柔、堅|dELICATE, sTRONG

(pHOTO iD: iM180530a)

柔、堅|dELICATE, sTRONG

平衡,就是若剛能制柔,柔也能克剛。
BALANCE, that is, if the sTRONGNESS can rESTRAIN the sOFTNESS, then the sOFTNESS can also rESTRAIN the sTRONGNESS.

《道德經》—— 第七十六章:
“Tao Te Ching”*₁- Chapter 76 (original written in Classical Chinese):

人之生也[柔弱₁],其死也[堅強₂]。草木之生也[柔脆₃],其死也[枯槁₄]。故堅強者死之徒,柔弱者生之徒。是以[兵₅]強則[滅₆],[木₇]強則[折₈]。強大處[下₉],柔弱處[上₁₀]。
People are [sOFT and dELICATE₁] when born, and they become [hARD and sTIFF₂] after death. When the plants and trees are alive, they are also [sOFT and fRAGILE₃], once they are dead, they become [wITHERED and dRY₄]. So the hardness and stiffness are on the side of dEATH, while the softness and delicacy are on the side of lIFE. Therefore, the [sOLDIERS₅] will be [aNNIHILATED₆] as they are strong, the [tREES₇] will be [cUT dOWN₈] as they are strong. The sTRONG one will be in the [lOW₉] position, the dELICATE one will be in the [uP₁₀] position.

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孝、欽|fILIAL , rESPECT

(pHOTO iD: iM171222b)

孝、欽|fILIAL , rESPECT

家教,就是家庭中的終身言行身教。
fAMILY eDUCATION is the whole lIFE teaching by pRECEPTS, bEHAVIORS and eXAMPLES in the family.

林逋(九六七年至一零二八年,北宋儒家詩人)-《省心錄》中一話:
Lin Bu (967-1028, Confucian poet of Northern Song Dynasty*₁) – A quote of “Record of self-reflection”:

[孝₁]於親則子孝,
[欽₂]於人則眾欽。
Be [fILIAL₁] to your parents, your children will also be fILIAL to you.
[rESPECT₂] others, others will also rESPECT you.

..,

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死、生、養、歡|dEAD, bORN, dISTRESSED, hAPPY

(pHOTO iD: iM171025a)

死、生、養、歡|dEAD, bORN, dISTRESSED, hAPPY

百年之後,無是無非。
After a hundred years*₁, there’s no yES or nO.

莊子-《莊子》之《外篇》—— 第十一章《至樂》、段六:
Zhuangzi *₂ – “Outer chapters” of “Zhuangzi”, – Paragraph 6 of the Chapter 11 “The Greatest Happiness” (original written in Classical Chinese):

列子行,食于道從,見百歲髑髏,攓蓬而指之曰:
“唯予與汝知而未嘗[死₁]、未嘗[生₂]也。若果[養₃]乎?予果[歡₄]乎?”

Leizi*₃ ate on the roadside upon his journey, there he saw a hundred years old skull, he then plucked the grass surrounding and pointed to the skull, said:
“Only I and you know that you are nOT [dEAD₁], also nEVER [bORN₂]. Are you rEALLY [dISTRESSED₃]? And am I rEALLY [hAPPY₄]?”

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