Interpretation
The Doctrine of the Mean is a text rich with symbolism and guidance to perfecting oneself. The mean is also described as the 'unwobbling pivot' or 'chung yung'. Chung means bent neither one way or another, and yung represents unchanging (The Great Digest and Unwobbling Pivot, 1951). In James Legge's translation of the text, the goal of the mean is to maintain balance and harmony from directing the mind to a state of constant equilibrium. The person who follows the mean is on a path of duty and must never leave it. A superior person is cautious, a gentle teacher and shows no contempt for their inferiors. They always do what is natural according to their status in the world. Even common men and women can carry the mean into their practices, as long as they do not exceed their natural order (Internet Sacred Text Archive, 2008).
The Doctrine of the Mean represents moderation, rectitude, objectivity, sincerity, honesty and propriety. The guiding principle is that one should never act in excess. The Doctrine of the Mean is divided into three parts:
- The Axis – Confucian Metaphysics
- The Process – Politics
- The Perfect Word/Sincerity – Ethics (The Great Digest and Unwobbling Pivot, 1951).
Tsze Sze's First Thesis, as stated in "The Great Digest and Unwobbling Pivot" (1951: pp. 99) further describes their connection:
What heaven has disposed and sealed is called the inborn nature. The realization of this nature is called the process. The clarification of this process is called education (Pound's translation (1951)).Read more about this topic: Doctrine Of The Mean