Original: I don't cherish the ancient books when I first read them; If you cherish books, you will be in the highest position. You must walk around and do something right. If you see something bad, you might as well buy another one. Building a new book is the work of a strong family, but my poor people can't do it yet. For example, teacups and rice bowls, knowing that they are old kilns, should also be cherished; However, poor people only have this device, so will they regard their hunger as a treasure? Children should know.
This letter was written by Sun Jiwei for his son's study. Sun Jiwei (1620- 1687) was born in Sanyuan (now Shaanxi) in the late Ming Dynasty. After the death of the Ming Dynasty, he settled in Jiangdu and studied alone. During the Kangxi period of the Qing Dynasty, he gave a calligrapher a scholarship and resigned soon. An important poet in the early Qing dynasty, he wrote Guan Tang Ji.
This letter tells my son that books must be read, and if you don't read them, you will lose the meaning of books. If you want to study, you don't need to "cherish books". If you look terrible, you might as well buy it again. The metaphor of "old kiln" is very apt, which shows that poor families should not only decorate books like rich families, but should be pragmatic and seek knowledge.