Book of Commandments

Zhuge Liang? [Han Dynasty]

A husband and a gentleman should practice tranquility to cultivate their moral character and be frugal to cultivate their virtues. Without indifference, there is no clear ambition; without tranquility, there is no far-reaching goal. Learning requires tranquility, and talent requires learning. Without learning, there is no way to expand talents, and without ambition, there is no way to achieve learning. If you are impatient and slow, you will not be able to stimulate your essence, and if you are dangerous and impetuous, you will not be able to cure your nature. Years go with the times, thoughts go with the sun, and they become withered and withered. Many people do not take on the world, and they stay in the poor house with sadness. How will they be able to get back to you!

Translation

A person with moral cultivation relies on inner peace to cultivate his body and mind, and cultivates his noble character through frugality and saving money. If you are not calm and have few desires, you will not be able to clarify your ambitions, and if you do not eliminate external interference, you will not be able to achieve lofty goals. Learning requires concentration and concentration, and talent comes from diligent study. If you don't study, you can't grow your talents, and if you don't clarify your ambitions, you can't achieve success in learning. Indulgence and dissipation, negativity and neglect cannot encourage the mind and spirit; careless adventure, impatience and restlessness cannot cultivate one's temperament. Time flies by with time, and will gradually fades with time. In the end, they become withered and scattered. Most of them have no contact with the world and are not used by society. They can only sadly be trapped in their own poor and ruined homes. How can they regret it at that time?

Notes

Command: warn, advise people to be vigilant.

Zi: It is generally believed to refer to Zhuge Liang’s son Zhuge Zhan.

Book: letter.

Fu (fú): particle, used at the beginning of a sentence to indicate the origin.

Junzi: A person of high moral character.

Conduct: Refers to ethics, moral character, and conduct.

Quiet: Eliminate distractions and distractions, remain calm and focused.

With: conjunction, it means that the latter is the purpose of the former.

Cultivation: Cultivation of body and mind.

Nurture morals: cultivate moral character.

Indifferent: Indifferent at heart, not interested in fame or fortune.

Nothing can be done: there is nothing to bring, no way.

Mingzhi: Clear ambition. Ming: clear and firm.

Tranquility: This refers to quietness, concentration, and no distraction.

Zhiyuan: achieve ambitious goals. To: reach.

Talent: Talent.

Guangcai: Increase talents. Guang: Growth.

Cheng: achievement, achievement.

Laziness: indulgence and laziness.

Yin: indulgence. Slow: Lazy.

Invigorate: Invigorate the spirit. Encourage: Inspire.

Risky: frivolous and impetuous. Relative to "tranquility" above. Risk: frivolous.

Treatment: Cultivation of temperament. Treatment: Cultivation.

Years and Times: Age flies by with time. With: follow.

Chi: to move quickly, means to fly away quickly.

Will fades away with time: Will is lost with time. Day: time.

Go: disappear, pass away.

Sui: Finally.

Wither: wither, decay. It is a metaphor for old age and failing ambitions, which is of no use.

Most people are not connected with the world: meaning, most of them have no contribution to society.

House: A shabby house where poor people live.

How can it be restored: How can it be too late?

Creative background

This article was written in 234 AD (the twelfth year of Jianxing of the Shu Han Dynasty). It is a family letter written by Zhuge Liang to his eight-year-old son Zhuge Zhan. Zhuge Liang served his country his whole life, dedicated himself to it, and died. He worked day and night for the cause of the Shu Han country and could not take care of educating his son himself, so he wrote this letter to warn Zhuge Zhan.

Appreciation

This is a family letter written by Zhuge Liang to his son Zhuge Zhan. From the article, we can see that Zhuge Liang is a father with noble character and profound knowledge. His careful teaching and unlimited expectations for his son are all in this book. Through intelligent, rational, concise and rigorous words, the full text expresses the love of fathers all over the world for their children very deeply, and has become a famous article for students of all generations to cultivate themselves and aspire to achieve their goals.

Most of the ancient family mottos condensed the author’s lifelong life experience, life experience and academic thoughts. Not only did his descendants benefit a lot from them, but also today’s people can learn a lot from them. at.

Zhuge Liang, the prime minister of the Shu Han Dynasty during the Three Kingdoms period, was hailed as the "incarnation of wisdom" by later generations. His "Book of Commandments" can also be said to be a family motto full of wise words and a masterpiece among ancient family mottos.

The main purpose of "The Book of Commandments to Sons" is to encourage sons to study diligently and be determined, to cultivate their moral character and cultivate their character through indifference and tranquility, and to avoid laziness and impatience. The article summarizes the experience of being a person and studying, focusing on the word "quiet", and at the same time attributes failure to the word "impetuous", which is in sharp contrast.

In "The Book of Commandments to Sons", Zhuge Liang taught his son to be "indifferent" and self-sufficient, and to live in "tranquility". He encouraged his son to study diligently and be inspirational, and to work hard on cultivating himself in indifference and tranquility. He said, "Study requires tranquility, and talent requires learning. Without learning, there is no way to expand talents, and without ambition, there is no way to achieve learning." It means that if you are not stable and quiet, you cannot study hard for a long time to realize your lofty ideals. To learn true knowledge, you must make your body and mind study and explore in tranquility. People's talents are accumulated from continuous learning; if you don't study hard, you cannot grow. and develop your own talents; without an unwavering will, you cannot succeed academically. Zhuge Liang taught his son not to be impetuous and behave absurdly. In the second half of the letter, he earnestly taught his son in a fatherly tone: If a young man does not work hard, an old man will be sad. This may seem like a cliché, but it was taught by a loving father to his son. Every word is the truth in his heart and a summary of his life, so it is particularly cherished.

This "Book of Commandments" also points out the relationship between determination and learning; it not only explains the importance of tranquility and indifference, but also points out the dangers of indulgence, indolence, and extreme impatience. Zhuge Liang not only had strict requirements on his sons in terms of general principles and was persuasive, but he also showed his subtle care for his children in some specific matters. In this "Book of Commandments", there is the power of tranquility: "Quietness is to cultivate one's morality", "Without tranquility, there is no way to go far"; there is the power of frugality: "Frugality is to cultivate virtue"; there is the power of detachment: "Without being indifferent, there is nothing." To make one's ambition clear"; to have the power of being eager to learn: "A man must be quiet to learn, and only to learn"; to have the power of inspiration: "Without learning, one cannot broaden one's talents, and without ambition, one cannot achieve learning"; with the power of speed: "Indecent If you are slow, you will not be able to exert your energy." There is the power of character: "You cannot cure your nature if you are impatient." If you don't take on the world, if you stay in a poor house with sorrow, how will you get back?" It has the power of simplicity.

The message conveyed by this article in just a few words is much more effective than a long article. The article is short and concise, concise and concise, the writing is fresh and elegant, it is not polished, and the reasoning is approachable. These are the outstanding features of this article.

About the author

Zhuge Liang (181-234), courtesy name Kongming, nickname Wolong (also known as Fulong), Han nationality, Yangdu, Langya, Xuzhou (now Yinan County, Linyi City, Shandong) He was the prime minister of the Shu Han Dynasty during the Three Kingdoms period, an outstanding politician, strategist, essayist, and calligrapher. He was named Wuxiang Hou when he was alive, and Zhongwu Hou after his death. The Eastern Jin Dynasty regime named him King Wuxing. In order to support the Shu Han regime, Zhuge Liang worked hard and dedicated his life until his death. His representative works of prose include "Chu Shi Biao", "Book of Commandments" and so on. He invented the wooden cow and flowing horse, the Kongming lantern, etc., and modified the repeating crossbow, called the Zhuge repeating crossbow, which can fire ten arrows with one crossbow. He died in Wuzhangyuan (now Qishan, Baoji) in 234. Zhuge Liang was greatly respected in later generations and became a model of loyal ministers and the embodiment of wisdom. There are Wuhou Temples in Chengdu, Baoji, Hanzhong, Nanyang and other places, and Du Fu wrote "Prime Minister of Shu" to praise Zhuge Liang.