fast to it."

"If someone else gets it in one try, I will try one hundred times. If someone else gets it in ten tries, I
will try one thousand times. If you are able to follow this Way, then even if you are stupid, you will become enlightened. Even if you are weak, you will become strong."

"Only the perfectly sincere person can actualize his own essence. Actualizing his own essence, he can fully actualize the essence of others. Fully actualizing the essence of others, he can fully actualize the essence of all things. Being able to fully actualize the essence of all things, he can assist Heaven and Earth in their transformation and sustenance. Able to assist in Heaven and Earth's transformation and sustenance, he forms a trinity with Heaven and Earth."

"Those of the next level straighten out their own twistedness... Only the most fully actualized sincerity is able to transform people and things... With fully actualized sincerity, you are like a god."

"The Earth is but a collection of numerous handfuls of dirt. But it is vast and deep. It supports Mount Hua and Mount Yue without feeling their weight; it contains the seas and rivers without spilling a drop. It supports all things."

"Hence it is said: 'If you do not perfect your virtue, the perfect Way cannot be actualized.' Therefore the Superior Man esteems his virtuous nature and follows the path of inquiry, extending himself in breadth and greatness, penetrating all subtleties, penetrating its height and brilliance, following the course of the actualization of the Mean."

"Therefore he abides in a position of power without arrogance, and abides in a low position without being rebellious. When the government is just, he can speak and be praised. When the government is wicked, he can conceal himself by silence."

"The Book of Odes says : 'His intelligence and wit were his protection.' "

"Only that person who has fully actualized sincerity is able to adjust the strings of the Great Net of the World."

"Therefore the Superior Man acts in a way such that he conceals himself, yet every day gains in luminosity."

"Hence the Superior Man, finding no perversity within himself, has no evil in his intentions."

"The Book of Odes says : While in your own room, you should not be ashamed if it were opened to the world. Therefore the Superior Man does not move, and yet is respected. He does not speak, and yet is believed."


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[P.H. Wilson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Real rating: 6.3
Not quite a fan of Kongzi, but that is due to living in China for decades and seeing what his teachings have wrought as well as being inundated with his teachings on a weekly basis. In terms of its ancient state, one should take the time to read this text, but ultimately it is a condescending approach to the way or the path which runs rampant throughout East Asian philosophy, one can see the parallels with the teachings of Buddha and Laozi, though those two philosophers treat the reader, as well as the "common man" as Kongzi puts it, with more dignity and does not dismiss them out of hand.
Though it is again an interesting read if you wish to see where East Asian philosophical schools stem from.

[Kirsten]

Fascinating read. It deals with moral and political behavior. This is not a religious text, as Confucius was not a religious leader, but it does discuss the Golden Rule as many religious texts also do. Of course,the religious texts claim to have invented the Golden Rule, whereas Confucius just discusses it's importance and use. A very practical man, he did not consider that his works were innovative, but felt that he was preserving ancient truth and ritual. Another reader compared it to Aristotle, but truthfully, it's much easier to read than Aristotle in my opinion. Aristotle puts me to sleep. Confucius's writing (translation that is) heavily uses analogy, but it's truths ring clear as a bell.

[Y · Rating 4 out of 5]

Contentment, harmony, and humility - if you have those, you’re much closer to being the superior man.

[Devrim Güven · Rating 3 out of 5]

"How great is the way proper to the sage! ... It waits for the proper man, then it is trodden."

[Mauricio Garcia · Rating 2 out of 5]

As an approach to Confucian thought I preferred the first of the Four Books, as this book is equal parts wisdom and anachronistic advice, supposedly distilled by pure logic and "natural law" (I still don't understand for example why it is so crucial for the good ruler to preserve the written characters / symbols of the previous generations, or why only a divine ruler has the right to create new ceremonies).

[Vinicius Bruno]

Estabelecendo correlações do microcosmo ao macrocosmo (indivíduo -> comunidade -> cosmos), em Doutrina do Meio Confúcio exorta ao aperfeiçoamento pessoal em toda instância, defendendo que o homem superior tão mais assim será conforme aproximar-se do modelo dos Céus e da Terra em sua sinceridade sem limites.

Isto fora suas elaborações da psique humana, partindo do Equilíbrio para a Harmonia.

Riquíssimas 22 páginas.

[aaroh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Starts off as a text focusing on Dao/Tao (The Way) and how one can best follow it, but somewhere around the middle shifts its topics to those more akin to The Great Learning (about ways to govern), which I found a bit weird. But it again switches back to Dao somewhere near the end. Other than that not much to say, it would be a nice entry point for someone looking to learn more about Confucian philosophy and political thought but apprehensive of starting Lunyu.

[Laura Enache · Rating 5 out of 5]

There is so much ancient wisdom that I am so keen to uncover.

During childhood, my mom was telling me 'what you do not want done to yourself, do not do to others' is a Romanian saying, later on I discovered the same one in Ireland and recently I read this book by #Confucius - this saying is 2,500 years old...#moretolearn #alwayslearning

[Kevin Boland · Rating 3 out of 5]

No narrative throughput, translation was choppy. I listened to this book because it centers around balance, and I am a strong proponent of balance in life. Had a tough time getting anything out of it. Bonus star for brevity. Another bonus star because I am a fan of anything that discusses the importance of balance.

[Andrew]

Read this in the original Classical Chinese. Amid competing obligations, taking out the time I was on break so I could focus on school, this took about 2 months to read with the help of a Classical Chinese tutor. A significant amount of effort, and much more difficult to read than The Analects. But very rewarding.

[Enrico · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is pretty similar to the analects, which means if you like one of those two you probably like the other too. If it was just added to the back of the analects nobody would probably notice anything.

[Ajibola S · Rating 3 out of 5]

Deep. Decent. A bumpy work of translation

[Eli · Rating 3 out of 5]

The opening of the book is pure gold:

"What Heaven has conferred is called The Nature; an accordance with this nature is called The Path of duty; the regulation of this path is called Instruction. The path may not be left for an instant. If it could be left, it would not be the path."

This is an excellent conception of righteousness, which Confucius defines as "the accordance of actions with what is right."

There are hints throughout the book that Confucius does not believe that he, nor anyone, has nor can attain to righteousness. However, at the end of the book Confucius hails the ideal man and his virtues, calling him "the equal of Heaven."

This is none other than the Lord Jesus Christ, who died on the cross for us sinners.

Confucius also gave his witness to the invisible attributes of divinity:

"How abundantly do spiritual beings display the powers that belong to them! We look for them, but do not see them; we listen to, but do not hear them; yet they enter into all things, and there is nothing without them."

This book is yet another valuable witness to the truth of the Bible. I enjoyed it very much.

[Bogdan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is for Asia similar to the works of Aristotle for Europe and Middle East. The foundational and referential book for almost everything that came after, setting the base for Ethics and Philosophy in the influenced cultures.

I enjoyed the reading, especially because it is quite condensed, but I must admit that my lack of Ancient China mythology and history was a major draw back in enjoying it. Although you can read it also without bothering about references from the book.

[David Robson · Rating 2 out of 5]

1. Tsze-loo closed the book with a puzzled expression on his face. “But what does it mean?”
2. The Master said, “Do not try to understand the Mean, for the Mean is beyond you. It was not useful, no, but also it did not take very long to read, and cannot therefore be considered useless, either: such is the nature of the Mean.”
3. Tsze-loo thought for a moment, then shrugged his shoulders. “Okay,” said he.

[Andres · Rating 2 out of 5]

Tiene algunos pocos apuntes interesantes, pero en general el lenguaje es soso y repetitivo, y los conceptos son demasiado simples, o poco generales, o enredados. Me pareció mucho mejor "El Gran Saber".

[Peter J. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it.

[Publius · Rating 4 out of 5]

Probably my favourite Confucian text, I actually liked it more than the Analects . Simple and short, it advises one to not go to extremes, to seek a state of equilibrium.

[Hugo Polanco · Rating 2 out of 5]

very interesting to read but thankfully it was short because it was not the easiest to understand

[Ofelia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I honestly don't know.

[Who · Rating 1 out of 5]

advises deliberate corruption and deception for show of face. Classic!