From the moment everyone is born into the world, they are destined to experience various hardships and sufferings.

Only by knowing how to "take it easy" and "hold on" in adversity can we successfully overcome difficulties.

In life, there are many things that cannot be chosen and many things that cannot be changed. Even if you are born with extraordinary conditions and qualifications, you will often have more adversity and less good times. When dealing with adversity, Zeng Guofan first recognized the reality, preserved himself, and did not make unnecessary sacrifices like hitting an egg against a stone. He believes that people's careers cannot develop and roads are blocked because of the evil and treacherous people in power. When traitors are in power, people with high moral standards and upholding the right path will not be able to tolerate them. At this moment, no matter what you do, you will always lose more and gain less.

Different strategies should be adopted when facing different people. The villain does not play his cards according to the rules and likes to do dirty tricks behind his back. If an honest person is too honest, he will suffer harm. When facing people who are stronger than you, you must know how to take the curve.

As the saying goes: "True words are harsh to the ears." If you speak outright or try to make a difference, not only will it not help, but you will be framed. The big principles and policies cannot be changed, and we have to make some corrections in small areas of specific work. Losses are inevitable. There is a big conceptual difference between what Zeng Guofan said about "knowing current affairs" and today's "knowing current affairs".

However, if you blindly obey, you will only become a slave to adversity, and you will not be able to improve your own environment, let alone achieve anything. Therefore, from the perspective of acknowledging reality and understanding current affairs, Zeng Guofan derived the second coping strategy for adversity: practicing internal skills and seeking self-improvement. Zeng Guofan believes that perseverance and unyielding character are the prerequisites for achieving great things and making progress. However, he suffered setbacks and experienced hardships at that time, so his virtues also improved from time to time. In this regard, Zeng Guofan said: "If you eat a cut, you will gain wisdom." This is especially true when you are humiliated.

Zeng Guofan also said: Just like what "Xi Ming" said, "There is no place to hide, only waiting to be cooked to death. This is the obedience of Prince Shen Sheng of Jin Xiangong. He bravely admits reality and obeys Only Birch can do what he ordered." These words are so true.

He once deeply lamented: Nothing in the world is achieved without hard work. This is what the saying goes, "Zhu Xi learned very hard, so he was a teacher for all generations."

Zeng Guofan was strong and stubborn by nature. When he first came out of the mountain, he encountered obstacles mainly because he was too rigid and did not understand the principle that softness can control rigidity. After coming out of the mountain again, he realized that he should change his hardness into softness and combine hardness with softness, so that he could resolve the crisis and get things done smoothly. It can be seen that he has learned to meditate when things are not going well, and to improve himself and complete transformation in adversity.

It can be said that the knowledge of "Ting" is what Zeng Guofan gained in his life after experiencing the turmoil in officialdom. It is also a summary of his life experience and survival wisdom, and can best reflect his inner world and ways of doing things. Although there are no books that describe the knowledge of the word "ting" in detail in reality, this spirit is indeed worth learning.

Although Zeng Guofan's friend Ouyang Zhaoxiong had never been a high-ranking official, he became one of Zeng Guofan's confidants because he saved Zeng Guofan's life. When Zeng Guofan joined the army, he once served as an aide under the curtain, and the two had a very close relationship. Ouyang Zhaoxiong had a deep knowledge of Zeng Guofan's "ting" character and mentioned it in his works. In addition, Zeng Guofan also has an innate temperament of enjoying hardships. The more difficult the conditions are, the more optimistic you are, and the more stressful the environment, the more natural and normal you are. In Zeng Guofan's camp, after getting up early every day, Zeng Guofan would gather his colleagues to have breakfast and sit down for a chat after dinner. He often told some jokes to lighten the atmosphere, add vitality to the new day, and stimulate the enthusiasm of his subordinates. At the same time, what he said is rich in philosophy. Education through entertainment is also an excellent way to educate staff and subordinates. Li Hongzhang once said to Wu Yong: "In the camp, my teacher had to wait for us to eat at the same time as everyone else. After dinner, we would sit around and talk.

Praising the classics and discussing history are all based on knowledge and economics. Useful and practical words. He is also the best at telling jokes, which makes everyone's stomach hurt from laughing. He himself is more reluctant to laugh, just stroking his beard with his five fingers, and sitting upright. , as if nothing happened. It was really painful to be manipulated by him when he taught people to laugh but didn't dare to laugh. "Li Hongzhang's words are a realistic portrayal of life at that time.

Zeng Guofan spoke very humorously, and there are countless interesting stories passed down. Let’s look at the first article cited by Li Hongzhang, which is also the only one handed down. The language is simple, just like a joke told during the banquet.

After the discussion, no one recorded it, so there is no written record. This only article was handed down through Li Hongzhang's memory. At that time, there were dozens of people in Zeng Guofan's shogunate, and there were also many people who had dinner together, but only Li Hongzhang could recall Zeng Guofan's voice and smile in detail. It is a pity that he only told some fragments of it, otherwise, if it had been passed down to this day, there would have been another valuable resource. At that time, brothers Guo Songtao were also in Zeng Guofan's shogunate, so they may have heard these contents. In Zeng Guofan's letter to them, "Ting" was mentioned in four places. It can be seen from this that the knowledge of "Ting" does exist, but it is not a real work.

The word "tight" is Zeng Guofan's life experience. When starting a career, you must be strong enough, and in specific actions, you must combine hardness and softness. However, it can be seen that the word "ting" is indeed the most important and clear-cut one in Zeng Guofan's mind. Such a spirit is also needed in real life.

In the face of suffering, being able to withstand when it is time to persevere is the test of achieving great things.