Zeng Guofan, a modern Chinese politician, strategist, and founder of the Hunan Army. Together with Li Hongzhang, Zuo Zongtang, and Zhang Zhidong, he is known as the "Four Famous Officials of the Zhongxing in the Late Qing Dynasty". He served as governor of Liangjiang, governor of Zhili, and bachelor of Wuyingdian. He was granted the title of first-class Yiyong Marquis, with the posthumous title of "Wenzheng" and later generations called him "Zeng Wenzheng". Some people praise him as the most perfect person in history. If you understand the "Six Commandments" of Zeng Guofan's life and learn how he behaved, you will be able to become a great person.

The first commandment: Don’t do things that are of short-term benefit, and don’t go where everyone is fighting for money

Don’t do things that are always profitable, and don’t go where everyone wants to go. . Don’t enter the dangerous city! What everyone longs for can be harmful.

The first half of the sentence says: Don’t be greedy for too much! When the sun is at midday, it will move, when the moon is full, it will lose, when things are prosperous, they will decline, and when things are at their extreme, they will reverse. Nothing in the world can be done once and for all, and there can be no long-term profits. If there is such a good thing that can always make profits, then it can only be said that this kind of thing is a superficial phenomenon or a scam. At this time, you must keep a clear head.

The second half of the sentence is about safety. Don't go to places where people are arguing or fighting. It is easy to cause trouble or disaster. The Analects of Confucius says, "Don't enter a dangerous country, and don't live in a chaotic country." This is what it means. Of course, the struggle in this sentence can also be understood as a struggle for profit. This means that if everyone is competing for the benefits, it is best not to compete for them, because it will definitely be a small profit.

Second commandment: Don’t abandon others’ great beauty with small evils, don’t forget others’ great kindness with small grudges

Don’t ignore other people’s advantages because of their small shortcomings, and don’t ignore others’ advantages because of their small shortcomings. The grudges of others ignore the great kindness of others.

As long as people do things, they will make mistakes. These two sentences tell us not to completely deny the goodness of others and forget about others because of their small faults, small moral flaws, and small grudges. The kindness of others.

The "Book of Rites" says, "Those who are good but know their evil, and who are evil but know their beauty are rare in the world." ?It means to like a person and know his shortcomings, and to dislike a person but know his advantages. This is to warn us not to be too emotional when dealing with others, but to look at other people's shortcomings and shortcomings objectively and fairly.

The third commandment: Talking about other people's shortcomings is to protect one's own shortcomings, and praising one's own strengths is to avoid others' strengths

People who often talk about other people's shortcomings, and people who often boast about their own strengths , it can be said that the intention is not thick and the knowledge is too narrow. ? As the saying goes, ? Hit someone without slapping someone in the face, and expose someone without exposing their shortcomings. ? Frequently talking about other people's shortcomings and boasting about one's own strengths is not only a sign of low emotional intelligence, but will also inevitably attract resentment to oneself and sow the seeds of disaster.

Liu Bang, the emperor of the Han Dynasty, once discussed the talents of various generals with Han Xin. Liu Bang asked: How many soldiers can I lead? Han Xin said: Your Majesty can only lead one hundred thousand soldiers. ?Liu Bang said: ?What about you? Han Xin replied: ?Like me, the more the better. ?Han Xin was later killed. It cannot be said that it had nothing to do with his character.

The meaning of Zeng Guofan's words clearly paints a spiritual portrait of this kind of person. People who often talk about other people's shortcomings are actually using this to cover up their own shortcomings; people who often boast about their own strengths are actually jealous or want to cover up other people's strengths.

The fourth commandment: profit can be overwhelming but not alone, and planning can be done by a few but not by many

When planning things, you must work with a few people who have independent opinions, not with everyone. Plan things together. As the "Warring States Policy" says, "Those who are extremely virtuous will not be in harmony with the world, and those who achieve great success will not seek publicity." ?In layman’s terms, it means that you don’t need to discuss with everyone when pursuing particularly important things. Because those who seek big things must have extraordinary vision, mind and tolerance. If they see it for themselves, they can just do it. If they discuss it with others, it will be troublesome. If others have low knowledge, are narrow-minded, and have an ordinary temperament, they will definitely not understand your thoughts. Talking too much will shake your will and destroy your confidence and emotions.

The fifth commandment: The mediocre people in the world, both ancient and modern, are all defeated by the word laziness; the talented people in the world, ancient and modern, are all defeated by the word arrogance

Mediocre people are ordinary people. People, people in general. For ordinary people, there is no talent, and only hard work can achieve success, so the most taboo word is "lazy". . As for those talented people, although they can take shortcuts based on their talent and are more likely to succeed, they are also prone to being arrogant, self-contained, and unwilling to learn from others, which is also why they are prone to failure.

Zeng Guofan is a good example of hard work. He was not actually smart, but he was able to achieve university knowledge and great careers through hard work. It can be said that he is a role model for ordinary people. However, Xiang Yu, Li Zicheng, etc., who took advantage of the right time and place, were defeated because of pride.

The sixth commandment: When doing big things, knowledge should be the main thing and talent as a supplement; when doing big things, half of them are human planning and half of God's will.

Whenever you do big things, you first need to Have profound experience and insight, and use talent as an aid; if you want to achieve great things, half of it depends on human planning, and the other half depends on God's will and whether the opportunity will come. As the saying goes, it’s up to people to plan things, but it’s up to God to make things happen.

Zeng Guofan clearly told us that when doing great things, knowledge should be the main thing, and talents and abilities are just supplementary. Therefore, people who are proud of their talents often find it difficult to achieve great things. Of course, the "knowledge" here refers not only to knowledge, but also to experience and insight.

However, man’s plan is half of it, and God’s will is half of it. This means that no matter what we do, we must have the attitude of "doing our best and obeying destiny". Don't stop working hard because there are factors that you can't control, let alone blame others because you failed in the end despite your efforts.

If you want to achieve great things, you must not be afraid of hardship, be strict with yourself, and learn from Zeng Guofan's "Six Precepts". Don't choose comfort at the age when you can endure the most hardships, work hard enough to be powerless, and work hard enough to impress yourself. You are not afraid of being blocked by millions of people, but you are afraid of surrendering yourself.