Teacher of Emperors
The holy kings in ancient times all humbly sought teachers. Not only did he seek teachers before he became a saint king, but he also humbly sought teachers after he became a saint king. Shen Nong’s teacher was Xi Zhu, Huang Di’s teacher was Da Nao, Zhuan Xu’s teacher was Boyi Fu, the emperor’s teacher was Bo Zhao, Yao’s teacher was Zizhou Zhi Fu, Shun’s teacher was Xu You, and Yu’s teacher was Dacheng Zhi. , the teacher of Shang Tang was Xiaochen (Yi Yin), and the teachers of King Wen and King Wu of Zhou were Jiang Taigong Lu Wang and Zhou Gongdan. Among the six virtuous kings of the Eastern Zhou Dynasty, Duke Huan of Qi worshiped Jiufeng and Suihui as his teachers; Duke Mu of Qin worshiped Baili Xi and Gongsun Zhi as his teachers; King Zhuang of Chu worshiped Sun Shuao and Shen Yinwu as his teachers; King Helu of Wu worshiped Wu Zixu and Wenzhi Yi was his teacher, and King Goujian of Yue worshiped Fan Li and Wen Zhong as his teachers.
In ancient times, sage emperors not only consulted those who were appointed prime ministers as their teachers, but also consulted civilians who were not officials in the court as their teachers. Yao once asked Shanfu, a commoner, for advice. Shanfu did not receive a salary from Yao's government, so when Yao went to consult Shanfu, he must perform the rite of apprenticeship. Zhou Gongdan himself became the teacher of King Wu of Zhou, but he himself consulted thinkers among the common people. These civilians lived in poor streets and alleys. As a student, Zhou Gongdan consulted more than 70 such civilian scholars.
Dayu received the sage and said: "In the past, Yu once bathed and caught his hair three times, and he got up three times after eating. He treated the wise people with courtesy and understood his own shortcomings." Yu once took a bath, and suddenly When he heard that a sage was coming to see him, he grabbed his wet hair with his hands and immediately came out to greet the sage and listen to his teachings before finishing his bath. It was like this one time when I was eating. I stopped three times during the meal, put down my chopsticks and went out to welcome the three wise men.
Zi Chan was the prime minister of the Zheng State in the Spring and Autumn Period. At that time, a famous scholar, Huqiu Zilin, opened a school to give lectures. Zi Chan went to attend the lectures. When he entered the classroom, he followed the rules of the students at that time and sat in order of age. , some people said that he used his status as prime minister as an umbrella, leaning outside the classroom door. When he entered the classroom, he only had the identity of a student.
Marquis Wei Wen went to see Duan Qianmu, a civilian scholar at that time. He always stood and listened to Duan Qianmu's teachings. He did not dare to sit down when his legs were tired from standing. Confucius' "Theory of Multiple Teachers" - The Sage Impermanent Teacher Confucius advocated multiple teachers and not just learning from one teacher. This is what he practices in his own practice of seeking a teacher. He said: "When three people are walking, they must have my teacher: choose those who are good and follow them, and change those who are not good." He also has the principle of "not being ashamed to ask", and he often "asks those who can and those who cannot". In the "Zi Zhang" chapter, Zigong said about Confucius's search for a teacher: "How can a master not learn? How can he have a regular teacher?" Han Yu of the Tang Dynasty wrote "Teacher's Theory": "The sage has no permanent teacher: Confucius studied with Tanzi, Chang Hong, Shi Xiang, and Lao Dan are not as good as Confucius. Therefore, the disciples do not need to be inferior to the teacher, and the teacher does not need to be better than the disciple. , That’s all.”
When Emperor Kangxi was a child, he was assigned a teacher. Later, I found Wu Ciyou as a teacher. Wu Ciyou did not know Kangxi's identity at that time. Later, Sony, the veteran minister of Gu Ming, continued to educate Kangxi. The teacher throughout is Kangxi’s grandmother, the Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang. It can be said that she painstakingly taught Kangxi how to be emperor. Kangxi transferred to Yiduo's master and finally became a sage. Strategies for Seeking Teachers: You are sincere and gold and stone are good. You like the teacher, but he refuses to accept you as a student. What should you do? Zhong Yin, a man from the Southern Tang Dynasty during the Five Dynasties, was already a famous painter when he was young. He went to pay homage to flowers and birds. The painter Guo Qianhui was his teacher. Guo was not at home, so he stood outside the gate all day until Guo returned home in the evening. Zhong Yin fell to the ground and worshiped him, but Guo refused to accept him. Soon, the Guo family wanted to recruit a child, so Zhong Yin changed his name and applied for the job. Zhong Yin became a house boy and worked diligently. Guo Qianhui liked him very much and promoted him to become a book boy. Zhong Yin practiced what Xunzi said, "Don't learn to get close to people" and quietly learned Guo's painting techniques. Zhong Yin was originally a famous person, but the news of his sudden disappearance aroused people's speculation. Guo Qianhui once discovered that a boy was watching him while he was painting, and he asked, "Who are you?" Zhong Yin knelt down and explained the whole story. Guo Qianhui was moved and made an exception to accept Zhong Yin as his student.
Stealing punches. The originator of Yang Style Tai Chi changed his surname, disfigured his face, and was accepted as a servant by his master to steal the basic Tai Chi skills. As a result, he learned better than those formal disciples. After discovering it later, the master was moved and accepted him.
In addition to being diligent and respecting his master like other brothers, Sun Wukong also has a bit of mischief, humor and spirituality in his studies. So the master knocked him on the back of the head three times, and he learned the secret skill by getting up in the middle of the night and going through the back door.
In the creation of modern new martial arts novels, any young hero who later surpasses others in skills often has the fate to become a master of Yiduo in his experience, become an independent entity, create new martial arts and become invincible.
Han Gan, a master of horse painting in the Tang Dynasty, was very poor when he was young. He worked as a waiter in a hotel and often went out to deliver drinks to customers. He has loved painting since he was a child, and his favorite is painting horses. Although he has talent, he cannot improve it. He heard from the hotel owner that the famous poet and painter Wang Wei lived nearby. He wanted to learn painting from his master, so Han Gan made up his mind and tried to get close to Wang Wei. One day, the opportunity came. Wang Wei's servant came to fetch some wine, and Han Gan offered to deliver it to him. Wang Wei saw that the young man was cute and treated him very well. One night, when it was snowing heavily, Han Gan had already taken off his clothes and went to bed. From a distance, he saw that Wang Wei's house was brightly lit and a figure was hunkering down at his desk. He thought it must be Wang Wei painting, so he thought he must need to drink, so he put on his clothes and carried wine, braving the cold. Feng Xue delivers wine to Wang Wei. Wang Wei was deeply moved and wanted to give him a tip. Han Gan said, I don’t want money, I want you to teach me how to draw a horse. Wang Wei asked him to draw a horse. Han Gan was very happy. Although the horse he drew was not sophisticated, he could see the spirit of painting! Wang Wei agreed to teach him. The negative teacher "The Book of Songs·Daya·Dang": "Yin Jian is not far away, in the time of Queen Xia."
"Laozi·Chapter Twenty-seven": "Those who are not good to others are the assets of good people."
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"The Analects of Confucius·Li Ren": "When you see someone who is not virtuous, you should introspect yourself" and "If you are not good, then change it." And "For Politics": "Reviewing the past and learning the new can make you a teacher."
"Warring States Policy·Zhao Ceyi": "Not forgetting the past is the guide for the future."
"Book of Zhou": "The chariot in front is overturned, and the chariot behind is guarded." ( Liu Xiang: "Shuo Yuan Shan Shuo") "New Book of Tang Wei Zheng Biography": "If you judge the beauty and evil of the form, you will stop the water; if you judge the safety of the government, you will destroy the country." Wei Zheng fully summarized the demise of the Sui Dynasty. The historical lessons made Tang Taizong take measures to make the Tang Dynasty live longer. The history of the country's subjugation became Tang Taizong's teacher. Laozi: Surpass the teacher, learn from nature, and create your own originality. Laozi said: "Man follows the earth, earth follows the sky, heaven follows the Tao, and the Tao follows the natural." (Chapter 24) Law, learning, and ultimately learning from nature. To learn from nature, one must understand in nature. Such understanding will become a unique discovery or invention that surpasses the teacher. Ancient painters, musicians, doctors, inventors, and martial arts masters were often the founders of original schools that followed nature. Meeting bosom friends in high mountains and flowing water is the story of Yu Boya and Zhong Ziqi. How did Yu Boya learn to play the piano well? He became a disciple of Chenglian, the first-class piano master at that time. After Cheng Lian taught Yu Boya how to practice basic skills, he found that Yu Boya's musical creativity had not yet been stimulated. He said: "You have learned all my skills. If you want to improve, you can only let my teacher teach you." Boya was very happy, so he followed Chenglian to climb mountains and wading rivers to visit Chenglian's teacher. Chenglian took Boya to the seaside, where there was a small hut. Chenglian asked Boya to stay in the hut and wait while he went to find the teacher. Boya waited for several days but did not see his teacher come back, let alone his teacher. While waiting boredly, he admired the sea: sometimes it was calm and sometimes it was rough. When he saw the sunrise over the sea and the full moon over the sea, he got emotional. He took out his harp and played it impromptu. Unexpectedly, it became an eternal sound. Only then did he suddenly understand: It turns out that the teacher’s teacher is nature. From then on, he played high mountains and flowing water, all of which came naturally from his master's technique.
The inventor Lu Ban once accidentally cut his finger on a thatch. He observed that the edges of thatch had teeth, which inspired him to invent the saw.
Wang Mian painted lotuses, Qi Baishi painted shrimps, and Xu Beihong painted horses. Each took the lead, and all benefited from learning from nature. Therefore, sketching has become a required course for learning painting.
The martial arts masters who created Monkey Fist, Eagle Claw Kung Fu, etc. also benefited from the natural practice of learning. The names of many moves are also naturally derived from the master's skills: such as White Crane Spreading Wings, Oolong Tail Swing, Golden Rooster Independence, Left-Handed Sparrow's Tail, Wild Horse Parting Mane, Rhino Looking at the Moon, etc., all are like this.
Modern fashion designers have also begun to imitate nature in their creations. The Batshirt is one example.
When Yan Zhenqing, a calligrapher of the Tang Dynasty, was not famous, he became a disciple of Zhang Xu, the leading calligrapher in the country at that time. Zhang Xu asked him to "double his learning" and "understand nature". Yan Zhenqing did not understand and thought Zhang Xu He refused to teach him the secret of writing and writing. Zhang Xu repeatedly enlightened Yan Zhenqing, but Yan Zhenqing didn't understand. Zhang Xu became anxious and told Yan Zhenqing: "I understood the rhythm, momentum and rhythm of calligraphy by watching Lady Gongsun dance her sword. Apart from hard study and imitating nature, what's the secret? Anyone who wholeheartedly seeks the secret will never Nothing was accomplished." After saying that, he walked away.
Only then did Yan Zhenqing realize the truth, carefully observe all things in nature, and after decades of hard work, he created a unique style of Yan style calligraphy and became a great calligrapher.
Another story says that Han Qian first learned to draw horses from his predecessor Cao Ba. Du Fu wrote a poem praising Cao Ba’s painting of the Jade Horse of Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty: "A wash of all the horses from eternity to nothing." Han Qian Later, he was also recruited into the palace and specialized in horse painting. Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty asked Han Gan to learn from Chen Honghong, another famous horse painter, but Han Gan did not do so. Xuanzong was puzzled, so Han Gan replied: "The many famous horses in your majesty's stable are my teachers and models!" Han Gan took horses as his teacher, and "he became unique in ancient and modern times."
Today’s painting teaching emphasizes sketching. Perhaps they have absorbed the principles of learning from nature and understanding nature! Bionic inventions: from duck fishing to the invention of submarines. More than 200 years ago, the Russian Emperor Peter I solicited high prices for the invention of new weapons. In 1717, Nikonov, a farmer near Moscow, discovered during his work that in order to hunt small fish foraging on the water, ducks first dived into the water from a distance, and then suddenly emerged from the water near the small fish to attack the small fish. From this he came up with the idea of ??inventing a "secret ship". He was received by Peter I. Seven years later, Peter I personally presided over the launching test ceremony of the "secret ship". Unexpectedly, during the launching process, the mechanical parts were damaged, and the test was postponed. It happened that Nikonov suddenly fell ill and died, and the matter was suspended.
After 1834, a Russian general Shrigel designed a strange boat. There were two goose-foot-like oars on each side of the boat, which were rowed forward by sailors hiding in the boat. There are two covered towers on the upper part of the ship, one for air intake and one for periscope, and there are also weights that make the ship float and sink.
Without knowing each other, the American painter Fulton and the engineer Beluro collaborated to make a model of a submarine in December 1797. He wanted to dedicate it to the United States, but no one supported it. So he dedicated it to Napoleon. With the support of Napoleon, the submarine "Parrot" was quickly built. This boat can sink 20 meters under the water and turn freely. But Napoleon refused to produce it for fear of exploding and crashing when diving into deep water. So the British Prime Minister had to send someone to pick up Fulton secretly. In October 1805, a secret submarine test was conducted in an unknown small place in Castle. A 200-ton sailing ship was attacked by a submarine. There was a roar, the mast was broken, and the hull was pulverized. This astonishing power made Prime Minister Peter feel terrible. From then on, Fulton's invention was buried.
In 1896, the American Holland invented a cigar-shaped submarine powered by a gasoline engine and a battery. It was made of steel and equipped with mines. Since then, submarines have become more practical. Later, nuclear submarines that used fission of atomic nuclei into energy appeared. In the future, submarines will not only be used in the military, but also in diving tourism, fishing, transportation and diving mining. Flying birds and cuttlefish inspired the invention of the airplane. Liliendar and his brother in Germany were envious of birds flying with their wings when they were young. They made a big kite out of bamboo strips and put a lot of feathers on it, so it couldn't fly. They caught a bird and looked at it. It turned out that its wings were curved. So, they made improvements and the kite rose into the sky. When he grew up, Liliendar continued his research. When he was 41 years old, he wrote a book: "The Flying Method of Birds is the Basis for Flying into the Sky". In 1894, when he was 46 years old, he published "The Method and Method of Making Flying Devices". application". He pointed out that it is impossible for people to vibrate their wings and fly like a bird, but they can have immobile wings and use the buoyancy of the wind to fly in the sky like a kite. Lilienthal made a test flight on August 9, 1896. He fell due to strong winds and was injured, and died soon after.
The Wright brothers in the United States sighed after reading Liliendale's story. They decided to study airplanes. After many failures, they built a glider. On December 17, 1903, their airplane equipped with a gasoline engine successfully made a test flight, flying a distance of 260 meters and a time of 59 seconds. It was the first aircraft to successfully fly in the world.
Later, many people made improvements based on the Wright brothers' aircraft. Aircraft appeared on the battlefields of World War I. In 1910, Germany's Jukkas researched aircraft made of metal. The Wright brothers continued to modify their aircraft to reach speeds of 60 kilometers per hour. In 1927, American Lin Teba flew a small plane across the Atlantic Ocean.
At this time, a student named White, a student of the British Aviation Academy, got inspiration from the cuttlefish. The cuttlefish moves in the water by sucking in water and then ejecting it from the rear, using the reaction force of the ejection to push forward.
In ancient Greece, some people proposed the idea of ??using jets to make vehicles travel automatically. Later, Newton also proposed a plan to use the reaction force of steam jets to push the wheels to rotate. So White conducted experiments and finally invented the jet aircraft. If China dares to be a student, it must be the most powerful country in the world. The famous British mathematician and philosopher Bertrand Russell (1872-1970) elaborated on the "Comparison of Chinese and Western Civilizations" in the book "The China Problem". The excerpt is as follows:
Exchanges between different civilizations have proven many times in the past to be a milestone in the development of human civilization. In many of these exchanges, the backward countries as "students" always end up surpassing the advanced countries as teachers. In the process of cultural exchanges between China and foreign countries, if China is a student, then China will eventually surpass her advanced teachers. Indeed, China has a lot to learn from, and we in the West also have a lot to learn from China.
The Chinese people urgently need to learn Western knowledge, not only to make the country strong enough to resist Western aggression, but because many people want to learn useful knowledge from Western culture itself. Traditionally, China attaches great importance to knowledge, but in the past, it has only valued classical literature. It is now generally accepted that Western knowledge is more practical. Every year many students go to universities in Eastern Europe and even more to the United States to study science, economics, law and political science.
The influx of Western cultural knowledge stimulated and promoted the Chinese civilization that needed to be revitalized. If China has a stable government and strong funding, they will create more developed science in the next 30 years. It is very likely that they will surpass us because they are enthusiastic and hard-working and have a rejuvenating drive.
It is interesting to compare the Chinese seeking things from the West with the Westerners seeking things from China. China seeks knowledge from the West, and knowledge is the only way to wisdom. Europeans went to China with three purposes: war, making money, and forcing China to believe in God. All three of these points are aggressive in some sense.
I thought that Westerners have never experienced the kind of patience that Chinese people have. We consider ourselves to be patient because we are more restrained than our ancestors. Cultural exchanges between China and the West will help both parties. The Chinese must learn from us the indispensable practical efficiency, and we must learn from them the wisdom of contemplation and reflection. It is this kind of reflection that allows Chinese civilization to be preserved, and Ancient civilizations in other countries have died.
I hope, sincerely hope, that the Chinese people gain science from us, and in return, they should also give us a little of their spirit of patience and quiet state of mind for contemplation and introspection.