fū jūn zǐ zhī xíng, jìng yǐ xiū shēn, jiǎn yǐ yǎng dé.
As a husband and a gentleman, you should cultivate your character with tranquility and cultivate your virtue with frugality.
fēi dàn bó wú yǐ míng zhì, fēi níng jìng wú yǐ zhì yuǎn.
Without indifference, there is no clear ambition; without tranquility, there is no way to reach far.
Meaning: A person with moral cultivation relies on inner peace to cultivate his body and mind, and cultivates his noble character through frugality and saving money. If you are not calm and have few desires, you will not be able to clarify your ambitions, and if you do not eliminate external interference, you will not be able to achieve lofty goals.
From: "The Book of Commandments"
Author: Zhuge Liang (181-234), courtesy name Kongming, nickname Wolong (also known as Fulong), Han nationality, Langya Yangdu, Xuzhou (today's Born in Yinan County, Linyi City, Shandong Province, he was the prime minister of the Shu Han Dynasty during the Three Kingdoms period, an outstanding politician, strategist, essayist, and calligrapher. His representative works of prose include "Chu Shi Biao", "Book of Commandments", etc.
Extended information
This article was written in 234 AD (the 12th year of Jianxing of the Shu Han Dynasty). It is a family letter written by Zhuge Liang to his eight-year-old son Zhuge Zhan. Zhuge Liang served his country his entire life, dedicated himself to it, and died. He worked day and night for the cause of the Shu Han country and could not take care of educating his son himself, so he wrote this letter to warn Zhuge Zhan.
It can be seen from the article that Zhuge Liang is a father with noble character and profound knowledge. His careful teaching and unlimited expectations for his son are all in this book. Through intelligent, rational, concise and precise words, the full text expresses the love of fathers all over the world for their children very deeply, and has become a famous article for students of all generations to cultivate themselves and aspire to self-cultivation.