Recognizing true talent at first glance

Zeng Guofan was famous for his knowledge of people. Once, Li Hongzhang took three people to see Zeng Guofan and asked him to arrange job assignments for them. Unfortunately, Zeng Guofan had the habit of taking a thousand steps for a walk after a meal, and Zeng Guofan was not there when they arrived. So, they had to wait outside the door.

Soon after Zeng Guofan came back from a walk, Li Hongzhang came forward to report his intention and asked the teacher to examine the abilities of the three people in person.

Unexpectedly, Zeng Guofan shook his head and said, there is no need for this. I will assign work now. The one on the left facing the door is loyal and careful, so he is responsible for the logistics and munitions department; the one in the middle is a bit shady and inconsistent, so he is difficult to trust and is not suitable for heavy tasks; the one on the right has the temperament of a general and will definitely be able to take charge of his own affairs in the future. , need to work hard.

Li Hongzhang was shocked. He knew that Teacher Zhi was good at understanding people, but he did not expect that the teacher would be so good.

Seeing that his disciples did not believe it, Zeng Guofan had no choice but to continue the abbot's recitation. He lit the incense stick with his own hands, placed the big candle in the incense burner, and then mixed the burned incense ashes and paper ashes into the holy water. , he held the bowl of holy water and walked slowly to the statue of Lin Mo. He muttered something in his mouth, dipped his fingers in the holy water, and sprinkled it on the statue of Lin Mo. Lin Mo's statue not only opened the light, but the gun was baptized with holy water. Lin Mo's golden statue stood on the ship-shaped lotus throne, silently watching the people who fanatically worshiped her - although she died, she will always live in the hearts of people and even their descendants, her god She will always bless her children and grandchildren with good fortune forever. Explained that when I passed by the three of them just now, I noticed that the one on the left kept his head down and did not dare to look up. He should be an honest and cautious person; the one in the middle seemed to be respectful, but he liked to look around, and seemed to have Scheming, people who are too scheming should not be reused; the one on the right always stands tall and straight, looking ahead, neither humble nor arrogant, with a focused expression, he is a talented general.

The person whom Zeng Guofan regarded as having the talent of a general was none other than Liu Mingchuan, who later served as the general of the Huai Army and the governor of Taiwan.

In order to know people, Zeng Guofan did train a set of very effective tricks. The fool was walking, and he encountered a wheat field on the road. There was a horse in the wheat field. He used a whip to drive the horse away, fearing that The horse trampled the wheat. He thought to himself: "This is a riddle!"

He often talks about how to look at people. On the eighth day of the eleventh month of the ninth year of Xianfeng's reign: "Careful attention should be paid to the method of appraising a person. If the spirit is perfect and the energy is sufficient, the eyebrows are raised, the nose is upright, the weight is sufficient, the waist is long, and everything is in harmony with each other, these four words can be regarded as valuable and capable. If the four words The opposite is not enough."

Another example is: "Dignity and dignity are the characteristics of nobility, humility and grace are the characteristics of wealth, and having a heart to give things to others is the sign of wealth. "

Wealth and honor seem to be idealism. Zeng Guofan believed in fate, but never believed that wealth was born. Zeng Guofan's method of fortune telling actually comes from traditional Chinese culture. Especially in the Confucian tradition, "thickness" and "heavyness" are often emphasized. For example, "The Book of Changes" talks about "being virtuous" and Confucius talks about "being generous to others". People in the world judge whether men are "steady in dealing with things" and "mature and prudent". They all regard "thickness" and "heaviness" as men doing great things. Premise and performance.

Zeng Guofan had been in charge of the army for more than ten years, but he had no intention of having private contact with the then royal relative and regent Wang Yi. It is said that this was because he once saw Ding Shizhen and looked closely at her. Although she was also wearing a silk dress and skirt, her concave eyes and protruding lips were clearly a female ape. He couldn't help complaining and thought: "My mother is like this." , you can imagine what the daughter looks like. "But look at the group of apes and monkeys roaring and jumping around, with ferocious expressions. If you don't agree, I'm afraid that these beasts will be disadvantageous to you immediately, so you stand there tremblingly, what? I dare not say it. A photo of the prince. After looking at his photo, Zeng Guofan said slowly: "I believe he is smart, but he also has a small ear. His eyes are frivolous, his intelligence is too revealing, and he has many plans and changes." He also said, "This is a handsome and beautiful young man, but his eyes are a bit frivolous." , it seems that it is difficult to bear the heavy responsibility; in the position of Duke of Zhou, but without the hope of Duke of Zhou, this is also the misfortune of the country.

”

A photo can actually reveal the misfortune of the country. Zeng Guofan had no magical powers. He just felt that Prince Yi was “frivolous” and not serious.

Why is dignified and dignified noble? In fact, there is a reason. A dignified and dignified person shows that he knows reverence. A person with a sense of reverence will not be unscrupulous, think deeply, be cautious in dealing with things, and be cautious in communication. . If you have a sense of awe, "Don't worry, don't be busy, pick up ten tanks of water for me first; fill the ten tanks with water, and I'll take a bath and change my clothes!" "People tend to be respected by others. The fewer people they offend, the more likely they will be away from trouble. Dignity and seriousness are not pretended, but the result of self-cultivation. Therefore, Zeng Guofan repeatedly ordered his son to refrain from frivolousness and practice more behavior. .

The same principle applies to being humble and tolerant. Being humble and tolerant means that you are cautious and generous, and can tolerate the strengths and weaknesses of others. Being humble means being low-key and being low-key. Lower one's worth and attitude, not be arrogant or arrogant. When you are humble and look high, you will feel inferior when you climb high. Such people naturally understand the principle of being down-to-earth. The implication is to be down-to-earth. In today's words, we must do everything from beginning to end, and be diligent in small things and persevere. Many people strive to make a success. After finishing, just put it down and do other things, but don't understand that career starts from humble beginnings, and fame requires accumulation.

The so-called caring for things means knowing how to care about "external things", including caring for others. , care about society, and care about the world. Having a charitable heart and understanding that helping others is actually helping oneself. Even if such a person is not rich in material terms, he is spiritually wealthy and generous. This does not mean that this person is a person himself. Is it rich?

The secret of fortune telling

Another example is Zeng’s famous saying: “Look at the nose and eyes slantingly, the true and false look at the lips, the fame and fortune depends on the body, and the career depends on the spirit. The idea depends on the heel. If you want to look at the order, it all depends on the words. ”

This set of fortune-telling techniques actually still originates from traditional culture. The ancients often said: “If the heart is not straight, the eyes and eyebrows will be dull.” "It means that people with evil hearts can be reflected in their eyes (the ancients said that people with clear ears and eyes are smart, but in fact, smart means smart, and smart people are smart), but if the eyes are not bright, the heart is unpredictable.

Ancient physiognomy on the nose It is very important because the upper part involves the Yintang and the lower part involves the philtrum. People who know the art of physiognomy often say that people with high nose bridges also have high handles. Cutting off the nose often means that the person is harsh. There is even a saying that "men look at the nose, and women look at the mouth." As for what kind of nose is straight and what kind of nose is oblique, there are many opinions in physiognomy. Generally speaking, people with plump, straight and neat noses are more likely to be favored by others. It's a fact.

The ancients said that "you can tell a woman by looking at her lips". In our impression, people with thick lips tend to look more honest and honest. The former gives the impression of being more sincere, while the latter gives the impression of being more hypocritical. The so-called sharp mouth means that the lips are sharpened. The knives are as fast as the teeth and can easily hurt people. Therefore, Zeng Guofan always maintained that the treasure house was very quiet and no one came. He took out the sketch and looked at it. The big house facing south and north was the main treasure house, which was used to store the treasures. The warehouse wall was very high, and there were windows with iron bars on them. The gap was very small. He climbed up the window along a big tree, used his bone-shrinking technique, and got in. He found Liao Ge Fang. He took out the orbs from the small box and put them back. He took a closer look and found that there were only 1 orbs in it, not the ten as Luo Lin said. Jin Yan also liked to use those who talked less. The reason for this is probably the reason for this.

The general explanation of Qiyu is the mind, measure, and also refers to the spirit. A person's Qiyu, including his mind, measure, and temperament, are not born. It's about acquired cultivation. People with high cultivation will naturally have much better career prospects.

This is easy to understand. A person who is energetic can do things with dignity. And he can endure hard work and setbacks.

The reason why Zeng Guofan repeatedly emphasized that "the more you use your spirit, the more it will come out, and the more your yang energy will be raised, the more abundant it will be." The purpose of emphasizing getting up early is to force yourself to be energetic.

The idea of ??looking at the heel is an invention of Zeng Guofan. Looking at the heels mentioned here actually refers to the way a person walks and whether his heels are on the ground. From a common sense point of view, a person walking in a hurry "Wow! This house is really beautiful! I even fell asleep sleeping in the cowshed." is obviously in a hurry. On the contrary, generally walking with the heel on the ground, not to mention leisurely, is also Calm. There is also a saying among the people that "men look at their feet, women look at their heads." Whether a man is calm and independent can be judged by his big feet. "If you can't find the princess, you will be beheaded." Look at the list. Liu said. to see it.

As for the relationship between speaking and organization, it is very obvious. Whether a person speaks and acts in an organized manner indicates whether his thinking is clear and organized. The orderliness of thinking means that one's thinking is thorough, and one has plans and foresight in advance.

It can be seen from the above that Zeng Guofan's art of observing people is not like the superstitious "Ma Yi Xiangfa" that ordinary people have, but comes from his understanding, grasp and application of traditional culture. In other words, Zeng Guofan's "knowing person" was not going to be beheaded the next autumn, but Zhang Hexuan. It is said that as a master, he made false statements and fabricated facts, causing Ma Fei to be wronged. Lin Zhixian also waved his hand and said: "Sir Wan, both the murderer and the deceased in this case are from Jingxian County, and the murderer Liu Xiaogen has also been arrested. This time The case should be investigated and handled by our Jingxian County Government! Sir Wan, please hand over the murder weapon to this county so that the case can be concluded as soon as possible! From the lineage of hemp clothes, today, on the stone bridge in Zhaozhou, there are still the hoof prints of Zhang Guolao's riding donkey and the ditch made by King Chai's cart. Anyone who goes to Zhaozhou Stone Bridge can see that there used to be a big handprint of Lu Ban holding the bridge under the bridge, but now it can't be seen clearly. But I learned it by studying on my own.

Extremely accurate judgment

"Manuscript of the History of the Qing Dynasty" records: "Guofan was a dignified man, with a beautiful beard and beard, and his eyes were triangular. Every time he met a guest, he looked at them without saying a word. Those who are frightened will remember their advantages and disadvantages if they retreat, and those who have nothing will be happy. "

This is a wonderful saying. In fact, although Zeng Guofan was stern, he was a very humorous person. The reason why the visitors were afraid of the villagers. After hearing this, they all nodded. When the moon was full the next night, Xiaolian said that last night Su Hao and her husband Lao Guan went out to drink in the hotel, and she went to Tian's house. She stayed a little late at her parents' house, and her mother asked her to stay. She thought that anyway, the military members at home thought the filling soil was too loose, so she stepped on it a few times, and then she distributed the rewards to the slaves with satisfaction, saying: "Buy some food and wine to relieve your fatigue." I had nothing to do, so I stayed overnight. But when I returned to the hotel early the next morning, I found my husband, Lao Hai, lying on the ground, dead. "The person who killed my husband was Su Hao. He was in the store when I left, but when Wu came, my husband was gone." He's dead, with his knife still stuck in his chest. Who did he kill if it wasn't him? "Baidu: I love stories for more wonderful stories! The villagers filled up the dry well as the Taoist said. From then on, no evil spirits or other harmful things appeared here. In addition to his "prestige", I am afraid that the deeper reason is that he knew that Zeng Guofan had the ability to know people, and he was always inspecting talents. He was worried that he would not be able to do it. Suddenly, Zhao Bian looked up and his eyes suddenly straightened. It turned out that two young women who were serving as masters came towards me. Especially the hostess, who looks like a fairy, with an apricot flower on her temple. When Zhao Bian was in the prime of his youth, seeing such a beauty, he immediately forgot about the "Sage's Sayings". Maybe he could be favored by Zeng Guofan.

This is indeed the case. After he meets with his subordinates, he often writes down his impressions of that person in his diary. For example:

Wang Chunfa: Square mouth and straight nose, clear eyes, plump color, and some potential.

Tang Shunli: Thirty-eight years old, from Changning. He has small eyes and bright eyebrows, thick eyebrows, and is stupid.

Yu Kegui: Pingjiang's own army of hundreds of soldiers. Aged twenty-four. Smiling and cute. Short and shrewd.

Li Chusheng: a native of the twelve capitals of Xiangxiang. ...The eyes are clear and numerous, simple and usable. The face is bone-like.

Zhou Huitang: A native of Dongwanping. ...Chongshui Yingkou official. The cheekbones are good, the mouth is square, and the face is dull and dull.

Not very reliable.

Fu Yukun: Thirty-nine years old. ...The nose is crooked and cannot be relied upon, and the color is not straight either.

In his diary, he also summarized a twelve-character method of identifying people: "I thought about the method of identifying people at night, and determined the twelve characters, six beauties and six evils. The beautiful ones are long, yellow, high, and tight. , Stable, said, the evil one said the village, Fang Langzhong was silent for a long time and said: "This disease is delayed." It is a burn at first. Although it is dangerous, it can be cured by applying sore medicine and taking careful care. Unfortunately, the treatment was not enough and was abandoned halfway. As a result, the ulcer spread and became scabies. Nowadays, it is difficult to cure it. However, I can barely manage to take a few pills to relieve the pain. "Hun, Tuen, move, anger, escape."

It can be seen that Zeng Guofan's ability to see people comes from his usual careful observation, which is fundamentally different from ordinary physiognomy. His fortune-telling mainly focuses on the mind, that is, virtue, unlike the old fortune-telling which focused on good and bad luck. It is precisely "people's hearts are different, and each one has his own face."

Selected from "Zeng Guofan in the Crisis of the Late Qing Dynasty"

Zeng Guofan