由“五十知天命”到“六十而耳顺”，是孔子生命历程的一个关键环节，这一生命的转进本身意味着中华文化之精神不同于基督教、犹太教与希腊、印度思想的特异性所在，其他文化或文明都将“知天命”作为最后的境界，即以“大体”形式出现的精神（心、性）作为人之所以为人的特性的呈现；但孔子却超越这一层次，将天命于人的一切，无论大体与小体，都视为人之所以为人的方式。故而能够在一切感官的特性中确证人性与天命。“耳顺”包括三个层次的内涵，是圣人境界的显现。%The age from fifty to sixty in Confucius life is very critical, because ＂at fifty, I knew what were the biddings of heaven＂ and ＂at sixty, I heard them with docile ear＂. This transition means the differences between Chinese culture and Christian, Judaism, and Greek and Indian religions. In other cultures or civilizations, ＂the biddings of heaven＂ is considered to be the peak of one＇s life, or they regard the general spirits as the representation of human nature. However, Confucius broke through this level and regarded the bestowing of heaven as the ultimate representation of human nature. Therefore, he was able to identify the human nature and heaven biddings out of all sensational features.
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