Speaking of Zeng Guofan, I believe everyone is familiar with it. We can often hear stories about this person in the history textbooks we study. Zeng Guofan was a famous official in the late Qing Dynasty, and he was also considered to be a perfect person who completed the virtues and meritorious service in Chinese culture. Zeng Guofan was very self-disciplined throughout his life. He strictly abided by the guidance of self-cultivation and moral integrity and perfectly practiced the Chinese Confucian doctrine of inner saint and outer king. He can be said to be one of the rare great masters in Chinese history.

When it comes to being busy, no one is busier than Zeng Guofan, but Zeng Guofan worked hard throughout his life and insisted on writing and keeping a diary to record his wisdom in life. Especially his letters home are profound and unpretentious, full of the wisdom of traditional Chinese culture. The fun Chinese culture selection of seven famous couplets by Zeng Guofan is dedicated to readers.

1. If you are not a sage, you will be a beast; don’t ask about harvest, but ask about hard work

This is Zeng Guofan’s motto, which profoundly reflects his lifelong pursuit and way of doing things. Regarding sages and beasts, this is the thought of the sub-sage Mencius. Mencius believed that people have moral values ??and human nature is good. If they can cultivate their nature with intention, everyone can be like Yao and Shun. On the contrary, if they lose their good intentions and only pursue those things such as fame and wealth, they will be like animals. Eating and sleeping makes no difference. Don’t ask about harvest but ask about hard work. In fact, it also refers to the Confucian idea of ??destiny. Confucianism believes that the way to be a human being is to do your best in people and affairs and know the destiny of heaven. As long as you work hard, you can calmly wait for the outcome of your destiny. A person who has not done his best is not qualified to talk about his destiny. In other words, if you don’t work hard, don’t blame the injustice of fate.

2. Do good to others and be kind to others; worry about life and enjoy life for life

The first couplet explains the way to be good. The way to do good is an important idea of ??Confucianism. Mencius believed that the greatest thing about Shun was his kindness and empathy with others, and his ability to inspire others to be good people and do good deeds. In the interaction between people, the best thing is to be kind to others, because in this way you will gain happiness and peace. The second couplet is also the thought of Mencius. Mencius emphasized the responsibility and responsibility of being happy with the world, worrying about the world, and putting the world first. Fan Zhongyan, Prime Minister of the Ming Dynasty in the Northern Song Dynasty, famously said that he should worry about the world's worries first, and rejoice after the world's happiness.

3. Feeding a bunch of spring means; supporting two poor bones

This is Zeng Guofan’s way of life. In fact, what it means is that a person must have a hard and a soft realm. The first couplet "Feeding a ball of spring" vividly explains how to behave and do things like spring, which can not only nourish all things, be tolerant of others, but also be able to stand up and nourish oneself. Everything must be positive and promising, no matter it is In good times or bad times, with the current or against the current, we must be as vibrant as spring. The second line of the second line "supports two poor bones", which means that people cannot just be "soft" and "inner holy". No matter what situation a person is in, the spine must be supported and cannot be bent. For the sake of your career, you cannot just compromise, you must stand tall, find a way out of adversity, and stand upright in the midst of hard work.

4. There is no easy situation in the world, and there is no difficult situation in the world. There will be joy in life, and there will be sorrow in life.

Easy situation is good situation, and difficult situation is adversity. Good times and bad times, happiness and sorrow, these are two sets of contradictions in life. They complement each other and are two sides of the same coin. Life is about maintaining a clear understanding. If you work hard, nothing will be difficult in the world, but if you are lazy, you will never achieve anything. Where is the happiness of a person's life, which lies in the indifference of a clear heart. Where is the worry of a person? In the words of Confucius, it lies in virtue. If you don’t practice it, you won’t teach it if you learn it!

5. Think big, work small, live in groups and keep your mouth shut, live alone and keep your heart

This is Zeng Guofan’s theory of life realm and life cultivation. . Focusing on the big picture means that the stage is as big as the heart, and the pattern creates destiny, because if you don't plan for the future, you can't plan for a moment; if you don't plan for the overall situation, you can't plan for a region. "Living in groups and keeping one's mouth" actually talks about being modest and prudent, because most disasters come from one's mouth, while living alone and keeping one's heart talks about being cautious in being alone. The more you are seen and unsupervised, the more you must guard your inner bottom line.

6. Be cautious and cautious, and never forget hell even when you are alive; be magnanimous, and have peace of mind despite adversity.

This is Zeng Guofan’s motto in life. The first couplet says that a gentleman should be cautious and vigilant in life, walking on thin ice, as if facing an abyss, and be prepared for danger in times of peace.

This spirit comes from China’s oldest philosophical book, the Book of Changes. The Book of Changes tells us that a gentleman works hard all day long, is vigilant at night, and is strict without blame. Only in this way can life be disaster-free. The second line means that you should be open-minded and open-minded. Even in adversity and death, you should be comfortable with your feelings and maintain a positive attitude. This is the principle in the Analects of Confucius that a gentleman is magnanimous and a villain is always concerned. If you are magnanimous, you will have peace of mind; if you are cunning and cunning, you will have a lifetime of sorrow.

7. Everything in the past is like dying yesterday; everything in the future is like being born today.

This couplet is not a work by Zeng Guofan, but one of the Four Precepts of Liao Fan. It means that no matter how many past events there are, they have nothing to do with me until today. No matter what happens in the future, I have to start over from today. In fact, this is a kind of zero mentality in life. Forget about the past, I still have to work hard when I should. All successes, failures, joys and sorrows, everything will return to dust and dust, let it go with the wind. No matter what happens in the future, I will still stick to my own principles, be the best version of myself, and do my best to understand destiny!