Zeng Guofan paid homage to Hou Xiang before his death, which was glorious in Manchu Dynasty. After his death, he left no property, fields, gold and silver treasures, only a rich collection of books on the first floor and a famous will for future generations. He thought for a long time, summed up his life's income into four articles, and carefully wrote them down, asking his son to hang the main hall and read it every day, but it is not easy to follow and pass it on from generation to generation.
The fourth day of February in the eleventh year of Tongzhi (1872) was a sad day for Zeng Guofan. 15 years ago, my father died on the fourth day of February. On this day, he worshipped his father's memorial tablet and asked his son, Zhangze, to help him walk in the garden. He said to Ji Ze: "I have fought many wars in my life, and fighting is the most harmful thing. I have done evil. There will be no more soldiers fighting in my family. " The father and son were chatting at home and unconsciously approached a bamboo forest. Suddenly, a gust of wind blew, and Zeng Guofan even shouted "numbness" and threw himself on his son. When he was helped into the room, Zeng Guofan could no longer speak. He pointed to the table: this is his will. Ceng Jize hands spread out the paper and read aloud in a trembling voice:
Yu Tong has been an official for more than 30 years, but he has achieved nothing in his studies, and his virtue is hard to see. The old man was hurt and ashamed. Today, I want to say goodbye forever. I want to teach your brother four things.
When you are cautious, you will feel at ease. Self-study is not difficult to cultivate the mind; It is difficult to raise your heart, but you should also be cautious. If you are cautious, you will be introspective and innocent, and you will be geological and supernatural. No one is ashamed, then Tianjun is calm, and this kind of heart is often lenient. This is the first road to self-improvement in life, the first road to happiness, and the first road to physical fitness.
? Second, the Lord is strong. Quiet and unified internally, neat and serious externally, and exquisite; Go out, see the distinguished guests, sacrifice for the people and respect the sky; Self-cultivation is to protect the people, the world is peaceful, and it is also effective to respect each other. Smart and wise, all from this. Zhuang Jing is strong every day, and Anse steals every day. If no one, big or small, respects and dares not slack off, then no matter how strong the body is, what is there to doubt?
Third, seeking benevolence makes people happy. Every mortal's life is shaped by the principle of heaven and earth and the qi of heaven and earth. I have the same roots as the people. If you know yourself but don't know what people love, then you have lost the way to the source of great books. As for respecting officials and being generous, they have the responsibility to save the people from fire, water and hunger. As a lesson from the past, there is a general principle, that is, after feeling, you have the responsibility to feel. Confucius taught people not only to seek benevolence, but also to learn from others. Who is not happy to return home when he has become a great event?
Fourth, learning to work is a god. What a person wears in a day is commensurate with what he does in a day, so others will do it, and ghosts and gods will allow him to think that he is independent. If farmers weave girls all the year round and work hard to make a few feet of cloth, and rich children are happy all the year round and don't run businesses, but the food will be delicious, the clothes will be splendid, and the ghosts and gods will not agree to the most uneven things in the world. How long will it last? Ancient sages and sages are always trying to encourage themselves. For a plan, you must practice your skills, hone your bones and muscles, walk in difficulties and worry about dangers, so that you can grow your wisdom and gain knowledge. If you think about the world, you will starve yourself and drown yourself. If you don't die, you will be called an ancient jade. Dayu and Mozi are diligent for themselves and diligent for the people. Diligence leads to longevity, and evasion leads to death; Diligence leads to the best use of everything, and leisure leads to something for nothing; Diligence makes the people rich and the gods envious, while fleeing makes people not help ghosts and worry.
-These four articles are the fruits of ten years in other parts of the world. Your brother recorded the trip and passed it on to his descendants. Then Yu Zeng's family can live forever and have talents.
After the son finished reading, Zeng Guofan tried to point to his chest. Ji and Hong said together, "We must keep our father's teachings in mind!" Zeng Guofan had a little smile on his face and died.
Zeng Guofan's will has a far-reaching impact on later generations. None of the descendants of the Zeng family led troops to fight, but they left a last word. Ceng Jize became an official and engaged in diplomatic work after Zeng Guofan's death. Zeng Ji Hong was an official all his life, specializing in mathematics; Although the great-grandson is a scholar, he stayed in Hanlin. Great-great-grandchildren and great-grandchildren mostly went abroad to study. None of them set foot in the military and political circles. They all worked in education, science and culture, and many of them became famous experts and scholars.
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Zeng Guofan's quotations from family instructions
Hard work, the first expensive to get up early, the second expensive; Where there is no seed in the general, there is no seed in the sage hero. As long as people are willing to make up their minds, they can do it.
Quoted from December 14th, the second year of Jirui Tongzhi.
When reading, Gai scholars should be ambitious, knowledgeable and persistent. Ambition is not dirty. If you have knowledge, you will know that knowledge is endless. One thing cannot be self-sufficient. If you have perseverance, you will never fail. These three are indispensable.
Quoted from Zeng Guofan's letter P. 16
Meditation, a healthy mind, must go to the field of "the status of heaven, everything is nurtured"; Meditation, this heart must always be full of vitality. Why do you try your best to get rid of distractions? Encourage it!
Quoted from Zeng Guofan Juexue P.3749
My brothers study at home, no matter how hard they study every day. From the first day of October, I was determined to turn over a new leaf. Although I am as lazy as ever, I have kept a diary in regular script every day, read ten pages of history every day, and occasionally say a topic in each diary. These three things have not stopped for a day. 1October 2 1 day, I swear never to eat hookah again. I haven't smoked for two months now, and I'm used to it. There are many courses of self-reliance, but those who remember to have a heart-to-heart talk after a meal, read ten aspects of history and keep a diary will swear to be uninterrupted for life. Every brother must make constant efforts to learn the course by himself. Although he goes by boat, he must take them with him. Apart from these three things, he doesn't have to succeed in his course. It will last a lifetime.
Quoted from Zeng Guofan's letter P. 15
There are endless ways to learn, but perseverance is always the most important.
If everything is thoughtful and curious, why not make rapid progress in one day?
Don't work too hard, try to be persistent.
Be a teacher by example, be strict and unchangeable.
Quoted from Zeng Guofan's letters p.631,299, 1 12 1.
Twelve-style self-cultivation:
1, main aspects: neat and serious, always careless. When there is nothing, the heart is in the cavity; When doing things, be single-minded and not miscellaneous, such as rising day by day.
2. Sit-in: As long as you sit for half an hour every day, you will experience the kindness of being quiet and living in the sun, and you will be as quiet as a town.
3, get up early: wake up when you wake up, don't fall in love when you wake up.
4, reading is not the only thing: if you don't finish reading a book, don't read his book, read the east and the west, follow the outside world, and the daily rate is ten leaves.
5, reading history: C subscribes to twenty-three histories and reads ten leaves a day, although some things are uninterrupted.
6, be careful: attention is the first time.
7. Nourish qi: You can say something to the people in the gas storage.
8. Protect yourself: frugality and abstinence will always be a disease.
9. God knows his death: I will say one in every diary. It can be divided into virtue, knowledge, economy and art.
10, don't forget the month: write a few poems every month to test the accumulated amount and the prosperity of qi. You can't worry blindly, it's the easiest to drown your heart.
1 1. Writing: Write for half an hour after breakfast. The place where pen and ink entertain is your homework. If you don't leave it to tomorrow, the more you accumulate, the harder it will be.
12, don't go out at night: exhausted, cut the ring!
Quoted from Zeng Guofan's Notes on Mind, p. 96
Besides reading, it is also excellent for sons and nephews to teach them to clean the house, clean tables and stools, collect dung and weed, and they must never do anything to damage the shelf.
Keep fish, dogs, bamboo and vegetables at home. You can't ignore it. On the one hand, I inherited my grandfather's family style, on the other hand, I hope there is an anger outside. There is a sense of excitement in going to court.
Quoted from Zeng Guofan's Notes on Mind, p. 169.
Ordinary people's feelings, avoidance and aversion to work are all bad. No matter how noble, humble, intelligent, stupid and old, they are greedy and afraid of work, and the same is true of ancient and modern communication. The clothes a person wears, the food he eats and the things he does in a day are commensurate with his strength, so others will make them, and ghosts and gods will make them, thinking that they are self-reliant. If farmers weave girls all the year round, they can make a few drops of stones and feet of cloth, while a rich family will be happy all the year round, will not run a business, will have delicious and beautiful clothes and have a good sleep. What is the most unfair thing in this world, and ghosts and gods will not allow it to continue?
Ancient sages and sages, if the soup is ambiguous and the king of Wen is not satisfied, the Duke of Zhou waits, and the beggars' sect is always diligent and self-motivated. The article "Don't escape", if you push it diligently, you will live a long life, and if you escape, you will die young and feel uncomfortable. As a whole, you must practice your skills, temper your bones and muscles, fight against difficulties and worry about danger, so that you can increase your wisdom and knowledge; If you think about the world, you will starve yourself and drown yourself. If you can't find a husband, you will be taken to Guyu. Dayu spent four years in the ship, but he couldn't get through the door. Mozi was enthusiastic about helping the world, diligent in serving the body and diligent in serving the people. Therefore, Xunzi is called the trip to Dayu and Mo Zhai because of his diligence.
From the beginning of the army, anyone who has a skill and can bear hardships has been used, which is called time; He has no material skills and is not used to working; Everyone will starve to death when they are abandoned in time. Therefore, diligence leads to longevity, and escape leads to death; Diligent and useful, escape from incompetence and be abandoned; Diligence helps the people, the gods admire it, and escaping from it does not help the people, regardless of ghosts and gods. Relying on God is a gentleman's desire, which is greater than studying hard.
On the third day of November in the ninth year of Tongzhi, I learned to work hard and respect God.
Mortals prefer their descendants to be big officials, but I don't want to be big officials. I hope to be a sensible gentleman. Diligence and self-control, hard work and hardship, can be happy and can be controlled. This gentleman also. All wealth and fame are predestined, half by manpower and half by nature. Only learning to be a saint is your own business, and you don't interfere in your destiny.
Quoted from Zeng Guofan's Mind Notes, page 20065438+the first godson book in September 19 0856.
In all families, you can keep the word thrift in a few minutes without giving up; If you get nothing, you are unbeaten. Harmony can be maintained for a few minutes without disappointment; No one is invincible. My brothers will try to test these three words in the countryside, and they will take my words as true.
Quoted from Zeng Guofan's letter P. 1 12
Three pleasures: combining work and rest, one pleasure; Eliminating jealousy is easy and interesting; Reading becomes a stone, and three pleasures are also.
Eight virtues: diligence, frugality, rigidity, openness, loyalty, forgiveness, modesty and modesty.
Quoted from Zeng Guofan's Notes on Mind, p. 230.
The success or failure of life is related to the merits and demerits of friends, so we must not be careless.
On the 17th day of the first month of the 23rd year of Daoguang, I went to Wen Chengdi Yuan Di Diji.
From ancient emperors to generals, no one can fail to regard self-reliance and self-improvement as sages. Each has his own way of self-reliance, so he can stand alone and be fearless.
Quoted from Zeng Guofan's letter P.2 16
If you do less work, you can live comfortably, and if you are willing to do less work, you will suffer.
Hard bones and muscles are stronger, and spoiled energy is weaker.
If you can anger to support your health, you can make progress day by day with perseverance and inspiration.
My grandfather teaches people, and he is ashamed of the word cowardice and rigidity. Therefore, a man must be stubborn and self-reliant.
Quoted from The Complete Works of Zeng Guofan
Caring is to hone the hero, Yu Ruyu Cheng. Li Shenfu didn't say anything about the anger of gulls, but just endured it blindly, and Xu Tu also improved himself. As the saying goes, "Heroes bite their teeth and swallow blood." These two languages are the keys to the rest of my life.
Quoted from Zeng Guofan's Notes on Mind, page 54.
When I am frustrated and humiliated, I must be clear about my inspiration, save my strength and gain wisdom, and I must not feel ashamed.
Quoted from Zeng Guofan's letter on page 323
Family failure is inseparable from luxury, people failure is inseparable from escape, and people failure is inseparable from arrogance.
Quoted from Zeng Guofan's letter P. 15 16
Young sons and nephews should always receive polite education. Go out often, don't use chariots and horses, it will make you arrogant and lazy. Once appeased, twice appeased, three appeased, it is difficult to change your arrogance in the future, and you should not be careless.
Quoted from Zeng Guofan's letter P.3 1
Therefore, we work hard, try to get rid of the arrogance, and try to avoid complacency, so as not to be laughed at. There is progress.
In ancient times, brave and defeated people had two sides: pride and talkativeness.
Dragons are proud, but they talk too much. They have experienced the rise and fall of the Qing Dynasty and the recent officialdom, so they have to be cardinals, so they should learn from their brothers.
The mediocre people in the world are defeated by a lazy word, and the talented people in the world are defeated by a proud word.
Regarding defeat, either pride or laziness must be one of them; The failure of Jushi is either arrogance or laziness, and the two must be one of them.
Avoid talking wildly, take not laughing easily as the first meaning, avoid being lazy, and take it as the first meaning.
Pride is evil, laziness is bad. Both are ways to defeat the family. Nothing is better than getting up early. There is no better way to guard against arrogance and rashness than walking more and sitting less in sedan chairs.
Quoted from Zeng Guofan's letters P. 129, 13 1, 18 1, 198.
Children of al-Qaeda officials are used to talking and showing off. They often despise teachers and laugh at people who are short. This is arrogance. From arrogant words to extravagant words, from obscene words to obscene words, all evils are committed, and all disadvantages come from arrogant words. Children's arrogance is mostly due to the fact that their fathers and brothers are officials. If they are lucky, they will be lucky enough to show off their official positions. So they forget their low skills, poor knowledge and conceit, so that their children are arrogant and don't know it. If you want to make some achievements, you must first try to get rid of this habit and avoid its arrogance; If you want to ban the arrogance of sons and nephews, first stop the conceit and complacency in my heart. I am willing to encourage myself all my life.
Diary of the seventeenth day of the first month of the seventh year of Tongzhi.
My younger brothers always obey the rules, so my younger brother is my mentor and friend. The younger brothers should always be in awe, don't say that someone in the family is an official, but dare to insult others; Don't say you have literature, but you dare to rely on your talent. Keeping this in mind is the way to carry happiness.
On the fifth day of May in the 25th year of Daoguang, I went to Yuan Di, Wen Chengdi.
Think about the ancient saints, nothing more than being kind to people. To teach people by words is to teach people by kindness; To educate people with moral education is to educate people with kindness, which is also good for others.
The way of a gentleman is nothing more than this; Learning from Confucianism is nothing more than this. Zhong Ni is an impermanent teacher, that is, being kind to others; If you do nothing, you will be good to others. To enjoy it is to treat others as good; To teach others tirelessly is to be kind to others.
Diary of the 21st day of the first month of the second year of Tongzhi.
When you are cautious, you will feel at ease; Second, the Lord respects strength; Third, seeking benevolence makes people happy; Fourth, learning to work is a god.
Quoted from Zeng Guofan's letter on page 668
If I don't start my own business, I will come soon, covering the years when the ancients studied, but I am still like this, and I don't regret it! For example, in the past, people fought constantly, lost their morality and wisdom, and went to a filthy place. However, it was clear that my husband was ill, so he was wise and relieved, so he died, and my servant followed Anshun to learn from the Chinese, so he was willing to work hard and go out. I hope it will be difficult! He created his own cloud by writing five proverbs.
1, determined to praise.
Brilliant and wise, he's not Jewish? Shy boys are also parents. Wise and blessed, everything you give me is thick! It is a terrible disaster to abandon the sky and die. A thousand years of regret will eventually come to an end; Don't chase after it, please start now! Lotus Road bows with words; Once you live, you will live forever.
2. Jujing Town.
Positioning heaven and earth, second five embryos; How to match Ding is actually talking about three talents. Ke Yan Zhai Ming wants to condense your life; Women are not Zhuang and proud. Who can be slow? What can be done? The worrier does nothing, and the worrier reneges on your word, which is arrogance; People are women, and the punishment is clear.
3, the main static.
When you stay in the sun, the rooster crows and everything stops, but you hear the bell. There are poisonous snakes in the back and tigers in the front. God will not be intimidated. Who dares to insult me? How can Iraq avoid people's eyes and ears and how can Japan face the three armed forces? I'm worried about one thing, which is not controversial. Chi Yu spent half his life, but he couldn't help it; I'm old now, and I'm bored to death!
4. Be careful.
Clever words please and disturb people; The rumor spread to the sun, which alarmed the goddess. Those who know don't boast, and those who boast don't understand; Hearsay makes a fool of yourself. People who are scared will eventually understand that women are really cheating. A man who laughs looks down on a woman, though he will hesitate. Especially regretful, I will attack it; After reading the inscription, the woman was embarrassed.
5, there are constant suggestions.
Self-literacy, a hundred years; Twenty has eight years, but I don't know anything. Those who are embarrassed by it look contemptuous; So throw away the old ones and have a new rotation. Virtue is not vulgar, it is called a thing. Never heard of food again. The increment of millet is a long-term struggle; God commands you to let the horse go.
Quoted from Zeng Guofan's letter on page 44
Brothers, sons and nephews at home should only remember Grandpa's eight words, saying, "Take an examination, treasure, morning, sweep, book, vegetable, fish and pig". There are also eight books in my diary, which say, "Reading is based on exegesis, writing poetry is based on tone, caring for relatives is based on gaining goodwill, keeping in good health is based on avoiding anger, keeping in good health is based on not talking nonsense, staying at home is based on not being able to do anything, being an official is based on not asking for money, and marching is based on not disturbing the people." These eight books are all based on experience, and I will teach my sons and nephews to keep them in mind. No matter the chaos in the world or the wealth of the family, as long as they can keep the eight books of Xinggang and the other eight books, they will always be regarded as excellent families.
Diary of the seventeenth day of the first month of the seventh year of Tongzhi.
I have written a big volume recently. There are five first seal scripts, 48 second block letters and more than 2,000 lower case letters, and there is a gap in the middle. Ji Ze was ordered to find the portraits of these 32 people and draw them after the seal scripts and before the block letters. I've never learned it in my life, but I saw its greatness in the learning style of the ancients, so I want to show my feelings.
A letter quoted from Zeng Guofan
A sea of books, if there are many writers, it is impossible for a person to get drunk with his stomach. Just choose carefully. I chose more than 30 ancient and modern sages and asked my son Ji Zetu to paint his portrait, all in a scroll and hidden in the school. Heirs are interested in reading, and they don't have to be ambitious, so is Sven Chuan.
Thirty-two people are:
Zhou Wen, Confucius and Mencius: Zhou Wenwang, Zhou Gongdan, Kong Qiu and Monk.
Banma Zuozhuang: Ban Gu, Sima Qian, Zuo Qiuming, Zhuang Zhou.
Zhuge Liang, Lu Zhi, Fan Zhongyan and Sima Guang.
Zhou Zhang: Zhou Dunyi, Cheng Hao, Cheng Yi, Zhu, Zhang Zai.
Liu Hanou Zeng: Han Yu, Liu Zongyuan, Ouyang Xiu, Ceng Gong.
Du Lisu Huang: Li Bai, Du Fu, Su Shi, Huang Tingjian.
Duma Xú Zhēng: Xu Shen, Zheng Xuan, Du You and Ma Duanlin.
Ancient Kings: Gu, Qin, Yao Nai and Wang Niansun.
Portrait of a saint P.3586
Those who have achieved great things in ancient times have both large scale and small overall situation.
Taking the word "farming and reading" as the foundation is the long-term solution.
Quoted from The Complete Works of Zeng Guofan
Reading classics, reading history, reading albums and reasoning science is absolutely impossible for people with will. When a saint rises again, he will follow my words. However, this is only for those who are ambitious.
Quoted from Zeng Guofan's letter on page 22
You don't have to learn more words every day, but you can make a hundred words. You don't have to recite many books, you can hear it in ten pages. You can read ten pages without reading many books. But you can't change a department until it is finished. It's never easy Brother teaches you thousands of miles, that's all.
Quoted from Zeng Guofan's letter on page 43
It's ok to learn the Chinese characters of Qianziwen, but it must be regular. If you keep posting a hundred words every day, you will become a calligrapher in a few years.
Quoted from Zeng Guofan's letter P.3 1
The way to read history is to put yourself in others' shoes. Every time I watch it, I will entertain people at that time and laugh in it. Everyone doesn't have to remember, but remembering someone is like finding that person; You don't have to remember everything, but remembering one thing is like kissing it. Learn from poverty and learn from history. Without these two, there is nothing to learn.
On the 17th day of the first month of the 23rd year of Daoguang, I went to Wen Chengdi Yuan Di Diji.
Everything is expensive and professional. If you don't specialize in teachers, there will be no income; If you don't ask for friends, you love not to kiss. In order to expand one's knowledge, it is also necessary to learn from others. There is nothing to study specifically, but it is a big deal to see different ideas moving.
Quoted from Zeng Guofan's letter on page 37
And if you can stand on your own feet, you can study at home, that is, in the wilderness, in the busy fields, and among paid herders. If you can't stand on your own feet, you can't study at home, that is, in the pure land and the celestial world. Why choose land? Why choose the time? But ask yourself if it's true!
Quoted from Zeng Guofan's letter p.8.
The ambition of a gentleman is also a matter of people, and the amount of things is also the industry of being a saint inside and a king outside, and then regardless of the lives of parents, it is worthy of being perfect. Therefore, it is a worry, and it is not as good as Shun and Duke Zhou, and it is also a worry of virtue without learning. Therefore, stubborn people worry about it, barbarians worry about it in summer, villains worry about it when they are in power, and ordinary women worry about it when they are overreached. This is called compassion, and this gentleman is also worried about it. The husband bends over and stretches, the family is hungry, the worldly honor and disgrace gains and losses. A gentleman cannot stop worrying about this.
Quoted from Zeng Guofan's letter on page 9.
If a guy doesn't study, that is, if he calls himself a scholar, he will engage in "university". "University" has three programs: moral integrity, new people and perfection, all of which are internal affairs. What's the use of reading if you can't be considerate of your body and say that these three things have nothing to do with my body? Although he can write poems to brag, he can only be regarded as a literate herdsman and slave! Can you call it a reasonable and useful person? The selection of officials by the imperial court means that they can speak for the sages, understand the sages' truth and make a trip to the sages, so that they can stay in their official positions and lead the people. If we regard Mingde and Xinmin as special things, we can write poems, but we don't really talk about the way of governing the country. Why is it different for the imperial court to use these people as officials and pig slaves as officials? However, since I call myself a scholar, the program of "University" is clear. There are eight items in it, self-observation, and only two things contribute to it: saying "good words" and "sincerity".
Wu Ge, know the problem; Sincerity, what you do. What is this thing? The so-called world affairs are also. Body, mind, mind, knowledge, home, country and the world are all things, and everything in the world is also things, and what we often do every day is also things. Gezhe, that is, material poverty. If things are pro-provincial, things are also. The reason why we want to pro-provincial is that things are also. A brother goes with you, and things are there. The reason why he should go with you is that things are there. My mind, things are also, investigate its intentional reasons, explore its cultivation with intentional reasons, that is, things are also. My body, things also, investigate its principle of respecting the body and explore its principle of respecting the body by sitting upright, that is, respecting things. Every sentence in the book you read every day is content; It is also a matter to observe yourself and find out the reason in poverty. This knowledge is also. The so-called sincerity. That is, what he knows and does is not bullying. If you know a word, you can do it. That's what you do. The two go hand in hand, release is here, and arrival is here.
Quoted from Zeng Guofan's letter on page 9.
We study. There are only two points: first, carry forward morality, emphasize honesty and integrity, and be carefree; When a person studies, he practices the art of reciting words and chapters in order to defend himself. Protecting your body is more important than finding food. These two are up to me. If you have a ruler, you will have my ruler, and if you have an inch, you will have my inch. Today, I gained a virtue and accumulated a liter of grain; If you take a class alone tomorrow, you will have a penny left, moral education will increase, and furniture will start tomorrow.
Quoted from The Complete Works of Zeng Guofan
My brothers can't read too much. You should work hard and not always be an official for Kodi.
When you are tutoring your son and nephew, you must always be diligent and respectful. In troubled times, justice rules the world, among all the families. There is no loser who can be diligent and respectful, and there is no unbeaten who is not diligent and disrespectful.
I don't want wealth to be passed down from generation to generation, but I hope that scholars will pass it down from generation to generation. A scholar is the seed of reading and the symbol of a noble family. The flag of propriety and righteousness.
Quoted from Zeng Guofan's letter on page 899
Jize's birthday poems are fairly stable, but there are too few algae and lack of charm. Try to read Geng Zishan's "Jiangnan Fu" for a hundred times, lead it to the emotional place, and it will be self-generated.
Quoted from Zeng Guofan's letter on page 206
The way of reading
First, set a route:
Daily course: read ten pages. Listen, you should read ten pages. Learn a hundred words, and count them as 108. Write a gap (diary). Let's talk after tea.
Monthly course: write a reply every three days. Every eighth day, I write poetry and ancient prose. (Familiar readings are: Book of Changes, Book of Songs, Historical Records, Ming History, Qu Zi, Zhuangzi, Du Shi and Korean)
Second, mouth to mouth.
The books I read every day are circled; Reading is based on tone, so you can't get its grand outline without reciting aloud, and you can't explore its far-reaching charm without reciting quietly.
Third, we must achieve "three haves" and "three laws"
"Three haves" means, first, to be ambitious, second, to be knowledgeable, and third, to be persistent.
The "three principles" are consistency, professionalism and tolerance.
"About", reading is like a struggle between thousands of lives. There must be a main vein, you can grasp the sacred principle, and other minor problems can be bypassed.
"Specialization", seeking the essence of the industry, there is no other way, saying that it is specialized. Ordinary people do one thing. Focus on specialization, and disperse with the struggle. Xunzi said that the ears are not listening, but listening, and the eyes are invisible. Zhuangzi said that the use of ambition is not controversial. It's condensed in God, and it's all true. As the saying goes, "multi-skills don't cultivate one's health", that is to say, one is not an expert. Reading is like digging wells, but digging dozens of wells is not as good as springs. It's better to dig a well and see a spring.
Reading is always based on reciting classics, often giving lectures on history, and always doing as the Romans do every day. Don't change your ears after reading this book.
"resistance", reading classics has a formula of resistance to words. If you don't read the next sentence, you can't understand it today, but you can read it tomorrow; I'm not skilled this year, so I'll study next year. This is called tolerance. Don't stop when you are sleepy. After this pass, you can enter less. Go in again, get sleepy again, endure again, get excited again, and there will be a day of prosperity and progress. If you don't write, everything is difficult, and all that makes sense are heroes.
Fourth, we should "look, warm, study and think".
Reading should be accompanied by reading, heating, learning and thinking. "Reading students should be fast, and if you don't read much, you will be ignorant; Review old books with ease, but it's easy to forget if you don't recite them. Always think, otherwise it's better than being dumb, unable to speak, and a lame horse unable to fly. These four points are indispensable.
We should read, write and do at the same time. "Look" is cooked with "big fire"; "Reading" is like "chicken lays eggs". "Writing" refers to practicing calligraphy, and "writing" refers to composing music and reciting poems.
Excerpted from Zeng Guofan's Notes on Mind and Letters from Zeng Guofan.
Sages and heroes have been literati since ancient times. They have different ambitions, but the light in their chests is roughly the same. In the words of poetry, there must be an open-minded and bright knowledge first, and then there will be a feeling of calmness and harmony.
On March 24th, the second year of Tongzhi, I went to Yuan Di.
Yuefu, Gui Yue, Yuecheng, Yuerong, Yuyue and Yueshun, these numbers are my favorite and everyone likes them. Poverty, meanness, failure, humiliation, destruction, rebellion, what I hate, everyone hates it. Brother should start from the word "forgive" and put himself in the shoes everywhere. I want to stand firm step by step, knowing that others want to stand firm, so-called standing is also. I want to work everywhere, and I want to know that others have to work, so-called reaching out. Today I am in prosperity, and I expect there will be adversity in the future; Today, I bully others, and I expect others to bully me or my children. Always use the word "forgiveness" to warn yourself and always leave room for others, then there will be fewer thorns.
Quoted from Zeng Guofan's Notes on Mind, p. 237.
In silence, considering that there has been no poverty for hundreds of millions of years. Life is alive, there are dozens of cold and heat, only a moment; There is no discipline in tens of thousands of miles of the earth, and people sleep and rest in it. There is only one room ear during the day and only one couch ear at night. Ancient books and approachable writings are vast, and the vision of life can be achieved, but it is a drop in the bucket; There are many things to do and many ways to gain a good reputation. People who are capable in life are just an ear in Taicang.
If you know the length of the sky and what I have experienced is short-lived, you will encounter troubles and be less patient. Knowing that the land is big and the people are small, I will retreat to defend my daughter in case of honor, disgrace and benefit. Know more books but see fewer, don't be complacent about one, but choose the good and save it; Know more things, do less, dare not boast of their fame, think about it. If the husband is like this, the selfish and complacent view can be gradually eliminated.
Diary of April in the first year of Tongzhi