Original text

Firstly, being careful alone brings peace of mind: The way of self-cultivation is not difficult to cultivate the mind. Since the mind knows that there is good and that there is evil, but cannot use its power to think that there is good and eliminate evil, this is called self-deception. Whether Fang Cun is self-deceiving or not is something that cannot be known by others, but only by oneself. Therefore, the "Sincerity" chapter of "The Great Learning" contains two words of caution. If you can "love good as much as you love sex, hate evil as you hate stench" and try to eliminate human desires in order to preserve the natural principles, then the so-called "self-control" in "The Great Learning" and the so-called "vigilance, caution and fear" in "The Doctrine of the Mean" can be effectively implemented. This is what Zeng Zi said: "self-reflection shrinks", Mencius said "look up without being ashamed, bow down without being embarrassed", and said "nurture the heart, don't be good at few desires", they are all nothing more than this. Therefore, if you can be cautious about being alone, you will be able to reflect inwardly without feeling guilty. You will be able to treat heaven and earth and the ghosts and gods, and you will never be discouraged if your actions are not honest in your heart. If a person has nothing to be ashamed of, then the Lord of Heaven will be calm, and his mind will always be quick and tolerant. This is the first way to self-improvement in life, the first way to find medicine, and the first priority to protect oneself.

Secondly, respect makes the body strong: the word "respect" was used by Confucius to teach people, and it was also often said by scholar-bureaucrats in the Spring and Autumn Period. When it came to Cheng Zhu, he could say thousands of words without departing from this purpose. Internally, it is focused, quiet and pure, externally, it is orderly and solemn, showing respect. When you go out, you feel like you are seeing a distinguished guest, and the people feel like they are receiving a great sacrifice, and they have an atmosphere of respect. Cultivation of oneself to bring peace to the people, being respectful and respectful will bring peace to the world. This is the result of respect. Cheng Zi said: "When superiors and inferiors are respectful, then the heaven and earth will take their own place, all things will be self-cultivating, and there will be no disharmony in Qi. The four spirits will be in harmony, and wisdom and wisdom will all come from this. This is how the heaven and earth feed the emperor."

It is said that respect is perfect and unprepared. I say that the word "respect" has a close effect, especially in its ability to strengthen the bonds of skin and muscles. Being solemn and respectful is getting stronger day by day, and peace and quiet are getting stronger day by day. They are all natural responses. Even though he has an old and sick body, when sacrifices are being made in altars and temples, or when battles are in danger, he will not feel the spirit being frightened and the energy being invigorated. This is enough to know that respect can make a person strong. If there are no crowds, no matter how big or small, if everyone is respectful and can't be slow, then there is no doubt that the body is strong.

The third is to seek benevolence and people will be happy: All human beings are born with the principles of heaven and earth to form their nature, and the energy of heaven and earth to take shape. I and the people all come from the same origin. If you only know how to be selfish but do not know how to be kind to the people and love things, you will have gone against and lost the principle of one source. As for honoring officials, being generous and remunerative, and being high above others, they have the responsibility to save the people from drowning and starvation; reading and studying the ancients, and having a rough understanding of the great righteousness, means that they have the responsibility to realize it later. If you only know yourself, but don't know how to educate the common people, then you will be living up to the great injustice that Heaven has done to you. Confucius teaches people that there is nothing more important than seeking benevolence, and the most important thing is to use the words "I want to establish people, I want to reach people." A person who is established is self-reliant and not afraid, just like a rich man who has more than enough and does not ask for help from others. Those who reach great heights can reach all directions, just like when a noble man ascends a high place and calls out, all the mountains respond to him. People don't want to establish themselves and achieve their goals. If they can promote others and achieve others, they will be like the spring of things. Those who seek benevolence in later generations should not be more careful than Zhang Zi's "Xi Ming". He regards the people and things, and promotes the ethics of the group. They are all natural things that follow the nature of heaven. If they must be like this, they can be called human beings. If they are not like this, then they are called Those who violate morality are called thieves. As it is said, although all the people have established the world, all the people have reached the world, but they have not done enough good work, are there any people who are displeased and return home?

The fourth is to practice hard work and become a god: Mortal people are not fond of leisure and hate working. No matter high or low, wise or stupid, old or young, all are greedy for ease and afraid of hard work. This is the same in ancient and modern times. If the clothes a person wears and the food he eats in a day are commensurate with the things he does in a day and the strength he uses, others will look at him and ghosts and gods will make promises about him, thinking that he has to rely on his own strength. If a farmer and a weaver work diligently all year round, they can make several stones of millet and several feet of cloth; but if a wealthy family lives in leisure all year round and does not have any business, their food will be rare, their clothes will be beautiful, and they will sleep soundly and soundly. No, this is the most unfair thing in the world, and it is not allowed by ghosts and gods! How long can it last? The ancient sage kings and virtuous ministers, if the ignorance of Tang Dynasty was not obvious, King Wen would not miss it day and night, and the Duke of Zhou would work day and night, waiting for dawn, and never fail to encourage himself with hard work.

In the article "Wu Yi", it is said that diligence will lead to longevity, and Yi will lead to premature death, which has always been unpleasant. To plan for one's own life, one must practice skills and hone one's muscles and bones, to practice hard knowledge and practice, and to worry about dangers, and then one can increase one's wisdom and knowledge. Yu the Great lived in Zhou Dynasty for four years, but could not pass through the door; Mozi rubbed his head and lowered his heels to benefit the world; they were both extremely frugal in devoting themselves to life, and extremely diligent in saving the people. Therefore, Xunzi likes to praise Dayu's journey to Mo Zhai for his diligence. Since the rise of the army, every time I see people with talents and skills who are able to withstand hardships, I see them being used by others and become famous in time. Those who have no talent or skills and are not used to hard work will be cast aside by the time and die of hunger and cold. Therefore, if you are diligent, you will live long, if you are lazy, you will die young; if you are diligent, you will be able to find use, if you are incompetent, you will be abandoned; if you are diligent, you will benefit the people, and the gods will admire you; if you are lazy, you will not be helpful to others, but the gods and ghosts will not admire you. Therefore, if a gentleman wants to be supported by humans and gods, there is nothing more important than practicing hard work.

In his remaining years, he was prone to many illnesses, and his eye disease became increasingly severe and difficult to recover from. Among you and your nephews, there are few who are physically strong. When a gentleman in ancient times cultivates himself and manages his family, he will be able to have a peaceful mind and a strong body, and then there will be signs of revitalization; he will make people happy, and then there will be auspiciousness in parallel gatherings. These four articles are written today. In old age, you should be respectful and vigilant to make up for the gains of the past years. You should also ask your two sons to encourage each other. Use these four instructions every night to teach, and end each month with these four instructions. I still send it to my nephews to guard it in the hope of success.

On a certain day and month in the 10th year of Tongzhi, the Jinling Festival was held.

Interpretation

Article 1: Be cautious and alone, and you will have peace of mind. Self-cultivation is nothing more difficult than cultivating the mind. Although you know in your heart that there is good and evil, but you cannot really do your best to do good and avoid evil, you are deceiving yourself. Whether you are deceiving yourself in your heart or not, others don’t know, only you know. Therefore, the chapter "Sincerity" in "The Great Learning" mentions caution twice. If we can really like good things as we like beautiful women, hate evil things as we hate bad smells, and try our best to get rid of human desires and maintain the natural principles, then the "self-restraint" mentioned in "The Great Learning" and the "caution and caution" mentioned in "The Doctrine of the Mean" Fear" can be achieved realistically. Zengzi said that having a clear conscience can be achieved by all the people in the world, Mencius said that one can admire the state of having a clear conscience, and that there is no better way to nourish the heart than abstaining from desires. These are all contents.

Therefore, if you can be careful about yourself, you will not feel guilty when you reflect on yourself, you can be worthy of the ghosts and gods of heaven and earth, and you will definitely not behave unfavorably and cause uneasiness. If a person does not feel ashamed of anything in his heart, he will be calm and always feel happy and peaceful. This is the first way to self-improvement in life, the best way to have fun, and the first priority to maintain oneself.

The second rule is that if you are respectful, your body will be strong. The word "respect" was used by Confucius and Mencius to educate people. Scholar-officials in the Spring and Autumn Period also often mentioned it. Thousands of words spoken by Er Cheng and Zhu Zi are inseparable from the theme of "respect". Being calm and pure on the inside, without distracting thoughts, and neat and serious on the outside, this is the skill of respect. Going out is like meeting important guests, and serving the people is like participating in a grand sacrificial event. This is the atmosphere of respect. Inner cultivation will bring peace to the people of the world, and sincerity and respect will bring peace to the world. This is the effect of respect. Cheng Zi said that if everyone is respectful from top to bottom, then the heaven and earth will be in their own right, all things will be nurtured by themselves, the weather will be smooth, all kinds of auspiciousness will appear, and people's wisdom and wisdom will also come from this. In this way, you can honor God and make the emperor satisfied. Therefore, if you say respect, all good things will come together.

I think "respect" has the most immediate effect on people, especially in making people healthy. If a person is dignified, his body will become stronger and stronger; if a person is greedy for ease, his body will become worse and worse. This is all natural. Even if you are old and sick, you will feel refreshed when you encounter major events such as temple festivals, or encounter critical moments on the battlefield. This alone is enough to prove that "respect" can make people physically strong. . If people can do things respectfully one by one, no matter how small or large they are, and no matter how big or small they are, without daring to slack off, then the body must be strong, so what is there to doubt?

Article 3: If we pursue benevolence, people will feel happy. When ordinary people are born, they are endowed with the principles of heaven and earth to form their nature, and they receive the energy of heaven and earth to form their bodies. I, the people and all things in the world are fundamentally from the same origin. If you only know how to cherish yourself and don't know how to think about the people and all things in the world, then it violates this fundamental unity. As for being a high official, enjoying a generous salary and being above the common people, he has the responsibility to save the common people from pain and hunger. Reading the books of sages and learning from the ancients, and roughly understanding their righteousness, will have the responsibility of enlightening those who do not know the righteousness. If I only know about self-improvement but not about educating the people, I will greatly let down God’s intention to treat me favorably. The most important thing in Confucian education is to educate people to pursue benevolence, and the most urgent one is "If you want to achieve your career, you must first help others achieve their careers. If you want to be successful, you must first help others achieve their career." talk.

People who have already achieved success do not need to worry about whether they can succeed, just like the rich are already rich and do not need to borrow from others; those who have already achieved success have many ways to continue to achieve success, such as When a person of high status calls out from a high place, many people will respond from all sides. How can a person not want to achieve his own career and make himself famous? If you can promote yourself and others, so that others can achieve their careers and become prominent, then it will be as happy as the rejuvenation of all things.

No one in later generations talked about the pursuit of benevolence more than Zhang Zai's "Xi Ming". He believed that promoting benevolence to the people and all things in the world, and benefiting all people in the world, are the things that people who respect God should do. Only by doing this can one be considered a human being. Otherwise, it violates the principles of being a human being and can only be regarded as a thief. If people are really as Zhang Zai said, then if everyone in the world can achieve success and be prominent, but he works hard without complaining, who in the world can not support him wholeheartedly?

Article 4: If you are used to hard work, God will admire you. It is human nature that no one dislikes leisure and hates hard work. No matter noble or humble, wise or foolish, old or young, they all covet ease and are afraid of hard work. This is the same in ancient and modern times. If the clothes a person wears and the food he eats in a day are commensurate with the things he does and the effort he exerts in a day, then others will recognize him, and ghosts and gods will agree, thinking that he is self-reliant. As for the farmers who farm and the women who weave, they work hard all year round, but only get a few stones of millet and a few feet of cloth; while the wealthy families live in ease and enjoyment all year round, doing nothing, eating delicacies from the mountains and seas, and wearing silks and satins. , raising many slaves, sleeping peacefully, and answering hundreds of calls. This is the most unfair thing in the world. Even ghosts and gods will not approve of it. Can this last long? Ancient sage monarchs and virtuous prime ministers, such as Tang of Shang who worked all night long, King Wen of Zhou who had no time to eat, and Duke Zhou who forgot to eat and sleep and sat waiting for dawn, always motivated themselves with hard work.

In the chapter "Wu Yi", it is inferred that if people are diligent, they will live long, and if people are greedy for ease, they will die young. This has been tried and tested. For your own sake, you must practice your skills, hone your muscles and bones, keep learning when you encounter confusion, constantly encourage yourself to practice it, and be prepared for danger in times of peace. In this way, wisdom and talents will increase. For the sake of the world, you must endure hunger and toil yourself. As long as one person has no harvest, it should be regarded as his own sin. Dayu worked hard to control the floods and never entered his house three times. Mozi worked hard to benefit the people of the world. They were both very frugal and spared no effort to save the people. Xunzi favored the behavior of Yu and Mozi because of their diligence.

Since the rise of the military, it has often been seen that people with skills and the ability to endure hardships can be hired and praised by people at that time. And those who had no talent, no skills, and were not used to hard work were despised by the people at that time, and eventually died of cold and hunger. Therefore, those who are diligent will live long, and those who are comfortable will die young; those who are diligent will have talents and can be used by others; those who are comfortable will have no talents and will be abandoned by others. If you are diligent, you can help all living beings, and even the gods will admire you; if you are comfortable, you have no value, and neither gods nor ghosts will bless you. Therefore, if a gentleman wants to be someone who can be trusted by both people and God, the most important thing is to be accustomed to hard work.

As I reach old age, I have become sickly and my eye problems have become more and more severe. It is difficult to change this situation. Among you and your nephews, few are physically strong. In ancient times, when a gentleman cultivated himself and managed the family business, he had to be strong physically and mentally, and then he could revitalize the family business; he had to make everyone obey the ghosts and gods, and then all kinds of luck would come. Now I write these four daily lessons. On the one hand, I use them to motivate myself when I am old to make up for my past shortcomings. At the same time, I also want to encourage my two sons to follow these four lessons every night. At the end of each month, I use Check these four items. At the same time, I send this to all my nephews, hoping that they can achieve something.