The Implication of "Nine Sides of the Horse"

To treat people, things and things, we should grasp the essential characteristics, not be confused by superficial phenomena, and be able to see the essence through phenomena. This is what is commonly called grasping the essence through phenomena. Not confused by sensibility, not covered by appearances.

Source: Liezi Fu Shuo, a philosophical work written by Liezi and his disciples and Jiufang Gao Xiangma in the early Warring States Period, Get the essence and forget the coarseness, but forget the outside.

Translation: I won its delicacy and forgot its roughness; Clearly know its interior, but forget its appearance.

Extended data:

A fragrant horse with a height of nine squares, "get its essence and forget its coarseness, forget its outside." This is what is commonly called grasping the essence through phenomena. Don't be confused by sensibility, don't be covered up by appearances, but "see what you see, don't see it; Look at what it sees, but leave it behind. "That is to say, to get the essence from the rough, to keep the false true, from here to there, from the outside to the inside, forget the shape of the horse, and get the god of the horse. Therefore, it is not "can describe the relationship between bones and muscles" This is also inspired by this fable.

However, grasping the essence through the phenomenon does not mean bypassing the phenomenon and abandoning the essence, because the essence is a concept that expresses people's deepening understanding of the phenomenon, and the essence is formal. Without "form", there would be no "god", and only "get rid of the rough and the fine, get rid of the false and keep the true, from here to there, from the outside to the inside" Without "rich sensory materials", there would be no "spirit".

However, Jiufanggao doesn't even understand the horse's almanac, so he can only observe its "secret". This is a kind of mysticism, which exaggerates people's subjective cognitive ability. This is also a reflection of dualism and idealism epistemology that completely separates "form" from "god", and it is not worth taking.

Baidu Encyclopedia-Jiufang Gaoxiangma