“The ancients learnt for themselves; people today learn for others.” The sentence appears as a self-contained chapter in the Xian Wen section of the Analects. “For themselves” does not mean selfish gain; it means allowing learning to take root in one’s understanding and conduct. “For others” does not mean serving other people, but studying in order to be seen and recognised by them.
Read today, the line need not condemn all display. Examinations, finished work and public explanation can test learning. The real danger begins when we practise only what is easy to present and stop asking whether we genuinely understand it. External judgement may provide evidence, but it cannot replace what has actually become one’s own.
https://ctext.org/analects/xian-wen
https://www.cssn.cn/skgz/bwyc/202406/t20240617_5759084.shtml
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