Zeng Guofan's famous self-discipline aphorisms are as follows:

1. Main respect: neat and serious, never be careless.

When there is nothing to do, the heart is in the cavity; when there is something to do, it is focused and undivided, like the rising sun. Being focused, peaceful and unified in your heart, and neatly dressed and rigorous in appearance are the ways to respect the Lord.

2. Sit quietly: No matter the time of day, sit quietly for half an hour every day, experience the benevolence of tranquility that generates yang and return, and stand in a straight position to concentrate on life, like the town of a tripod.

"Quietness can produce wisdom", "quietness can lead to enlightenment", "quietness can lead to the right path". Zeng Guofan was very impetuous in his early years. He received guidance from an expert on the word "quiet" and practiced the word "quiet" every day. As a result, he was able to gradually get rid of his physical and mental frivolity and truly cultivate himself.

3. Get up early: Get up at dawn, and don’t fall in love after waking up.

The family tradition of getting up early was inherited by Zeng Guofan from his ancestors. He insisted on it throughout his life and urged his children to get up early too. Waking up early not only cures laziness, but also allows you to think about things and even adds time to your life.

4. Read books carefully: Don’t read other books until you have finished reading one book, read here and there, just follow the outside world, and take ten leaves as a guide every day.

He attaches great importance to "concentration" in doing things. If you are half-hearted, your mind will be distracted, your attention will be insufficient, and nothing will be accomplished in the end. On the contrary, if you have perseverance, you will never be able to accomplish anything, and you will have a higher probability of success if you concentrate on one thing.

5. Reading history: Bing purchased twenty-three histories and read ten leaves every day, even if something happened, he would not stop.

Reading history can make you wise. Zeng Guofan loved reading history all his life. Reading history can understand life, people's hearts and human nature. Using history as a mirror, you can know the rise and fall; using people as a mirror, you can know the gains and losses.

6. A word of caution: Paying attention at all times is the first priority.

Zeng Guofan talked a lot when he was young and liked to joke, but he suffered a lot because of it. As the saying goes, "Too many words lead to mistakes, and disaster comes from the mouth." Later, he learned his lesson deeply, often reflected on himself in his diary, and asked himself to develop the habit of being cautious in his words.

7. Nourishing Qi: Qi is stored in the Dantian, and there is nothing that cannot be said to others.

Being silent can nourish Qi, talking less can nourish Qi and blood, and nourish the essence and spirit; a gentleman should be good at cultivating righteousness and be open-minded, and there is nothing that should not be known to others.

8. Preserve yourself: save labor, abstain from food and drink, and always take care of your health.

Zeng Guofan was usually busy with socializing and entertaining, and he overindulged in sex and overeating, which hurt his body. After recovering from his serious illness, Zeng Guofan gained wisdom and began to take extra care of his body.

9. You will know your death every day: write down a story every day over tea. It is divided into moral gate, cultural gate, economic gate and art gate.

Knowing one’s death every day comes from the fifth chapter of the Zi Zhang Chapter of The Analects of Confucius. It means: Every day I know something I didn’t know in the past. Therefore, Zeng Guofan attached great importance to reading and learning throughout his life. No matter how busy he was, he still had to find time to read, study and take notes.

10. Don’t forget what you can do every month: compose several poems every month to test the amount of accumulated principles and whether the Qi is nourished. Don’t just dwell on it, which is the easiest way to become discouraged.

Every month does not forget what you can do, which also comes from the fifth chapter of the Zi Zhang chapter of "The Analects of Confucius", which means: do not forget (those) things you have mastered every month. Zeng Guofan's approach is to write a few poems every month to verify whether he has made progress.

11. Writing: Write for half an hour after breakfast. Treat all writing and ink writing as your own homework and do not leave it for tomorrow. The more it accumulates, the harder it will be to clear it up.

Chinese calligraphy also helps people to meditate and nourish their minds. In the era in which Zeng Guofan lived, people paid more attention to writing, so calligraphy practice is a necessary skill.

12. Not going out at night: exhausted from work, so avoid it.

When Zeng Guofan was young, he liked to party with friends. He often came back very late and slept very late. As time went by, his health deteriorated, and he even got a serious illness. Therefore, he deeply remembered his father's teachings to "spare labor, abstain from food and drink," and spend less time on socializing and entertaining.