The two had a conversation when they first met, but the couplet was not involved. The relevant situation is explained as follows:
Liang Qichao’s admiration and imitation of Zeng Guofan
——Excerpted from the best-selling book "The Source of Chinese People's Intelligence"
Liang Qichao (1873-1929), during his early studies, he was greatly inspired by the thoughts of his teacher Kang Youwei, but he fled to Japan after the Reform Movement of 1898 , and finally died of illness in Beijing, Zeng Guofan played a crucial role in him. In other words, after the failure of the Kangliang Reform, he fled overseas. After they parted ways, "Zeng Guofan's Family Letters" became a must-read book for Liang Qichao every day. Zeng Guofan's self-restraint and caution in moral cultivation always accompanied Liang Qichao, and therefore Liang Qichao was involved in several important events. Able to quickly regain composure amid frustration and emotional anger. In this regard, Zeng Guofan's invisible influence on Liang Qichao was actually greater than that of his teacher Kang Youwei.
During the spring and summer of the 26th year of Guangxu's reign, Liang Qichao stayed in Honolulu, the United States, to prepare for the royalist meeting and to attend to the king's affairs. On March 26, he wrote a letter to his mentor Kang Youwei, mentioning his thoughts and feelings after reading "Zeng Guofan's Family Letter" Introspection and self-reflection: "During the day, my disciple happened to look at "Letter from the Family of Mr. Zeng Wenzheng" and suddenly reflected on myself. He felt that he was not as good as he had been there. He felt that although his knowledge had improved a little in recent years, his Taoism had become increasingly shallow, so he was incapable of fulfilling his duties. It’s a big deal. Because I reflected on all the mistakes I made in October and November of last year, I couldn’t help myself. Due to internal reflection, I realized that my delusions and evil thoughts were accumulated, and to the extreme, they were born from dishonesty and disrespect. ..."
In a letter to his friends Ye Xiangnan, Mai Rubo, etc. on April 21 of the same year, Liang Qichao also mentioned that Zeng Guofan was his model for self-cultivation and intended to target him for life: "Brother I have been quite selfless for many years. I accidentally read Zeng Wenzheng's family letters, and suddenly I realized that people who are not Taoists are not qualified for big things. Over the past few years, I have made great progress in foreign studies, and I have been far away from Zeng Wenzheng everywhere. In comparison, I feel it is far worse! Today's young people like to slander their predecessors and feel that their great abilities are actually all hypocrisy and are not suitable for use. They are really afraid of the way to cultivate their mind and body. The elders wrote last year. , He was blamed for disrespecting Cheng, and his illness was clearly pointed out, but the younger brother not only did not blame himself, but even refused to follow the rules, and had resentful words. Looking back now, Cheng is not as good as a dog pig, and he is ashamed. His serious illness lies in his inability to be careful and avoid bullying. , cannot control the tiredness of temperament. Therefore, I have recently taught myself five things: one is self-restraint, the other is sincerity, the third is respect, the fourth is practice, and the fifth is perseverance. These five are all in line with my nature. Also, I have been doing this for five days now, and I don’t know if I can punish it for the rest of my life. However, I have become deeply accustomed to it, and I find it very laborious to clean it up! Everyone is happy with it, but they are self-righteous and don’t know how depraved it is, so much so! I recently set up a diary, using Zeng Wenzheng’s method, to record all my personal, verbal and mental mistakes..."
Mr. Liang Qichao used it. The "five things" of "self-teaching": self-denial, sincerity, respect, practice of hard work, and perseverance are all the key points of self-cultivation that Zeng Guofan tirelessly taught his brothers and nephews in his letters at home.
In November of the 31st year of the reign of Emperor Guangxu, Liang Qichao completed the book "Moral Education Mirror". The provincial record was fifth and the application was sixth.
It is worth noting that this book quotes a lot of Zeng Guofan's words. Liang Qichao praised Zeng Guofan in the book: "After Zeng Wenzheng was born in Yong and Qian Dynasties, the bad customs of the country reached the extreme, and The scholars from Luo Luoshan are the only ones who can teach something that is not taught in the world. They set out to do their own thing. They braved all risks and faced all difficulties in order to achieve success. However, their success has not yet been cut off. Today, there are many people who are hesitant and determined. They must be the first. Referring to Sanxiang, the influence of the ancestors of Zeng and Luo can be falsely accused! From this point of view, Zeng Wenzheng's so-called transformation of customs and shaping people for a lifetime is definitely not an impossible task, even if the world is in chaos. , and its effects have not yet begun and are not impressive, but the world is in extreme chaos, and those with lofty ideals who stand in this whirlpool will be able to stand up and stand out, which is of great benefit."
This is. In his words, his admiration for Zeng Guofan was beyond words!
In the Xuantong period, Liang Qichao imitated Zeng Guofan's self-cultivation and training methods, which are already evident from many letters. For example, in a letter to his younger brother Liang Kaiqi on July 24, the first year of Xuantong, he mentioned that he followed Zeng Guofan's example and practiced calligraphy every day. His calligraphy improved so rapidly that his younger brother Jing could not recognize his handwriting, so he thought he was asking someone to catch him. : "It comes from the phrase 'Meng Ge ghost-writes the book', which is very strange. Meng Ge is not in Japan, so how can he ghost-write for me, and how can the book written by brother to brother be so beautiful? Since March, brother has been very effective. Zeng Wenzheng I must study two pieces of paper every day, and my brother will no longer be able to recognize my ink.
”
In February of the second year of Xuantong, Liang Qichao wrote a letter to his friend Mr. Xu Fosu, revealing that even though he was living in extreme poverty, he could still maintain his state of mind without being disturbed by adverse events and maintain peace and tranquility. This was a tribute to Zeng Guofan. The gift of self-cultivation and training methods: "Today, I compose an average of five thousand words of internal and external essays every day, but I don't think it is painful..." Wen Dazuo writes at night. His certain homework during the day is to post at one o'clock, read Buddhist scriptures for one o'clock, and read Buddhist scriptures for one o'clock. The Japanese book is at half past one, and the little girl is at one o'clock. This is someone who has not stopped since the first day of July last year. (Since then, I have used a diary every day, and persisted with perseverance. Fortunately, I have not stopped until now.) His mood is always peaceful, even though he has repeatedly When encountering Fu Ni (although I have tried my best to deal with things in my life, but my strength has been exhausted and there is nothing wrong, I can only listen to it. If I feel sad, I will never be willing to do this stupid thing), I have not tried to cheer up my chest and my spirit. It is especially sufficient, more than before. (The spirit of Xiangxiang saying is more and more effective the more you use it. This sincere saying will make you believe it more after you experience it.) My brother, please don't worry too much about me. ..."
Mr. Liang Qichao has scheduled classes every day, and he can continue to do so until his later years. A student who once listened to Ren Gong's lectures in Nanjing recalled: " He is diligent in his studies and even has a certain daily class (work plan) on Sundays without taking a break. He was full of energy to an astonishing degree - he was writing with his right hand, while his left hand kept waving his fan. Sometimes he was writing while answering questions from his classmates. When he finished writing one piece, he knocked on the bed and asked his assistant to take a piece of Chinese to another room. Before the typewriter was finished, the second draft was placed on the table. No wonder Liang Qichao was a prolific writer. . In fact, it was more than that. He had to read the Beijing-Shanghai Daily and a magazine as thick as New Youth every day, and extract necessary materials. I read Japanese and Chinese books every day, and I am not lazy at all despite my busy schedule. ”
The letter to his friend Jian Xiuchang on May 10, 1918 mentioned the rules of daily life. It can be seen that Ren Gong still did not relax his self-discipline in his later years. If he had not followed Zeng Wenzheng’s self-denial efforts during the Guangxu period, he would have How could this be so? His book says: "My brother has become a new habit by getting up early, and has very strict daily routines, but drinking wine at dinner has also become a habit. He knows that he cannot do it, and he has not restrained himself. The book will be written in the future." It is composed of more than two thousand words, which is a huge piece of music. It can be used for entertainment for several days when the prince comes. Chinese calligraphy lessons have been greatly reduced. ”
In his later years, Liang Qichao’s knowledge and wisdom had reached maturity and harmony. In his letters to his children, he talked about his progress in learning and said objectively and calmly that he had been influenced by Zeng Wenzheng throughout his life. Very helpful: "I have always remembered Zeng Wenzheng's two words most in my life: 'Don't ask about harvest, but ask about hard work.' On the one hand, you must not be arrogant and conceited, and on the other hand, you must not be weak and discouraged. Do your best to do whatever you want, and do whatever you want. In this way, you will be able to gain nothing without being satisfied, and you will always make a great contribution to society. This is the only point in my life where I have gained the most knowledge, and I hope you can do the same. "Don't ask about harvest, but ask about hard work" is exactly what Zeng Guofan taught his brothers in his letter to his family.
On August 29, 1927, Liang Qichao said in his letter to his family: " The most important method used by ancient Chinese sages to teach people how to learn is to "play well and drink well, so that you can be content with it." This sentence is based on my decades of experience. The more I read it, the more cordial and interesting it becomes. When doing learning, there are always two tasks: "boiling over high heat" and "stewing over slow fire", which are used alternately. Only when stewing over slow fire can the food be digested, be harmonious and truly have all the self. ”
This is almost a copy of what Zeng Guofan said in his letter to his brothers: “It must first be boiled with strong fire, and then warmed with slow fire.” It can be seen that Mr. Liang Qichao followed the example of Zeng Guofan. Just in terms of moral cultivation, that is, in terms of the method of learning, it has also reached the state of following the steps and matching the body and soul