第三辑 为人处世 Volume 3: Dealing with People
孔子说：“乡愿，德之贼也”。乡者，民间。愿，谨慎老实。
Confucius said: "The 'conventional townsman' (Xiang Yuan) is a thief of virtue." Here XIANG means common folks, and YUAN means cautious and rules-following.
所谓乡愿，就是老好人。墙头草，伪善者。
The so-called "conventional townsman" refers to a "goody-two-shoes, " They are like a "fence-sitter" or a hypocrite.
之所以成为乡愿，其实是为了避免让自己陷入任何的麻烦，不惜靠昧着良心来成全自己的人际关系。
The reason for becoming a "conventional townsman" is actually to avoid getting into any trouble and not hesitating to compromise one's conscience to maintain social relationships.
说到底，就是自私。
In essence, it is selfishness.
乡愿之人是有一定社会影响和舆论能力的、有一定的仲裁权威的、有此位而不具此德之人。
People who are "conventional townsmen" have a certain social influence and public opinion ability, possess a certain arbitration authority, but lack the corresponding moral qualities for their position.
他们不去追求公正，不去坚守原则，而是一味搞折中主义、八面玲珑、见风使舵，、四方讨好、明哲保身，看似忠诚廉洁，其实，随波逐流、迎合媚俗、趋炎附势，是“在其位不谋其政”的、不作为的一种。
They do not pursue justice or uphold principles; instead, they constantly adopt a compromising approach, being versatile, opportunistic, pandering to different sides, and acting wisely to safeguard one's own interests. They appear loyal and incorruptible, but in reality, they simply go with the flow, catering to popular opinion and seeking personal advantage. They embody the notion of "holding a position but not seeking to fulfill its responsibilities" and demonstrate a lack of action.
他们抹煞了是非，混淆了善恶，不主持正义，不抵制坏人坏事，所以，孔子把这种窃据“有德者之位”的乡愿列为坏德之人。
They obliterate right and wrong, confuse good and evil, fail to uphold justice, and do not resist bad people or bad actions. Therefore, Confucius regarded these conventional townsmen who usurp the positions of virtuous individuals as people with corrupt morals.
他俨然以有德者自居，不仅不能践行美德，还会淆乱美德之名，抹黑真正的道义，并使真正的美德者及美德行为被边缘化。“后果非常严重，影响特别恶劣”。
He arrogantly regards himself as a person with virtue, yet not only fails to practice virtuous deeds but also confuses the concept of virtue, tarnishing the true principles and marginalizing genuine virtuous people and actions. "The consequences are extremely severe, and the impact is particularly detrimental."
这种似德非德而乱乎德的拉票主义者，乃德之“贼”也。世人对之不可不辨啊。
This kind of pseudo-virtuous and disorderly-in-virtue vote-seeker is truly a "thief" of virtue. People must distinguish and discern them.
易明之光 Mini读书@2023