Shishi are one of the four people in ancient China, ranking first in agriculture, industry and commerce. Scholars have many meanings. Here we adopt the saying of "Book of the Later Han Dynasty", "Those who use their talents and intelligence are called scholars." Scholars refer to scholars in ancient times. They are a special identity of ancient scholars and a social elite group. Scholars mastered knowledge, spread culture, were participants in state affairs, and were creators and inheritors of culture. The ideal of a scholar is to "cultivate one's moral integrity, regulate one's family, govern the country, and bring peace to the world."
Scholars have their own ambition, confidence and backbone, which is well reflected in "Su Shu".
The ambition of a scholar is to become a "beautiful person", "a hero of people", and "an outstanding person". "There is nothing you can't do". Once a major event has been accomplished or stabilized, you can do anything. If you advance, you will assist the government, if you retreat, you will cultivate your character.
The confidence of a scholar is that he is talented and virtuous, able to avoid suspicion, stay away from right and wrong, and not deviate; he is able to study extensively, is good at questioning, and has rich knowledge; he is able to cultivate his body and mind, behave noblely, and be humble and cautious in his words. . The greatest ability of a scholar lies in planning the overall situation, the greatest perseverance lies in enduring humiliation, the most outstanding role model lies in cultivating virtue, the greatest happiness lies in loving kindness, and the most precious virtue lies in sincerity.
The integrity of a scholar lies in his spiritual uniqueness, and in that he can be killed but not humiliated. If you are respectful, thrifty, humble and simple, you will be able to maintain your integrity; if you are foresighted, you will not be in trouble; if you make friends with people with lofty ideals and good friends, you will be able to get out of trouble.
The core value of "Su Shu" is to warn scholars to be good at judging the situation and retreat after success. It is necessary to achieve what "Mencius" said: "If you are poor, you can be good for yourself; if you are prosperous, you can help the world." We must achieve the idea in Fan Zhongyan's "Yueyang Tower" that "if you live high in the temple, you will worry about its people; if you live far away from the rivers and lakes, you will worry about its king." The realm is to "live in hiding and embrace the Tao, waiting for the right time. If you act when the time comes, you will be able to achieve the position of being a minister; if you get the opportunity, you will be able to achieve unparalleled achievements. If you don't meet him, you will just disappear. This is the Tao "You are high enough, but your reputation is more important than your descendants." If things go wrong, it will just end in indifference, but for future generations, your reputation will not be compromised.
There is a saying in "Laozi": "Success, fame, and retreat are the ways of heaven." There are indeed generations of people in Chinese history, and there are three people who are most respected by later generations: one is Fan Li, the other is Zhang Liang, and the third is Yao Guangxiao. They retired with success, and their wise and prudent methods of protecting themselves won the charm of "Su Shu", which is still admirable to this day.
Scholars who do not serve as officials are called white-clothed elites and lay scholars. Those who achieve success and fame are national scholars.
Of course, in order to repay the kindness of knowing and encountering someone, and to repay the great ambitions in their chests, there are many people who respect the beginning and end with unswerving determination. For example, Zhuge Liang, who opened the hearts of veterans in the two dynasties, devoted himself to the country and died. Already, it has a different style.