Yingtai Debate, Shanbo 1

Upon hearing this, Sun Yuangui looked towards the front row of the lecture hall and saw a student sitting next to Wang Shu stand up.

The man wore a long, indigo-blue robe with a jade belt hook at his waist. He had delicate features, slender eyebrows and eyes, and a gentle demeanor. When he stood up, his posture was composed, exuding a natural elegance.

His name was Gu Jun, and he was seventeen years old. Like Wang Shu, he came from a prominent family and was also Meng Wenlang's disciple. However, his personality was different from Wang Shu's.

Wang Shu was sharp-tongued, while Gu Jun was gentle and reserved, speaking slowly and deliberately. Meng Wenlang once commented on these two disciples: "Wang Shu's talent is like a sharp sword drawn from its sheath; Gu Jun's talent is like fine wine in a jar."

At this moment, Gu Jun smiled slightly at Sun Yuangui and said unhurriedly, "What Brother Sun just said was based on the saying in the Great Learning of the Book of Rites, 'The first principle is to take self-cultivation as the root,' which means that self-cultivation and moral character are fundamental, while practical application to the world is secondary. To me, this statement seems somewhat inappropriate."

Sun Yuangui asked, "What's wrong with it?"

Gu Jun said, "Brother Sun has separated the 'root' and the 'branch' too much. The roots and branches of a tree are indeed related as root and branch, but what use is it if the branches and leaves are not lush? Farmers plant trees to eat the fruit, not to look at the roots."

Similarly, sages teach self-cultivation so that people can benefit the world and bring peace to the people, not to cultivate a group of people who only care about their own well-being and are indifferent to worldly affairs.

He paused, looked at everyone, and slowly said, "The Great Learning chapter of the Book of Rites says, 'Cultivate oneself, regulate one's family, govern the state, and bring peace to the world.' These four steps are not isolated from each other. Cultivating oneself is for regulating one's family, regulating one's family is for governing the state, and governing the state is for bringing peace to the world."

If one cultivates oneself but cannot manage one's family, govern the state, or bring peace to the world, then no matter how well one cultivates oneself, it is merely self-cultivation. Self-cultivation is certainly a state of being, but compared to the way of the sage, it is ultimately inferior.

He then looked at Sun Yuangui and said, "Brother Sun just quoted Confucius's four teachings of 'literature, conduct, loyalty, and trustworthiness,' which are indeed the ways to cultivate oneself. But Brother Sun, don't forget what Confucius's disciples did afterward?"

Zilu became the magistrate of Puyi in the State of Wei; Zigong became a high-ranking official in both the States of Lu and Wei; and Ran You became a retainer of the Ji family. Which of them didn't serve in government and contribute to society? Did Confucius teach them self-cultivation so that they would spend their lives studying in the Apricot Altar?

Upon hearing this, Sun Yuangui scratched his head, somewhat unconvinced, and said, "Then, in Brother Gu's opinion, practical application to the world is more important than self-cultivation and moral integrity?"

Gu Jun shook his head and said gently, "That's not what I meant. I just feel that self-cultivation and moral integrity are two sides of the same coin, and there's no need to force a distinction between them. The purpose of self-cultivation is to apply one's knowledge, and the process of applying one's knowledge is also a form of self-cultivation. The two complement each other and are indispensable."

After he finished speaking, he cupped his hands in greeting to Sun Yuangui, nodded slightly to everyone in the hall, and then sat down.

Seeing that Gu Jun had sat down, Sun Yuangui also sat down.

Wang Shu's gaze swept around the hall, and he was about to ask who would speak next when he saw another student stand up.

This person was simply dressed, thin, with a gaunt face, but his hair was neatly combed and tied up with a bamboo hairpin.

His name was Yu Yanzhi, a native of Wu County. He came from a poor family and was one of the few impoverished students at Wansong Academy. He had a remarkable talent for reading and, due to his excellent memory, he often quoted extensively from classical texts during debates, leaving his opponents overwhelmed.

Yu Yanzhi stood up, first bowing to Wang Shu, then to Gu Jun, and said, "Just now, Brother Sun and Brother Gu each had their own reasons. But I think neither of your statements hit the nail on the head."

Brother Sun says that self-cultivation and moral integrity are fundamental, while practical application to the world is secondary; this distinguishes between the two as superior and inferior. Brother Gu says that the two are two sides of the same coin and there's no need to force a distinction between fundamental and secondary; this conflates the two. In my view, the two are neither superior nor inferior, nor should they be confused; rather, they should be distinguished by their order of importance.

Yu Yanzhi emphasized, "Cultivating oneself and establishing virtue comes first, while applying one's knowledge to the world comes later. First and last are not fundamental and trivial. The fundamental is important, and the trivial is unimportant—I disagree with that statement. First and last are just sequences, not which one is more important."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over the crowd: "In the Analects, Book 1, Chapter 1, Confucius' disciple Youzi said: 'A person who is filial and respectful to his elders, yet likes to defy his superiors, is rare indeed; one who does not like to defy his superiors, yet likes to create chaos, has never existed. The superior man attends to the fundamentals; when the fundamentals are established, the Way arises. Filial piety and respect for elders—are these not the foundation of benevolence?'"

Filial piety and brotherly love are the foundation of benevolence. Once this foundation is established, the Way naturally arises. Similarly, self-cultivation and moral integrity are the foundation for practical application in governance. Once this foundation is established, practical application in governance can proceed on the right path.

If one rushes to apply knowledge to practical matters before establishing a solid foundation, it's like a tree without roots or water without a source; even if it flourishes for a time, it will ultimately not last.

He then turned his gaze to Gu Jun: "Brother Gu just said that farmers plant trees to eat the fruit, not to look at the roots. That's true."

But Brother Gu, have you ever considered that if the roots of a tree aren't firmly established, and the farmer rushes to make it flower and bear fruit, can the tree produce good fruit? Even if it does, it will mostly be sour, astringent, and shriveled—inedible.”

After he finished speaking, some students in the hall couldn't help but nod in agreement.

Zhu Yingtai knelt beside Liang Shanbo, listening to Yu Yanzhi's speech and secretly evaluating him. This Yu Yanzhi had a clear line of thought; he used "sequence" instead of "beginning and end," avoiding the stalemate between Sun Yuangui and Gu Jun, which was indeed a clever argument.

However, she always felt that Yu Yanzhi's explanation, while logically sound, was missing something. What was missing?

Yu Yanzhi continued, "Therefore, my conclusion is: in the pursuit of knowledge, self-cultivation and moral integrity come first, followed by practical application to the world. Neither should be neglected, but they must be pursued in the correct order."

After he finished speaking, he cupped his hands in a respectful gesture to the crowd and was about to sit down...

Just then, Zhu Yingtai stood up.

She was a new student at Jiazhai, young and with a very pretty face. When she suddenly stood up, everyone in the hall immediately turned their attention to her.

Zhu Yingtai felt a slight unease under the gaze of so many eyes, but she showed no sign of it on her face.

She adopted a composed demeanor, first bowing to Yu Yanzhi, then to Wang Shu, before speaking: "Brother Yu's argument just now, replacing 'root and branch' with 'sequence,' was indeed refreshing. However, I have a question I would like to ask Brother Yu."

Yu Yanzhi raised an eyebrow slightly and looked at her: "Please speak."

Zhu Yingtai took a deep breath and slowly said, "Brother Yu said that self-cultivation and moral character should come first, followed by practical application in the world; the two should not be reversed. I would like to ask Brother Yu, where should one cultivate self-cultivation and moral character? Is it done in the study behind closed doors, or in interpersonal interactions and worldly affairs?"

Yu Yanzhi paused slightly, then replied, "Cultivating oneself and establishing virtue naturally comes from one's daily words and actions. Loyalty, trustworthiness, filial piety, and brotherly love—aren't they all reflected in how one treats others?"

Zhu Yingtai nodded, a smile appearing on her lips: "That's it then. Since self-cultivation and moral character must be cultivated in dealing with others, and isn't dealing with others itself a kind of practical application in the world?"

In the Analects, Zilu asked about the gentleman, and Confucius said, "Cultivate oneself with reverence." Zilu then asked, "Is that all?" Confucius said, "Cultivate oneself to bring peace to others." Zilu asked again, "Is that all?" Confucius said, "Cultivate oneself to bring peace to all people. Even Yao and Shun would have found this difficult!"

Confucius extended the principles of self-cultivation from "cultivating oneself with reverence" to "cultivating oneself to bring peace to others," and then to "cultivating oneself to bring peace to the people." This shows that self-cultivation and bringing peace to others and the people are inherently one; it's not about cultivating oneself first and then bringing peace to others and the people, but rather that the process of self-cultivation itself is already bringing peace to others and the people.

She paused, looking directly at Yu Yanzhi: "Therefore, I believe that self-cultivation and moral integrity are not related as primary and secondary, nor as sequential, but rather as intertwined. As Brother Gu just said, they are two sides of the same coin."

But I want to go a step further. These two aspects of the same entity are not static, but dynamic. Self-cultivation is application, and application is self-cultivation. The two are seamlessly integrated and fundamentally inseparable.

After she finished speaking, she bowed slightly to Yu Yanzhi and sat down.

The hall fell silent for a moment.

Then, a low murmur arose.

This new student, named Zhu Jiuling, is handsome and has such insightful views.

Moreover, he speaks with composure, quoting classical texts with ease.

His words, quoting the chapter of the Analects where Zilu asked about the gentleman, were used aptly, both refuting Yu Yanzhi's "first and second" argument and pushing Gu Jun's "two sides of the same coin" argument forward.

Among the scholars of Jiazhai, there are not many who can offer such insights on this topic.

Yu Yanzhi opened his mouth, wanting to refute, but couldn't find the right words. Zhu Yingtai's words had indeed hit the weak point in his argument. He had distinguished between self-cultivation and practical application of knowledge, but overlooked the fact that the two were inseparable in practice.

Sun Yuangui turned to Zhu Yingtai, gave him a thumbs-up, and said in a low voice, "Brother Zhu, well said!"

Gu Jun's gaze also fell on Zhu Yingtai, his eyes filled with admiration and a smile playing on his lips.

Even Wang Shu couldn't help but glance at Zhu Yingtai a few more times.

At this moment, another student stood up.

This man was named Jia Boyang. He was also from Wu County. His family was of average means, much worse off than a prominent family, but better off than a poor family.

Jia Boyang stood up, glanced at Zhu Yingtai, and then said loudly, "I disagree with what Brother Zhu just said."

Zhu Yingtai looked at him calmly: "Please enlighten me, Brother Jia."

Jia Boyang said, "Brother Zhu said that self-cultivation is application, and application is self-cultivation; the two are inseparable and form an integral whole. This sounds nice, but upon closer examination, it doesn't make sense."

He held up a finger and pointed it in front of him: "I ask you, Brother Zhu, if there is a person who spends all day behind closed doors reading, cultivating his character, never serving as an official, and never doing anything of practical use to the world, would this person be considered to have cultivated himself?"

Zhu Yingtai fell into deep thought.

Before she could speak, Jia Boyang answered himself: "Of course it counts. Yan Hui lived in a humble alley, with only a bowl of rice and a gourd of water. Others would find it unbearable, but Hui did not change his joy. In his life, he never held office, never governed the people, and never performed meritorious deeds, yet Confucius said, 'How virtuous is Hui!' Isn't Yan Hui's self-cultivation self-cultivation?"

He paused, then said, "It is clear that self-cultivation and practical application can be separated. Self-cultivation is about seeking within, while practical application is about seeking without. Seeking within means understanding one's own mind and nature, and cultivating virtue; seeking without means achieving great things, helping the world and bringing peace to the people. Both are important, but they cannot be confused."

If, as Brother Zhu says, self-cultivation is the same as applying one's knowledge, and applying one's knowledge is the same as self-cultivation, then wouldn't that mean that Yan Hui, who never held office, didn't truly cultivate himself? This is clearly incorrect.

After he finished speaking, he looked intently at Zhu Yingtai, waiting for her answer.

Zhu Yingtai frowned slightly, disagreeing with Jia Boyang's statement, but for a moment she didn't know how to refute it.

Just then, a steady hand gently pressed down on her sleeve.

She looked down and saw it was Liang Shanbo's hand...