Remaining surplus is an important idea in traditional Chinese culture. It was first published in the "Four Remaining Inscriptions" written by Wang Boda, a scholar in the Southern Song Dynasty: "Leaving surplus is to repay the good luck to nature; leaving surplus is to repay the inexhaustible salary to the court; leaving excess is to repay the inexhaustible wealth to the people; leaving excess is to repay the inexhaustible blessings to the descendants."
In "Shuowen Jiezi", "liu" means "stop", "yu" means "abundance", and the original meaning of "liuyu" is "to stop at the place of abundance". Its extended meaning is that everything should be done in a moderate way, leaving room for enough, and it is intended to tell people not to overdo it, not be satisfied, and not be greedy in all aspects of doing things for others.
Pursuing the ultimate, reaching perfection, and striving for perfection are our potential goals and codes of conduct. But in some cases, the concept of leaving nothing behind is also worth pondering. Those who are good at painting leave blank space, and those who are good at music cherish the sound. For example, when the ancients talked about carving methods, they believed that "the way to carve is to have a big nose and a small eye." When a skilled painter paints, no matter how many scenes are included in the painting, he must leave three or two points of blank space on the picture. What they pay attention to is leaving room for success. If there is room for success, failure will not be easy. This is the skill of painting and sculpture, and it is also a principle that cannot be violated. If the carving is too much, the chance of saving will be lost and cannot be repaired, and the work will become a waste; the picture will be too full, leaving no room for the viewer to imagine, and the painting will lose its due charm.
Being contented and always happy, full but not full, is the happiness of life. A person who knows how to make allowances and is good at making choices reflects an open-minded and leisurely good mentality and a free and easy spiritual realm. Huang Tingjian, a writer in the Northern Song Dynasty, had a neighbor who called himself the "Four Rests". Huang Tingjian asked him for advice on "What are the Four Rests". The old man laughed and said: Rest when you are full with simple tea and light food, rest when you are mended to cover the cold and warm, rest when you are full and full, and rest when you are not greedy or jealous. When Huang Tingjian heard about it, he was greatly impressed. Being able to be satisfied with the material things you already have, live an ordinary life, understand what your heart really wants, and not be swayed by vain fame and glitz, and not be swayed by fame and gain, this is the best way to achieve peace and happiness in life. "Work hard, but the mind has no leisure." The reason why some people feel tired is that they have too many selfish thoughts, too much eagerness for quick success, and too much and too much in their hearts, so that they are overloaded.
You need to have a measure in mind when leaving something, and be measured in doing things. This is a kind of wisdom in dealing with people, and it helps to avoid tendencies such as absoluteness, one-sidedness, and extremes. Li Mi'an, a scholar from the Qing Dynasty, once said in "Ban Ban Song": "Half-drinking is just right, and half-blooming flowers are more beautiful." Many times, success or failure, and priorities, all depend on how to grasp the right balance. There is conduct within and standards outside. If everyone practices a little "remaining" in their daily words and deeds, and advances in a moderate manner and retreats in a disciplined manner, the world will be more complete and less defective.
"Being contented is not humiliating, knowing is not disgraceful, and it can last for a long time." Liuyu requires people to choose wisely. Zhang Shuo, a famous minister of the Tang Dynasty, described money as a medicinal material in "Qian Materia Medica": "Money tastes sweet, is hot, and is poisonous. ... If it accumulates and does not disperse, there will be disasters such as water, fire, thieves."
Intention: growth