The first couplet
Make high-level wishes, make medium-level connections, and enjoy low-level blessings
Choose a high place to stand, find a flat place to live, and look toward the broad Chuxing
This is the only piece of calligraphy hanging in Li Ka-shing's office. It is a poem written by Zuo Zongtang, a Confucian general in the Qing Dynasty, in the Plum Garden in Wuxi, Jiangsu.
To "make high aspirations" and "choose a high place to establish" means to have a grand vision, a broad vision, and "to have high ambitions." As a human being, we must have lofty ambitions and ambitions.
Wang Wei, a poet of the Tang Dynasty, said, "Those with a broad vision will have great achievements, and those with a narrow vision will have small deeds." We often say that vision determines realm. Without a broad vision, it is difficult to make decisions. Big business. Only by having higher aspirations and choosing a higher place can we broaden our horizons.
People with lofty ambitions will one day achieve earth-shattering ambitions, while people with short-sightedness will always be just ordinary people.
When he was young, Sun Yat-sen loved to discuss state affairs, and others teased him: "Looking at your high ambitions, do you want to be the governor of Guangdong?" In the eyes of these people, the governor of Guangdong was extremely great, and Sun Yat-sen But he said: "I have done more things than the governor of Guangdong."
It was such a lofty political ideal that made him embark on the revolutionary path of "abandoning medicine to pursue literature" and became the first revolutionary in the Revolution of 1911. People.
"Being on equal footing" means being down-to-earth, positive and steady. We should not be arrogant and think too highly of ourselves. Seeking stability, one step at a time, step by step. Those who want to do big things and difficult things must do every easy thing and every simple thing down-to-earth.
"Enjoy the lower blessings." " and "Go to a wider place." The lower blessings are the true nature of life. All luxury and prosperity are just fleeting. Coarse food is the most nourishing, and plainness is the only way to be healthy. Moreover, indulging in luxury and prosperity can also It will damage our body. As the saying goes, "the five colors make people blind, and the five sounds make them deaf." ”
So Taoism teaches us to return to nature, and Zhuge Liang teaches us to “be quiet to cultivate one’s character, and be thrifty to cultivate virtue.” If you are not indifferent, you will not be able to make your ambition clear, and if you are not tranquil, you will not be able to reach far." Simplicity, thrift, and health are the best blessings.
The second couplet
Think big, start small< /p>
Keep your mouth shut when you live in groups, keep your heart when you live alone
This couplet was written by Zeng Guofan and is also a reflection of Zeng Guofan’s life wisdom.
Looking at the big picture means that you need to have a broad vision. Openness, as the ancients said: If you don’t plan for the future, you won’t be able to plan for the moment; if you don’t plan for the overall situation, you won’t be able to plan for a region. When thinking about problems, you must have a global awareness and see the future. However, you must look at the big picture and work with the small. Lao Tzu said that the details are more difficult than the details. No matter how big a thing is, you must start from a small point, so as to avoid empty talk and being short-sighted.
The key to self-cultivation is to live alone and keep your heart. He believes that talking too much is a bad habit and a bad habit, so he proposes to "abstain from talking too much", do not talk about other people's rights and wrongs, do not brag about personal trivial matters, and do not say anything that goes against principles or conscience.