Four Cultivations of a Gentleman: Magnanimity, Courage, Vision, and Physical Well-being

  In Taoism, those with outstanding talent and virtue and conduct superior to the world are called gentlemen.
What is the cultivation of a gentleman? As the saying goes, "A petty-minded person is not a gentleman. A man without magnanimity is not a real man."
A gentleman corrects his mind and intention within and cultivates his conduct outside. A gentleman has four qualities. Cultivating them well will benefit one's entire life.
Magnanimity

During the reign of Emperor Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty, the mansions of the Zhang and Wu families were adjacent, with only a narrow alley in between.
Later, when the Wu family wanted to build a house and occupy the narrow alley, the Zhang family did not allow the Wu family to use it privately. The two sides were deadlocked and took the matter to court.
The Zhang family wrote a letter asking Zhang Ying, who was a high-ranking official in the imperial court, to resolve this matter. Zhang Ying replied in a letter:
"Sending a letter a thousand miles just for a wall. Why not yield three feet? The Great Wall still stands today, but the First Emperor of Qin is long gone."
The Zhang family understood the profound meaning in the letter and stopped contending. Instead, they voluntarily gave up three feet of open space. Deeply moved, the Wu family also voluntarily gave up three feet of their house foundation.
In Tongcheng, Zhang Ying and his son Zhang Tingyu served as prime ministers for two generations. They were extremely powerful, and the story of the Six-Foot Alley has also been passed down as a beautiful tale.
Life is not just one's own small patch of land under one's nose, nor is it just the right and wrong talked about by others.
In a hundred years of life, how many truly important events can there be? Trivial matters are not worth much energy, and petty gains are not worth fighting to the death.
When the heart is small, small matters become big; when the heart is large, big matters become small.
Let others take the small advantages. What is yours will naturally be given to you by heaven.
A couplet on the Heavenly King Hall says it well: "A big belly can hold things that are hard to tolerate in the world; when one opens one's mouth, one laughs at the laughable people in the world."
With an open mind, one can have a comfortable life.
Courage
Magnanimity distinguishes superiority and inferiority, and courage determines victory or defeat.

Confucius said, "The wise are free from confusion, the benevolent are free from worry, and the brave are free from fear." A person who is benevolent and wise but without courage is useless and accomplishes nothing.
During the prosperous Zhenguan era of the Tang Dynasty, the Tang court sent Wang Xuance as an envoy to Tianzhu (now India).
Unfortunately, the king of Tianzhu died suddenly, and there was a coup in Tianzhu. The Tang delegation was captured and killed. Wang Xuance narrowly escaped.
In a foreign land, although the Tang army was brave, help was far away. Wang Xuance was not afraid of life and death and resolutely went to Tubo nearby to borrow troops.
With great courage, he was determined to take on the entire Tianzhu with his own strength.
He recruited soldiers and horses in Tubo. With a force of a thousand, he launched a counterattack away from home. In the end, he captured and killed more than ten thousand enemies, and five hundred and eighty cities surrendered. He returned victorious.
Life is like a battlefield. Only those who dare to fight will win. The contest of wisdom is just the prelude. What is fought on the arena is the courage to "draw one's sword."
In one's life, there will always be several opportunities that can change one's destiny. Just seeing them is not enough. Being timid will only lead to missed opportunities.
Having the courage to do it is the execution worthy of success.
Vision
In autumn, when the flood season comes, thousands of tributaries flow into the Yellow River. The river water surges, and immediately it is like thousands of horses galloping and thunderous.
The god of the Yellow River, Hebo, took advantage of the water flow and flowed eastward in high spirits. Standing on the shore of the Bohai Sea, Hebo was stunned.
He once thought that the most magnificent scenery in the world was within himself. Looking at the vast and boundless sea in front of him, he couldn't help feeling ashamed and sighed endlessly.
Zhuangzi said, "A frog in a well cannot be talked to about the sea. A summer insect cannot be talked to about ice."
A frog in a well cannot understand how big the sea is. A summer insect cannot wait for the first snowflake.

People with lofty vision become great because they recognize their own insignificance.
If life allows, read one more book and travel one more section of the road to broaden one's horizons so as not to be narrow-minded and short-sighted.
The greater the vision, the less arrogance there is, and the more one understands humility.
Emperor Gaozu of the Han Dynasty once asked his civil and military officials, "Why was I able to unify the world?"
The officials looked at each other in dismay and could not answer.
Emperor Gaozu then said, "I have achieved what I have today thanks to three people."
"I am not as good as Zhang Liang in devising strategies in a tent and winning victories thousands of miles away. I am not as good as Xiao He in guarding the country, pacifying the people, and continuously supplying military provisions. I am not as good as Han Xin in leading a million troops and winning every battle and taking every city."
"These three people are all outstanding heroes. It is precisely because I can appoint them that I have today's unified world."
People with lofty vision are humble and not jealous. They know how to learn from others' strengths to make up for their own weaknesses. They also know how to recognize talents and make good use of them to achieve success for both themselves and others.
Physical Well-being
As the old saying goes, a gentleman should take good care of his precious body.
The body is the capital of revolution. Without a good body, the splendor of life will end hastily. Living a healthy and long life is the absolute truth.
Meng Haoran, a great poet of the Tang Dynasty, was not only good at writing poems but also a gourmet who loved delicious food.
One year, Meng Haoran got carbuncle. Under careful recuperation, he was slowly recovering. Before fully recovering, he was not allowed to eat fresh fish, which made him itch unbearably.
At this time, his good friend Wang Changling came to visit him. Meng Haoran entertained him warmly. At the banquet, the fat fresh fish from the Han River made Meng Haoran's fingers itch and he couldn't help picking up his chopsticks to taste it.
As a result, Meng Haoran's carbuncle recurred and he died at the age of 52.
The desire for good food is human nature, but excessive indulgence will bring endless hidden dangers.
Disasters come from the mouth, and diseases enter through the mouth. If one can't even control one's mouth, how can one talk about controlling one's life.
Eating salty food shortens life, while eating bland food prolongs life. Although rich food is delicious, plain porridge and simple dishes are the key to longevity.
The ancients said, "A gentleman does not stand under a dangerous wall."
Wang Bo, the leader of the Four Outstanding Talents of the early Tang Dynasty, became famous at a young age. His masterpiece "Preface toPavilion of Prince Teng" is timeless.
But not long after writing "Preface toPavilion of Prince Teng", Wang Bo accidentally fell into the water in an unfamiliar body of water and died of shock after drowning. He was only 26 years old.
A gentleman does not stand under a dangerous wall. This means not to joke with one's own life and avoid dangerous places.
Don't climb high rashly, stay away from deep pits and ditches, keep away from dangerous objects, and also stay away from chaotic and fighting environments.
A cat has nine lives, but a person only has one. Physical health is the capital of life.
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In this world of all phenomena and all living beings, those who can be called gentlemen must expand their magnanimity, be bold, broaden their vision, and maintain their physical well-being.
May we live uprightly, sit properly, and live frankly for the rest of our lives!
Let us encourage each other.
May blessings be boundless!