Zeng Guofan’s Family Letter: Self-cultivation Chapter (Excerpt) To My Brothers, Master and Friend I humbly ask for advice

Original text

My dear brothers:

On October 21st, I received a letter from my ninth brother in Changsha. I included six pages of my diary during the journey and a packet of medicine. On the 22nd, I received a letter from my family on the second day of September. I was very happy to read it and felt comforted.

Since the ninth brother left the capital, he has been worried every day, fearing that the road will be unpredictable and unpredictable. And after reading the book, the results are not what I expected. After a lot of hard work, I finally got home. How lucky! Zheng Ban's subordinates are not reliable, and I already knew it. Yu Zi Tang is so good, I can’t thank you enough! When I was in Changsha, I never met Pengshan Qi. Why? I also bought a leather jacket for my grandmother, which is very good and can make up for my fault.

Looking at the detailed letter from the fourth brother, his determination to work hard is evident in his work. However, he must be looking for a place to go out. What’s the point? However, the private school is too close to home, and it is easy to be delayed. It is better to go out for peace of mind. However, if you go abroad to study as a teacher, you will not have much delay. If you go abroad to teach, the delay will be even worse than at home.

If you can work hard and stand on your own feet, then you can study in a private school, even in a wilderness, in a busy place, and even if you have to work hard to herd hogs. Reading is not allowed in a pure land or a land of gods. Why choose a location? Why choose the time? But ask yourself if your determination is true!

The sixth brother complained about Shu Qi, and Yu also deeply believed it. However, he succumbs to small tests and complains frequently. I laugh at his small ambitions, but his worries are not big! A gentleman's determination must be measured by the people and things, and he must have the deeds of a saint within and a king outside. Then he will not be disobedient to his parents, and he will be worthy of being a perfect man in heaven and earth. Therefore, it is a worry. It is a worry that he is not as good as Shun and not as good as the Duke of Zhou. He is also worried that he does not cultivate virtue and does not learn well. Therefore, you will be worried if stubborn people become stubborn; if barbarians and cunning people are in trouble, you will be worried; if villains are in power, if talented people are not respected, you will be worried; if ordinary men and women are not favored by yourself, you will be worried.

The so-called compassion for destiny and pity for people's poverty is what worries a gentleman. If a husband's body is stretched, his family is hungry and full, the world's honors and disgrace are gains and losses, honor and disgrace are high and low, reputation is bad, a gentleman has no time to worry about these. The sixth brother succumbed to the small test and claimed to be strange. I snickered that his worries were not big. If a person doesn’t study, that’s it. Even if he calls himself a scholar, he must be engaged in the "University". The "Great Learning" has three principles: enlightening virtue, promoting new people, and pursuing perfection, which are all my duties. If reading cannot be considered with my body in mind, then what is the use of reading if these three items have nothing to do with my body? Although he is capable of writing and poetry, and prides himself on being liberal, he is still just a literate pig-herder! How can we call him a person who understands and is useful?

The imperial court selects scholars based on their craftsmanship. It is also said that they can stand up for the sages, understand the principles of the sages, and perform the deeds of the sages. They can serve as officials, serve the people, and lead things. If enlightening virtues and renovating the people are regarded as extra matters, then although they are capable of writing and poetry, they really have no idea how to cultivate themselves and govern others. How is it any different for the imperial court to use such people as officials than to use pig herders as officials?

However, since he calls himself a scholar, the program of "The Great Learning" is all very important for his career. There are eight items in it. Looking at it from a self-view, there are only two of its achievements: investigation of things and sincerity. Investigating things is a matter of knowing; sincerity is a matter of putting effort into practice. What is the object? That is the so-called root and end of things. Body, mind, mind, knowledge, home, country, and the world are all things; everything in the heaven and earth is a thing; and the things we do in daily life are all things. The grid is the object but its rationale is exhausted. If things are determined by oneself, they are things. The reason why things should be determined and provincialized is by studying things. When one follows one's brother, one is observing things. The reason why one should follow one's actions is to observe things. My heart is an object; to study the principle of keeping the mind, and to thoroughly study the principles of introspection and cultivation to maintain the mind is to examine things. My body is an object; studying the principle of respecting the body, and also studying the principle of standing upright and sitting on the body to respect the body, is to examine things. Every sentence in the book you read every day is a matter of fact; to observe it deeply and explore its principles is to study things; this is the way to know. The so-called sincerity means that one knows what he knows and acts on it, and he does not deceive. If you know something, you can do it. This is what you can do with your strength. The two go hand in hand, the lower level of learning is here, and the upper level of learning is also here.

My friend Wu Zhuru is very good at studying things, and he always seeks their rationale for everything. Mr. Wo Genfeng is very sincere and hardworking, and has a daily lesson book every day. In one day, every missed thought, every mistake, every word or silence are all written in regular script.

In March, I ordered a copy. Since the year of Yiwei, there are now thirty copies. Due to the strictness of his caution and independence, even if his delusional thoughts occasionally occur, he will be able to overcome them immediately and write them down in books. Therefore, every sentence in the book he reads is the essential medicine for his life. I hereby copy three pages of Mr. Genfeng's daily lesson and return it to my brothers to read.

Since the first day of October, I have followed Genfeng's example and written down every thought and event in a book so that it can be easily seen and controlled. I also write in regular script. Feng Shutang and Yu Tong started their diaries and also had daily lesson books. Shutang is extremely humble. He loves me like a brother and respects me like a teacher. He will definitely succeed in the future. I have always had the disadvantage of being without permanence, but starting from writing daily lessons, I can guarantee that I will have permanence throughout my life. Gai Mingshi is a good friend, and he is tightly clamped. He can advance but not retreat. I wanted to copy the textbook for the rest of the day and give it to my younger brother to read, but because Mr. Jinghai came today and wanted to take the notebook back, I couldn't copy it. There is a discount in November, so please copy a few pages to pay back.

I am a good friend, just like the cypress of Wogen Peak, which makes people awe-inspiring; the essence of Wu Zhuru and Dou Lanquan is that I must pursue the truth in every word and thing; the discussion of scriptures by Wu Zixu and Shao Huixi is thoughtful and discerning; He Zizhen's discussion of Chinese characters is incompatible with every detail, and his discussion of poetry is particularly consistent. Zizhen is very fond of my poems, so I have written eighteen poems since October. I will copy two pages and send them back to my brothers for reading. Feng Shutang and Chen Daiyun are determined to study hard, and they are also good friends. Mr. Jinghai, although I have never pursued the profession of Zhi, I have already learned from him. Every time I write a letter to my brothers, I don't realize that what I say is too long, and I think that my brothers may be bored and ugly. However, brothers, if you have always believed in me, I will be really happy, as if you have found a treasure, everyone has his or her own temperament.

I have been keeping track of my daily lessons since the first day of October, and I have been thinking about changing my ways. I think that the rift with Xiaoshan in the past was just a day of anger and unkindness, so I wanted to go to the house to apologize. It happened that on the ninth day of the lunar month, Xiaoshan came to pay her birthday. That night, she went to Xiaoshan's house for a long talk. On the 13th, I teamed up with Dai Yun and invited Xiao Shan to dinner. From then on, the laughter was as good as before, and the gap between the past and the past was relieved. ...The current situation is roughly like this, so let’s continue reading. Brother Guofan's handpieces.

October 26, the 22nd year of Daoguang

Notes

Bearing salary: Carrying firewood. According to legend, Zhu Maichen of the Han Dynasty studied hard while carrying firewood. .

Herding pigs: herding pigs. According to legend, Chenggong of the Han Dynasty was herding pigs while listening to explanations of scriptures.

Shuqi: This refers to bad luck and unfavorable circumstances.

Fuqi: conformity, conformity. Zhi: A gift given when meeting the teacher.

To the Ninth Brother: Don’t be arrogant and talkative, don’t pretend to be a veteran

About Yuanfu’s Ninth Brother:

On the third day of the Lunar New Year, Liu Fu returned first class. Receive the letter and learn everything. The city has been besieged by thieves for a long time, and they plan to conquer it soon. The most important thing is to be strict in breaking the law, and I should take the lead in doing so. The four houses in the house are safe. Brother Ji is still in Xiangtan, and brother Cheng returned from the county town on the second day of the lunar month. I felt unwell and stayed in Baiyutang on the second day of the Lunar New Year. I couldn't sleep at night. When will Brother Wen arrive in Ji'an? Is it going well in the county seat, Changsha and other places?

In ancient times, there are two types of bad words that lead to failure: those who are proud and those who talk too much. Danzhu's unkindness is called arrogance, and it is called clamoring for lawsuits, which means talking too much. Throughout history, many famous officials and ministers have ruined their families and lost their lives because of this. For the rest of his life, he was quite stubborn and stubborn, and he was very proud of his virtues. He did not talk much, and his writings were almost litigious. When I reflect on my faults in silence, I encounter violence everywhere, and the source is nothing more than these two. Wendy's personality is slightly similar to mine, but his speech is particularly harsh. Those who are proud of others do not necessarily use their words to attack others. Some use their air to attack others, and some use their facial expressions to attack others. Brother Wen's demeanor is slightly heroic, but his face is arrogant, and he is the easiest to bully others. Don't rely on anything in your heart. If you rely on your heart, you can rely on your appearance. In terms of family status, my material expectations are greatly reduced, so I am afraid that I will be a burden to my descendants; in terms of talent, there are many talents trained in the army in recent times, and my brothers are not outstanding, so they cannot be relied on. It is only advisable to keep calm, speak faithfully, and act reverently, so that you can protect the old and restore the new spirit. Otherwise, everyone will be disgusted with it. Brother Yuan is involved in the world with a bow, and the difference is reconciliation. Brother Wen was laughing and sarcastic, trying to pretend to be a veteran, but he still had old habits. You must save money! We must change it severely! I heard that there was random ridicule in the county, and there were weird people sending messages, so it was urgent to punish them. Yu has been in the army for many years, is there nothing he can do about it? Just because the word "arrogance" means nothing, so I earnestly teach all my brothers as a warning. The ninth brother's wife is now well, so there is no need to worry about her. When Yuan is in the camp, he should keep his spirits in order and not slack off. To advise. Brother Guofan's hand grass.

The sixth day of March in the eighth year of Xianfeng

(Selected from the Eternal Collection Edition of "The Complete Works of Zeng Guofan", written by Zeng Guofan, Wuhan Publishing House, 2010)

Notes

Zhu: Legend has it that the son of Yao, the tribal leader in ancient times, was dissolute and immoral, so Yao passed the throne to Shun.

Arrogant and arrogant: arrogant and ignorant of right and wrong.

Cai especially: fault, mistake.

Appreciation

Zeng Guofan's motto is "If you are not a saint, you will be a beast; don't ask about harvest, but ask about hard work." Zeng Guofan always attached great importance to self-cultivation, and believed that in the late Qing society, which was in decline and moral decay, special emphasis should be placed on personal moral cultivation. In his family letters, we can see a lot of content about self-cultivation.

First of all, he emphasizes determination. If a person wants to be self-reliant, the most important thing is determination. Without determination, nothing can be accomplished in the world. Zeng Guofan believes that "if you want to achieve change, you must first establish strong ambitions." He believed very confidently that as long as people are determined and work hard, they can achieve their ultimate goal. He said: "If a person can be determined, what can't the saints and heroes do?" "I want to be benevolent, and this is the most benevolent. I want to be Confucius and Mencius, so I work hard day and night, but Confucius and Mencius are the students, who can control me? "" reflects Zeng Guofan's obsession with achievement on a certain level, but it also illustrates the importance of determination. He said: "In ancient times, it was called the golden elixir to change the bones, and I said that determination is the elixir." Regarding determination, Zeng Guofan also mentioned in his family letter: "A gentleman's determination must be measured by the people and things, and he must have the karma of an internal saint and an external king. Not dissatisfied with the birth of parents, worthy of being a perfect person in the world." In short, it is to do something for the society and become a generation of sages in feudal society according to Xiu Qi Zhiping's theory. He also told people: "A gentleman should worry about not being as good as Shun and not as good as Zhou Gong; he should worry about not practicing virtue and not teaching."

Secondly, he advocated introspection. The progress of a person's moral character is closely related to whether the will is strong and the level of knowledge, but it is also directly related to whether one can always reflect on oneself, that is, whether one can "sit quietly and think about one's own mistakes" and whether one can always pay attention to own moral cultivation. Throughout his family letters, it can be seen that Zeng Guofan made the most efforts in reflection throughout his life, and later generations praised him. They believed that Zeng Guofan's improvement in moral character was due to his determination and pursuit of knowledge, as well as his frequent reflections and his courage to change. Every time Zeng Guofan reflected, he focused on the details and corrected his mistakes: "I have to correct my mistakes every time, even if they are small, I will punish them." Again, he believed that one should be humble. In view of the experience and lessons of history and reality, Zeng Guofan advocated modesty in words and deeds in order to protect himself and adjust the interpersonal conflicts around him. In a letter to his son, he suggested that he should behave steadily and speak modestly and cautiously, and that he should "remember it throughout his life and never forget it for a moment." In "To the Ninth Brother: Don't be arrogant and talkative, don't pretend to be a veteran", he told his brother that he deserved to enjoy such a great status, so he did not dare to use it as capital at any time. Show off to others. Here, Zeng Guofan expressed his philosophy of life in a gentle tone: It is important for people to know themselves. Look more at your strengths when you are frustrated; look at your shortcomings when you are proud. This is called "Don't be arrogant when you win, and don't be discouraged when you lose." In 1854, Zeng Guofan was 44 years old. It was a time of great success, but he could see his situation more clearly than ordinary people. He believed that he was not worthy of his reputation, "so he did not dare to dabble in arrogance and extravagance." At the same time, the disciples are required to be thrifty and self-reliant, to be full of losses and to be humble to benefit, and not to rely on power to be arrogant. So how can you be humble? The method he proposed was to avoid being "arrogant" and "talking too much". These are the two great virtues of life. General caution in words and deeds is not the solution to the problem. The key is self-examination and self-awareness. He believes that people should clearly understand their role and be modest in their actions, so that it is natural for them to be cautious in their words and deeds.

Due to limited space, this article only excerpts three family letters from "Zeng Guofan's Family Letters: Self-cultivation". In addition, in Zeng Guofan's letters home, he also pointed out that a person should be honest. Regarding "Hun", he said: "When you have disputes with others, you should not seek perfection; white people should not be too arbitrary about right and wrong. This word "Hun" is most relevant to practical ears." This means that when it comes to issues of right and wrong, you should not be self-righteous. , you must leave room for yourself and the other party. As people often say: "If the water is clear, there will be no fish; if the people are clear, there will be no friends."

" Therefore, Zeng Guofan also repeatedly mentioned in his family letters that "you should be kind to others" and "there are no perfect talents in the world." Don't be harsh on others, ask for common ground and keep small differences.

The highest state of self-cultivation is " "Be cautious of independence" is also mentioned in his family letters. In addition, content about diligence and frugality can be seen everywhere. Zeng Guofan attached great importance to self-cultivation, so much so that he did not hesitate to sacrifice his life to defend morality. It was precisely because of determination, introspection and other cultivation that he had some qualities that his contemporaries did not possess. Spiritual quality.

About the author

Zeng Guofan (1811-1872), originally named Zicheng, also named Bohan and nicknamed Disheng, was the 70th grandson of Zengzi in modern Chinese politics. strategist, Neo-Confucianist, writer, founder and commander of the Hunan Army. Together with Hu Linyi, he was called "Zeng Hu", and together with Li Hongzhang, Zuo Zongtang, and Zhang Zhidong, he was called "the four most famous officials in the late Qing Dynasty". Governor of Liangjiang, Governor of Zhili, and Bachelor of Wuyingdian, he was granted the title of First-Class Yiyong Marquis, with the posthumous title of Wenzheng.

Zeng Guofan devoted his life to politics and regarded patience as the first priority. He advocated diligence, thrift, and honesty in everything. He is proud of being an official. He advocates self-cultivation, ethics, etiquette first, and loyalty in politics, and has achieved great success in the officialdom.