本集課程重點包括：

一、本章是孔子對自己人生的回顧

人到了老年都會回顧自己一生，孔子到了七十幾歲，他是如何回顧自己的人生？讀本章，可以讓我們有深刻的反思。

二、十五歲立志於內聖外王之學

孔子三歲時就懂得玩宗廟祭祀的遊戲，志向不凡，所以並不是十五歲才開始學，而是從小就一直學，到了十五歲，開始有志於內聖外王之道，這是能夠自利利他，能夠辦政治跟辦教育的學問，是聖人、君子的學問，能夠走入時代、領導時代，開創未來的新局。

三、三十歲見地有所立，不會動搖

孔子三十歲時，學問搖動不了，因為他知道人生的方向，知道該怎麼充實自己，雖然學習各類的學問，他有他的中心思想，這一切都已經有所建立。

四、四十歲時不迷惑，可以通權達變

通權達變就是「反經合義」，表面所作跟經文相反，實際上卻是合乎經文的義理。他能善用時機，轉危為安，這樣能力的本質來自於經學的通達。

五、五十歲時知道自己有辦政治跟辦教育的天命

一般人能擁有斷惡修善、趨利避害的天命已經很不容易，孔子所知的天命不只如此，透過不斷的累積，他知道自己有辦政治跟辦教育的天命，特別重要的是辦教育傳承聖道的天命。

六、六十歲能聽見對方的心意，匯入自己的中心思想，並利益他人

耳順就是耳朵順，「順」字右邊為「頁」，表示人的從頭至足；左邊為「川」，意思是像河川那樣的通順。孔子能從別人的言語中，知道他人從頭到腳的心意，非常順暢，並且能夠把所聞匯入自己的中心思想、匯入學習的領域，然後適切地幫助別人。

七、七十歲可以順從自己的心意，又不會違背規矩法度

「從心所欲」就是順從自己的心意，甚至放縱自己的心意，但在順從或放縱之中，絕對不會違背禮上的法度，也就是不會出現過失。因為孔子有形而上的通達跟形而下的歷練，才得以夠如此。

為政篇第四章白話解釋

【經文】

子曰：吾，十有五，而志于學，三十而立，四十而不惑，五十而知天命，六十而耳順，七十而從心所欲，不踰矩。

【字詞解釋】

有：音義皆同又字。

踰矩：ㄩˊ，踰越法度。

【白話解釋】

孔子說：我十五歲就專心求學，心志堅明，所學的是內聖外王之道。至三十歲，所學已成立，學有根柢，非外力所能搖動，但尚不知權變之道，可即可，不可即不可。至四十歲已沒有疑惑，遇事可通權達變，無可，無不可。到了五十歲，即知天命，知道自己有辦政治、辦教育的天命，當衰周之時，聖賢的大道不能推行已經很久了，孔子學易經至此時已有所得，知道自己有弘揚傳承道統的天命。到了六十歲，耳聞他人之言，能順知他人的心意，達到耳根通順沒有障礙的境界。至七十歲，能順從心之所欲而不踰越法度。能順心而為，自然合法，也就是起心動念都不離開道，成就無過失的至聖。

【章旨】

此章乃孔子自述其一生由學次第成就，孔子雖生而知之，但隱聖同凡，自少迄老的學習，以勉勵後人向學。

《論語講要》原文

皇邢二疏皆說，此章是孔子隱聖同凡，勸人勤學。

「吾十有五，而志于學。」有字，音義皆同又字。古文句法，十有五，就是十又五，語體就是十五。孔子說：「我十五歲即志于學。」毛詩傳說：「詩者，志之所之，在心為志，發言為詩。」依此解釋，志就是心之所之，也就是一心趣向之意。志于學，就是專心求學。史記孔子世家說：「孔子為兒嬉戲，常陳俎豆，設禮容。」孔子在童年，即知求學。此處孔子自述十五歲志于學，皇邢二疏皆據白虎通辟雍篇解釋，十五是成童之歲，心志堅明，故自十五始志于學。劉氏正義據白虎通說，十五歲是入大學之年，所學的是經術。劉氏又據禮記大學篇所說，始於致知格物，終於治國平天下，皆是大學所學的經術。

「三十而立。」皇疏：「立，謂所學經業成立也。」劉氏正義：「立，謂學立。」自十五歲，志于學，至三十歲，所學已成立。也就是學有根柢，有力，非外力所能搖動。

「四十而不惑。」孔安國注，不惑，就是不疑惑。程氏樹德論語集釋，引黃式三論語後案：「立，必先不惑，而言不惑於立之後者，何也。夫子曰，可與立，未可與權。立，守經也。不惑，達權也。」不惑，遇事可以行權，無可，無不可。立，則是：可即可，不可即不可。不知權變之道。所以三十而立，四十而不惑。

「五十而知天命。」天命，就是天的命令。如劉氏正義引漢書董仲舒傳對策曰：「天令之謂命。」劉氏正義說：「知天命者，知己為天所命，非虛生也。蓋夫子當衰周之時，賢聖不作久矣。及年至五十，得易學之，知其有得，而自謙言無大過。則天之所以生己，所以命己，與己之不負乎天。故以知天命自任。命者，立之於己，而受之於天，聖人所不敢辭也。」孔子學易，乃知天命。吾人雖聞天命，未必能知，須先信賴聖言，以求知之。

「六十而耳順。」鄭康成注：「耳順，聞其言，而知微旨也。」皇疏：「但聞其言，即解微旨，是所聞不逆於耳，故曰耳順也。」皇疏又引李充說：「心與耳相從，故曰耳順也。」順字，說文：「理也， 从頁川。」段注以為，自人之頭頂至腳踵，如河川流通，至為通順。順之而後，始見天理，始著條理。由此可知，耳順就是耳的功能已經通順自己以及他人的心理，故能聞他人之言，即知他人的心意。此是耳聞無礙之境。

「七十而從心所欲，不踰矩。」從心的從字，作順從講。矩是端正方形的工具，說文作巨，引申為法度之義。孔子至七十歲時，順從心之所欲而不踰越法度。順心而為，自然合法，也就是動念不離乎道。

程氏樹德論語集釋，引明儒顧憲成講義說：「這章書，是夫子一生年譜，亦是千古作聖妙訣。」顧氏以為，孔子自十五志于學，至四十而不惑，是修境。五十知天命，是悟境。六十耳順，至七十從心，是證境。顧氏此說，大有道理。

English

Teacher Tang Yuling will accompany you to read The Analects

21.Book 2 Wei Zheng (Of Governance), Chapter 4

The Master said, “At fifteen, I had my mind bent on learning. At thirty, I stood firm. At forty, I had no doubts. At fifty, I knew the decrees of Heaven. At sixty, my ear was an obedient organ for the reception of truth. At seventy, I could follow what my heart desired, without transgressing what was right.”

Highlights of this lecture include:

1. This chapter is Confucius’s own account of his gradual progress and attainments.

  When people grow old, they will turn to look back on important moments of their lives. The Master was then seventies. In what way do you think, Confucius would retrace and see his own life? His stage-by-stage progress might give us some useful hints on how to deal with our lives.

2. When Confucius was fifteen year-old, he had already made up his mind to capture all about “being a sage inside, and a king outside.”

  As a child at three, Confucius loved to play make-believe rituals games of ancestral worship with his playmates. His aspiration outstood his peers. Instead of decided to learn vigorously from the age of fifteen, he had settled to learn since his childhood. “At fifteen, I had my mind bent on learning”: The Master had made up his mind on capturing all about the attainment of sagehood and kingly ability at fifteen. The qualities a sage within and a king outside brought forth a mindset which would willingly to strive his effort to benefit others through education and politics. The cultivation of inner sagehood and outer kingliness, can be all time truth for the leadership of innovative intention.

3. At the age of thirty, Confucius formed his capacity for judging, stood firm and never wavered

  At the age of thirty, Confucius became very learned and was able to form good judgements. He was very determined about his future, his direction of life. He had found his ideals as his central frame of reference and stood firm on it. He knew how to improve himself by complementary studies in different fields. At his thirty, all of these had been firmly established.

4. At the age of forty, Confucius had “no doubts” and flexible

  Confucius was flexible and adaptable to changing circumstances without hesitation. It means that Confucius could properly handling matters, in such a way that even appeared to be “contrary to the Classics literal dictions but meets the extremely profound import and the hidden meaning of the Classics.” Confucius would not tie up by the wordings of the Classics. He had good judgement in timing--when to take or not to take a move. Such talent allowed him to turn danger into safety. The talent of being flexible and timely owed mainly to his thorough learning, profound and clear understanding of the essentials inherent in the Classics.

5. At the age of fifty, Confucius knew his mandate was to seek accomplishments in politics and education

  It is not easy for ordinary people to realize and achieve the aims of breaking off from bad and evil and to cultivate the goods in themselves, or, to approach true benefits and avoid causes of harm. But to Confucius his mandate was far beyond the two aims. His efforts strived to learn persistently in acquiring loads of capabilities. After all, he came to know that he had the mandate to seek accomplishments in politics and education. Especially in education, his mandate was to pass down the sagely orthodoxy.

6. At the age of sixty, Confucius could read others mind as if he could hear by his ears, he knew how to benefit them immediately

  The Chinese characters of “er shun耳順” stand for “thorough ear function” as that of river flow. “Ear was an obedient organ for the reception of truth” means the acuity of hearing function of the ear, helped Confucius to read others mind. At the age sixty, the Master had the capacity to understand a man thoroughly out of his speech. The speech flew in his mind, converged, and analyzed with his central ideas or philosophical frame of reference, then he came to know the truth of what should be done to properly help the one spoken with.

7. At the age of seventy, Confucius could follow what his heart desired, without transgressing the norms

 “Follow what my heart desired” means that Confucius obeyed his heart without thinking of giving it restraints, following the heart and let it flew through its true path. Still he would not trespass the performance of propriety, norms or mores in daily life. That is, the heart came to reach a state of faultless naturally as the truth should be. The divine aspiration of Confucius attained had allowed him to fully understood his mandate, and in turn employed and transformed the capacity into daily use as a provision to cultivate people.