加密数字货币交易所-《论语》详解：给所有曲解孔子的人-子曰：善人为邦百年，亦可以胜残去杀矣。诚哉是言也！

Confucius said: “A good person can govern the state for a hundred years, and it is also possible to eliminate残 and kill.” Truly, this is a profound statement!

Detailed explanation: This chapter has been misunderstood countless times throughout history. The most absurd is that most interpret “善人” as “good people,” and then explain “善人为邦百年” as “good people need a hundred years to govern the state,” which is a ridiculous misinterpretation, showing a fundamental misunderstanding of the basic grammar of Classical Chinese. Although Zhu Xi knew that “为邦百年” means “to govern the state for a long time in succession,” he still misinterpreted “去杀” as “the people can be transformed through善, so there is no need for刑杀.” This is a fundamental mistake, confusing the grammatical relationship between “善人” and “胜残去杀.”

In fact, this chapter continues from the previous one: “Confucius said: ‘Those who love勇 and are急贫, are in chaos. When a person is不仁, and疾之已甚, it is chaos.’” The chaos of “好勇疾贫” and “人而不仁，疾之已甚” is not ordinary chaos. In music and literature, “乱” refers to the final chapter of a musical piece or the last paragraph of a prose composition, extended metaphorically to the final chaos, which for a nation signifies the signs of its fall. So, how can we avoid this亡国之相 (signs of a fallen country) and still “govern the state for a hundred years,” ensuring long-term stability? It requires “善人” and “胜残去杀.” Only then is this truly “诚哉是言也！” — this statement is genuine and without error.

The main reason for the widespread misinterpretation of this sentence is a failure to understand its grammatical structure. “亦可以胜残去杀矣” — “可以” is “可” + “以,” with “以” as a preposition; the whole sentence is an inverted form of “以胜残去杀亦可矣.” The phrase “善人为邦百年，亦可以胜残去杀矣” means that “善人” can “govern the state for a hundred years,” and “胜残去杀” can also “govern the state for a hundred years.” Both “胜残” and “去杀” are verb + noun structures, and “善人” is as well. These three words share the same grammatical structure: “残” and “杀” are nominalized, while “善” is verbalized. This kind of word transformation is very common in Classical Chinese.

“胜残” and “去杀” are two similar words placed side by side, simply meaning “to defeat残暴” and “to stop杀戮.” “善人” means “to make people善” — that is, to promote goodness. “亦” is the original character for “腋” (armpit); “可” is a modal word; “亦可” is like two armpits of a person, mutually supporting and equivalent. The pairing of “善人” and “胜残去杀” is a unity, like the two armpits of a person, the双翼 (wings) of a bird, or the two sides of a coin. Essentially, “善人” and “胜残去杀” are the “不相” (not similar) of the “贫富之相” (the signs of poverty and wealth) discussed in previous chapters. The “不相” of the chaos of “好勇疾贫” and “人而不仁，疾之已甚” is also the “不相” of the signs of贫富. Only with “善人” and “胜残去杀” can a country “为邦百年,” ensuring long-term peace and stability.

“胜残去杀” targets “人而不仁，疾之已甚,” specifically addressing the “富者” (wealthy) who are不仁 (inhumane), including暴君 (tyrants),贪官污吏 (corrupt officials),奸商恶霸 (wicked merchants and bullies), etc. The so-called act of杀一暴君 (killing a tyrant) to救亿万 (save millions) truly exemplifies大仁 (great benevolence). “善人” targets the “贫者” (the poor) who are “好勇疾贫” (fond of勇 and急贫). Improving their living conditions, expanding their space for survival, and enhancing their能力 (capability) all fall under the category of “善人.” But it must be emphasized that from the perspective of society as a whole, no individual is entirely “富” (wealthy) or “贫” (poor) in every aspect. However, for the reality of a nation, the signs of贫富 (poverty and wealth) in terms of economy, social status, and power are the most impactful and cannot be ignored.

Confucius and the Analects, over two thousand years ago, already proposed the six-character motto for long-term stability: “善人、胜残去杀.” These three groups of characters are mutually supportive; it is impossible to have only “胜残去杀” without “善人,” or only “善人” without “胜残去杀.” Regarding “胜残去杀,” only “胜残” can “去杀.” The saying “庆父不死、鲁难未已” (Qingfu not dead, Lu’s troubles not over) indicates that without “胜残,” “去杀” cannot be achieved.