Chinese family letters are also an educational system. If written well, it can be turned into a teaching material, which can be shared not only with family members, but also with the world, not only with the current generation, but also with future generations. There is a premise that the person who writes home must be successful. Success will be convincing. Zeng Guofan's family letters were sold in first editions at the beginning of the last century, mainly because of his great achievements in running the Hunan Army, Westernization, and fighting against the Yangtze River, which gave his books the best advertisement. Zhuge Liang also likes to write letters. "There is no wisdom without indifference, and there is no distance without tranquility" is the signature phrase in his book. Whether it is indifferent or peaceful, future generations can click on it hundreds of millions of times. Isn't it the official career of Prime Minister Zhuge that flaunts these two sentences?
Zeng Guofan’s family letter: Phoenix Man’s family letter likes to talk about the principles of life.
It is not an exaggeration to say that Teacher Zeng is a Phoenix Man. Teacher Zeng rushed from poverty-stricken mountains and rivers to Beijing, Ning, minister, governor of Liangjiang, and head of the main hall. This is a standard Phoenix male version of the struggle.
The Phoenix man who has passed the exam likes to talk about the exam and relies on his own successful experience to become a good teacher. You see, Mr. Zeng, the Phoenix man, passed the exam and settled down and became a civil servant. His life is pretty good. In the 24th year of Daoguang's reign, he rented 28 houses in Nian'er Hutong in Qianmen West, Beijing, with a monthly rent of 30 yuan. On May 12, Phoenix Man, who felt that his life was very happy, wrote a letter to his younger brother at home. He had been informed by the Hanlin Academy, but the letter was still nagging about the exam. He thought of the "college entrance examination" where thousands of troops crossed the single-plank bridge five years ago, and lamented, "Fortunately, I took the exam early, so I didn't suffer a disadvantage." He said that fortunately he had gained fame since he was a child and had not made the same mistakes again. He was no longer poisoned by the stereotyped review textbooks year after year. This is obviously Phoenix Man's mentality after the exam.
After you killed those born in the 1960s and 1970s who took the college entrance examination in their early years, I wonder if you have the same mental journey. To this day, you often dream about the college entrance examination, or do crazy review materials.
Phoenix Man likes to talk about exams.
I passed the exam successfully. To show humility, I like to comfort others. Lao Zeng also showed this kind of Phoenix man mentality from time to time, which seems to be humble but is actually proud. He said, brothers, don’t let a paper delay your life. My hope for you is not that you will gain fame and fortune. "Why do I miss out on a whole life with just one paper?" "My expectation for my brothers is not whether they have scientific names." Don't keep staring at a test paper, but "The person with the heaviest task is far away." You should be more generous. In the age of fame, if you fail to pass the exam, how far can you go? Advising those who are still struggling on this road to transcend after passing the exam, this is the obvious tone of Phoenix Man.
Successful Phoenix men talk a lot and love to talk about learning methods, life realm, and goals. It is still the twenty-fourth year of Daoguang mentioned above. At that time, Lao Zeng was only 33 years old and did not have rich life experience. But because the officialdom was so smooth, he was eager to share the joy with his brothers in his hometown, and Comrade Zeng wrote home again and again. I checked and found that except for May 12 this year, Lao Zeng wrote letters to his younger brother at home on August 29, September 19, October 21, and December 18, and was addicted to posting them. He became a "homebody". control".
Except for the first letter, which asked about the current situation at home and reported on his current situation in Beijing, the others were all about Phoenix Man’s experiences and were all correspondence courses given by Teacher Zeng to his younger brothers. For example, the letter written on September 19 actually contained two things: I commended my fourth brother for studying with a man named Liu Xiaxian. His lack of academic progress cannot be attributed to the small and closed place where he lives. "It can't be blamed on the local constraints." That's why I asked my brothers not to pay attention to any key schools.
Two very simple things, the Phoenix man and the old man involved a lot of life principles. What "If you can make up your mind, what can't you do with saints and heroes?" Why rely on people? "I used to sit in the position of a capital official, so it is natural not to feel pain in my back when I say these words, but for people living in remote areas, these words cannot make a living, and they can do nothing without the help of others. It's really hard. My brothers are counting on you to help me. "Why do you have to help others?" “This is all nonsense.
Later, these younger brothers were all pulled up by Lao Zeng who was running for the Hunan Army.
Give my brother a class to protest.
As for studying, don’t choose a place or a school. This is unreliable. Lao Zeng, think about your old rival Ge Quan, because he did not go to a famous school and did not have the guidance of a famous teacher. As a result, he was always stuck in studying and failed in the major exams, so he had to start his own business and establish the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom.
I gave my brothers a lesson and said sadly that my father died young and I, my brother, failed to educate you well. This is my greatest shame. Then he said, when others deal with me, I can teach them better. "When others make friends with others, they benefit more", but you guys are not making progress, and I am "deeply ashamed" and "deeply disgusted". Brother, I'll give you another chance. I also sent a letter to Liu Xiaxian this time. Please make a copy and study the spirit of my speech.
Old Zeng, a department-level cadre in Beijing, wrote letters to his younger brothers every once in a while to teach. The younger brothers were so disgusted that they collectively wrote letters to protest: Boss, we don’t want to hear you murmuring about lessons. Zeng's face thickness is still limited. After receiving the protest letter, he also felt blushing and stopped teaching at home.
Excerpted from Zeng Guofan’s family letter: There is no end to learning, but perseverance is always the mainstay. My brother has remained unchanged in the past few years. He's gotten a little better in the past few years, but still not proficient. Since the beginning of July, he has been together all day long. Post a hundred words a day, copy a hundred words, read at least twenty pages, and ignore them at most. Since July, we have read hundreds of volumes of the collected works of Wang Jinggong, 40 volumes of the collected works of Gui Zhenchuan, 20 volumes of the Complete Book of Songs, and hundreds of volumes of the Later Han Dynasty, all of which are recognized by calligraphy and circles.
November 21, the 24th year of Daoguang reign of the Qing Dynasty, Shu
Zeng’s inspiration: Love cooking, love adding seasonings, and strong taste.
Phoenix Man’s letter is more flavorful, and the focus is on motivation. The old people are used to focusing on the course of motivation, adding a lot of "oil, salt, sauce and vinegar" and frying a plate of "motivational dishes" to make the inspirational men want to eat.
For example, hard work and plain living, filial piety and prudence, this is a very light thing, but Lao Zeng can arouse a lot of excitement. We read the letter he wrote to his brothers in the 29th year of Daoguang: "I think that among all the official families in the world, many will enjoy one generation. Their descendants are arrogant at first, then wandering, and finally talking nonsense. Very It is rare for a businessman's family to last for three or four generations; for a farmer's family, it can last for ten or eight generations. p>I used to pack. He poured a bucket of cold water on the bustling second generation of officials and doused the fire with cold words that could only last one or two generations. As for the homes of "Pu Jin" and "Xiao You", he frantically added firewood and condiments, stirring up a boring and light moral sermon. The attractive prospect of "extending for ten or eight generations" was due to the firewood he added. and condiments. People who read family letters, tempted by the prospect of "ten generations, eight generations" and thousands of generations, will become excited and vow to be filial friends and protect the family.
For example, when it comes to reading, Xianfeng wrote a letter to his son Zeng Jize on August 3, 2008, saying that reading must be deeply appreciated and kind. The old father was afraid that his son would not understand his teachings, so he used a lot of "condiments" to talk about the dish of "reading", and these condiments were metaphors. What is "like spring rain nourishing flowers, like clear canals irrigating rice", "a good scholar should regard books as water, but his heart is like flowers, like rice, like fish, like feet", this is a metaphor, a big The basket is filled with flowers
In fact, heavy flavors are monotonous flavors, except for any other flavors. Work hard on a certain flavor and fry it to the extreme, just like the fried rice noodles at a roadside stall. For example, being an official in the officialdom is a very complicated technical job, but Lao Zeng was able to shine in a certain aspect, making this technical job very enjoyable. Once, Zeng Guoquan, Zeng's younger brother, wrote a letter complaining that his colleagues looked pale. Lao Zeng immediately wrote back to criticize him: Others look pale. Ultimately, you pale first. The implication seems to be that as long as you look good, others will look good too. Here, Lao Zeng obviously simplified a complex issue and packaged the smelly fish of personnel relations in the Qing Dynasty officialdom with spicy chopped peppers and turned it into a delicious "chopped pepper fish head".
Old Zeng, like Carnegie, was good at guessing some simple moral principles and details.
So when you read Lao Zeng’s letters home, you will become more and more addicted. Both Inspirational Man and Phoenix Man are obsessed with this heavy taste. They feel that Lao Zeng's success can not only be copied, but can also be copied, so Lao Zeng's family letters are selling like hot cakes. Nowadays, Phoenix Man's successful speeches are very popular, and everyone is chasing this heavy taste.
In fact, most of Lao Zeng’s success was experienced in reality. By the time he puts his success down on paper, it may have lost its original flavor. Just like when Zheng Banqiao paints bamboo, the bamboo in his eyes is not the bamboo on the pen, and the bamboo on the pen is not the bamboo on the paper. For such a clever painter, it is inevitable that bamboo will be deformed when he paints it. Teacher Zeng’s successful experience is probably a real success, not the success he wants to say. The success he wants to say is not the success written on paper, but the success that has been transformed several times.
For example, Lao Zeng repeatedly emphasized the word "sincerity" in his family letters. How about Lao Zeng being sincere to others? When he was leading troops in Jiangxi, a man who owned a leather bag company approached Lao Zeng and said he could buy a batch of cheap arms. Lao Zeng believed him and gave him a sum of money. His subordinates advised him not to be gullible, and Lao Zeng said confidently: I treat people sincerely. As a result, the owner of the leather bag company left with the huge sum of money and never returned. Old Zeng was so angry that he said: "I treat people with sincerity. I treat people with sincerity." It can be seen that the word "sincerity" is very easy to write in family books. It is simply a history of blood and tears. .
Letter from Zhuge Liang: The lighter taste is steamed fish.
Zeng’s old letter home is fish head with chopped pepper, which has a strong taste. Zhuge Liang’s home letter is steamed seabass, which has a lighter taste.
The shortest one is only 19 words.
First of all, Teacher Zhuge’s letter is very brief and unassuming, especially to his brothers, and there is no big talk at all. For example, a letter from my brother Zhuge Jin introduced my eight-year-old son Zhuge Zhan, saying: "Jin Zhan is eight years old, smart and cute. I think it's not too early. I'm afraid he's too harsh on my ears." I believe it. The 19 words before and after are just meager. My son is eight years old and very smart, but I am worried that he is too precocious and cannot take on big responsibilities. At this point, I stopped abruptly. My praise and worries for my son are all in 19 words, but I estimate that if I put them in Lao Zeng’s words, I would not be able to suppress the itching of my mouth and hands, and talk a lot about "wisdom" and "heavy weapons" ” connection, it’s like churning out your own parenting experience with all the examples and proverbs.
Zhuge Liang’s eldest son, Zhuge Qiao, was raised by his elder brother. Teacher Zhuge regularly reports Qiao's growth to Zhuge Jin. There was a note that read: Joe was originally supposed to be assigned to work in Chengdu, but I decided to let him exercise, deliver rations with everyone, and share the joys and sorrows with the soldiers. "Share blessings together, share hardships. Be with all the children in the valley." Teacher Zhuge just said it calmly and concisely. He no longer elaborated on the reason why the princelings must integrate with the broad masses of officers and soldiers. After 37 words, he said nothing.
No more than 90 characters in length.
Zhuge Liang also taught his sons and nephews in letters, the most famous of which is the book of commandments: "Quietness is to cultivate one's self, frugality is to cultivate one's morality, be indifferent and unambitious, and be quiet is to stay away." You have to learn quietly, you have to learn, learn Not broad, no ambition to learn. The full text only has 90 characters. If you put it on Weibo, you can also enter 50 characters. Zhuge Liang's handwriting, each sentence is a motto, as if many jewels are connected together. As for how to be quiet and how far away, if you don't say it or write it, if you write it again, it will be like stringing gems on a necklace made of jewelry.
Teacher Zhuge’s letter to his nephew only has 90 words. The mottos contained in "Aim high" and "Stop being small-minded and seek advice broadly" are to have a long-term vision and not to be too messy in doing things. Using this standard to measure Lao Zeng's family letters does seem a bit "thin".
Zhuge Liang’s admonition: A gentleman’s journey is to cultivate one’s character through tranquility and through frugality. Not cold, not wise, not quiet, not distant. My husband must be quiet when he is studying and must study. He can't learn without learning, and he can't learn without ambition. Slowness leads to impetuosity; if you are impatient, you cannot be rational. With time, meaning and age then become withered and many do not fit into the world. So what if you lament that you are poor?
Reasons: Different origins, different eras, and different levels of humanism.
The former Phoenix Man, a successful and passionate Phoenix Man, always had too much to say, too many experiences to spread, and too many emotions. Letters home are written in detail and naturally. Moreover, the letter home is written to the children of farmers in the hinterland of the mountainous area, who have low consciousness and narrow vision. If they don’t write in detail, they won’t be able to understand it. If they don’t write with strong flavor, they won’t work hard or wake up.
On the other hand, Zhuge Liang, although he stayed in the village like Zeng Guofan, he was not a Phoenix man. Zeng Guofan's family has been in Cao Lu for hundreds of years, and everyone is anxious to get out. Of course, the inspirational flavor is stronger; Zhuge Liang's thatched cottage was a temporary one. His father was a prefect, his uncle was a celebrity, and he himself was a celebrity. He stayed there for the time being. Liu Bei visited the thatched cottage three times and invited him, which was not too surprising. So Zhuge Liang didn't emphasize studying hard, he just "read the outline."
If Zhuge Liang wanted to take both the imperial examination and the civil service examination, he would not have said such irresponsible things. In Teacher Zeng's time, he couldn't do it. If he didn't study hard, he wouldn't be able to take the imperial examination. Why didn't he wait for the Qing Emperor's invitation?
I worked hard step by step, but took the initiative to move towards the Qing Dynasty. I am very excited about going from farming to non-farming. I like to say inspiring words. Zhuge Liang was approached by others, and everything was as natural as running water. Therefore, he is calmer than the old man, and his letters are lighter. The writing style of the Wei and Jin Dynasties of the Three Kingdoms was simple and light. From Zhuge Liang's notes and letters, we can see the shadow of the new language spoken in later generations. The style of the Wei and Jin Dynasties can no longer be reproduced.
Of course, Mr. Zhuge is not always understated. He also has a strong flavor of "sad all night and shed tears on the table" like Li's example. It is a national event and a determination placed before young owners. Of course it can't be any lighter. If it is too light, young owners will suspect you of being irresponsible.
Conclusion: When I was young, I had a strong taste, so I liked letters from my hometown, Zeng Guofan. This kind of motivational book has specific details and tangible training steps. I always feel that Zeng Gong can do this, and so can I; if I were 40 years old this year, I suddenly fell in love with the celebrity style of the clear breeze, bright moon, high sky and light clouds presented in Zhuge Liang's book. People can be phoenixes, but there are very few real celebrities.
There is nothing wrong with the Phoenix mentality. What is wrong is that you scan all groups with this perspective and feel that everyone is the target of your education. You always show off your history of hardship, bitterness, and struggle, and you always shout: I am like that too.
When you do this, disaster and misfortune begin.
What is Phoenix Man: As a label, it refers to a man who gathers the strength of his whole family, studies hard for more than ten years, and finally becomes a "golden phoenix flying out of the mountain nest", thus providing a good foundation for a family. Transformation brings hope.