Reading time: Wednesday, July 10, 2019, ***Reading day 38. Read the original text: "Zeng Guofan's Family Letters" Volume 1, "The 22nd Year of Daoguang", September 18th, Letter to Four Brothers, Pages 108-118, upload the reading audio.
Growing with the book:
I have been busy grading papers these past few days, and I couldn’t help but feel calm. Suddenly I remembered Zeng Gong’s words about “being patient”, and I secretly made up my mind to make this decision. The heart comes, hoping to find a new world among troubles. In this letter, Zeng talked with his brothers about his reading of classics and history, his apprenticeship and making friends, etc., which is a true portrayal of that time. He asked his brothers to read with the "special" calligraphy method, which was to pass on Tang Jian's advice.
The most valuable thing in Zeng Guofan’s family books is probably the letters to you brothers, so no matter how busy I am, I have to calm down and read them carefully.
Yuan Haowen's poem: "Look at the mandarin duck embroidery from the beginning, and don't give the golden needle to others." And Zeng is precisely passing the "golden needle" to his children. While reading these letters, I easily obtained the "golden needle".
In the first section, I miss my ninth brother.
Section 2, how to read. Pay attention to both strength and softness, take it one step at a time, and discuss it with your friends.
Section 3. There is a lot worth remembering in this section. First, Zeng Guofan made many good teachers and friends. Mentors and helpful friends play a role in supervising and motivating a person's growth.
On the other hand, Zeng Guofan emphasized that learning is, as Zhu Xi said, "boiling with strong fire and warming with slow fire". This is the inspiration that Zisi, Zhu Xi and others got from boiling meat: meat must be boiled in this way before all the flavors will come out. The same is true for reading: first concentrate on reading in a short period of time to grasp the overview of the book you are reading; then slowly and carefully chew the chapters, chapters and even every word and sentence in it, and read it thoroughly in order to explore the book. The essence of it is profound. For must-read classics, this "boil over high heat and warm over slow heat" approach is worth learning from.
The second is to talk about the rites and music of the universe. Taking calligraphy as an example, Qian is the god, Kun is the shape, the true power is the joy, and the thread is the ritual. This way of thinking that integrates opposites has a flavor of dialectical unity and is worth playing with. The so-called Qiankun is the gateway between heaven and earth.
The method of reading is to eliminate all distracting thoughts and concentrate on it. It's like grabbing an old well and trying to reach the deepest point. Don't be afraid that you won't be able to dig the spring water yourself. If you dig in another place, you will not get spring water in your life.
The fourth section is to advise you brothers to use your best ability to do your career. Seeking fame is the way for scholars to survive. Don't think about not getting results. As long as you do it, God will decide.
It also emphasizes concentration, whether studying scriptures or writing essays. If you do what you can, there will be good results. Every day, study quietly, not worrying about any results, only worrying about whether your ability can improve. I would like to advise the fourth and sixth brothers to not try to do everything, but to focus on one thing. Moreover, the fourth and sixth brothers wanted to write a manuscript recently, and they said that they must also collect their own manuscripts. Manuscripts must have certain specifications and paradigms to facilitate accumulation. While discussing poetry and poetry with my brothers, the question "How enjoyable is it?" made me realize the joy of "having friends come from far away." This is not only fulfilling the brother's wishes, but also repaying his father's teachings. Knowledge lies in accumulation, and life lies in growth.
In Section 5, it is written that Mr. Xie Guotang cherishes each other and he shows his high character and that he and he are gentlemen's friends.
Verse 6, ask a few more questions, thinking about it in your heart, don’t let it go.
A letter to my four brothers on September 18, the 22nd year of Daoguang's reign
My four brothers:
Ninth brother plans to arrive home at this time . Since Ren Qiu sent the letter, I have not received the second letter yet. I am very worried. I wonder if the road is not very difficult and dangerous? The fourth brother and the sixth brother are about to take the college examination. I hope they should have faith at this time, but they have not seen the news for a long time, so I am really worried about it.
My body is the same as when my ninth brother was in Beijing, and I always suffer from tinnitus. When asked about Wu Zhuru, he said that there is only one way to rest, which is beyond the power of medicine.
However, social activities are becoming more and more complicated, and I am impetuous by nature, so how can I truly stay calm? I plan to move into the inner city and save half of the unnecessary travel, but I haven't found one yet. I always regret that I have not been able to cleanse myself anew. After the ninth brother returned, he decided to read the scriptures on the hard day and the history on the soft day. Reading is often lazy and not calm. I have read "Book of the Later Han Dynasty" and have reviewed eight of them. Although I have not memorized any of them, I have a deeper understanding than when I read "Book of the Former Han Dynasty" last year. Starting from September 11th, the classmates agreed that each lesson should have one article and one poem, which should be written in white on this day. Yu's poems were highly praised by his classmates, but he had absolutely no practical knowledge of eight-legged writing. Although he was grateful for the praises from others, he actually felt more ashamed of himself. When the next business trip comes, I can pay a few texts and go home. If you are too lazy to do your exams at home, you can take this class to practice the exam tools and avoid being embarrassed on the spot.
Wu Zhuru has been very close to each other in recent days, and when he came he would have a talk every day. What he said was based on the principles of body, mind and state. Qu said that Dou Lanquan was from Yunnan. Seeing that the Tao is extremely refined should be plain. Dou also knew very well that the two of them had not bowed to each other yet. Zhu can move into the city if necessary. Mr. Jinghai can serve as his teacher in the city, and Mr. Wo Genfeng and Dou Lanquan can serve as friends. Between mentors and friends, even a coward still has determination. I think about Zhu Zi's words: "In order to learn how to cook meat, you must first cook it over a strong fire, and then warm it with a diffuse fire." In my entire life, I have never cooked with a strong fire. Although I have some knowledge, I got it from the state of enlightenment. Even if you work hard, it's just a matter of leisure and fun. If the soup is not yet boiling and is suddenly warmed over a high fire, it will become less cooked as it becomes more boiled. Therefore, I was eager to move into the city, shut out everything, and engage in the study of self-denial. Mr. Jinghai and Genfeng also advised me to move urgently. As for friends outside the city, there are also several people I think of frequently, such as Shao Huixi, Wu Zixu, He Zizhen, and Chen Daiyun. Huixi once said: "Being friends with Zhou Gongjin is like drinking mellow wine." The two of us have this flavor, so we always talk to each other for a long time. I still cannot determine the character of Zi Xu as a person, but he has the greatest and most refined knowledge. Someone once taught me: "Working hard is like digging a well. Instead of digging several wells but none of them can reach the spring, how can it be better to keep one well and strive to reach the spring and use it inexhaustibly?" This sentence is consistent with Yu's illness. The so-called "many wells are dug but none reach the spring". He Zizhen is very consistent with Yu's teachings, saying that I truly know the great source and must never abandon it. It is said that everything in the world comes from the two hexagrams of Qian and Kun, which is explained in words: "It is purely based on spiritual movement, the air is blowing, the veins are connected, and the heart is turned inward. This is the main path; the structure is exquisite, and there is a method to the back. This is the path of Kun. All stems are expressed by spirits; It is the meaning of joy to be full of true power when you travel freely; it is the meaning of etiquette when everything is perfect and the turns are legal." I occasionally mentioned this to Zizhen, and Zizhen thought deeply about it, saying that this was all the strength he had gained in his life. Chen Daiyun is related to my pain and itching everywhere, and this ninth brother knows it.
As I write this, I receive a letter from home and find out that my fourth and sixth brothers have not been admitted to school, which is very sad. However, whether the name of the family will be decided sooner or later is determined in advance and cannot be forced at all. When we study, there are only two things: one is to improve virtue, focusing on the way of sincerity and correctness, so as to avoid the birth of resentment; It is difficult to describe everything about advancing virtue. As for cultivating one's profession to protect one's body, I would like to say: There is nothing better than seeking food to protect one's body. Farmers, industrialists and merchants are those who work hard for food; scholars are those who work hard for food. Therefore, whether you are earning a salary in the court, teaching in the countryside, being a guest passing on food, or being a guest in the palace, you must consider that your career is enough to earn food without any shame. The name of the family is also the level of food and salary. I must also consider that my career will not lead to a dead meal in the future, and then I will be worthy of the name of the family. If food cannot be obtained and the public is poor, it is up to God; to take away food, it is up to man. Whether the work is good or not is up to me. However, I have not seen the essence of the fruit of karma and will not be able to eat it in the end. If a farmer works hard, there will be a good year even if there is famine; if a farmer accumulates goods, there will be a time for success even if there is stagnation; if a scholar can master his industry, how can he expect that he will not be named in the family in the end? Even if the name of the family is finally lost, then there is no other way to find food. However, the person who suffers from karma is not fine. There is no other way to seek the essence of your career than specialization. As the proverb goes: "Many arts do not nourish one's health." It means not being specialized. I dug many wells but there was no spring to drink from. It was my fault that I was not expert. Brothers must always strive to be professional. If Jiu Di is determined to learn calligraphy, there is no need to give up all his other career; but when practicing calligraphy every day, he must be energetic, and he can realize it at any time and in any situation.
Fourth brother and sixth brother, I don’t know if they have any special interests. If you want to focus on poor scriptures, you must focus on one scripture; if you want to make righteousness, you must read the manuscripts of one family; if you want to write ancient prose, you must read the manuscripts of one family. The same goes for writing anthologies; the same goes for writing poems in various styles; the same goes for writing test posts. You can't do both things at the same time. If you run a business simultaneously, you will be unable to do anything. Please advise! Thousands and thousands! After that, I wrote letters. Each of my brothers had their own specialties, so they had to be clearly stated. They also had to ask detailed questions and write lengthy documents, so that I could know their ambitions and insights by reading their handwriting. Anyone who specializes in a certain profession will have insights and doubts. Brothers, if you have any insights, you can tell me and I will reward you; if you have any doubts, you can ask me and I will analyze them. And since the letter is detailed, brothers four thousand miles away are just like meeting in the same room, how happy they are! I have lived my whole life in a morally correct manner, but I feel deeply sorry for my brother. For example, my father taught me everything he knew, but I cannot teach my brothers everything I know. This is a great act of unfilial piety. The ninth brother has been in Beijing for more than a year and has not made much progress. Every time he thinks about it, he feels ashamed. From now on, I always use this grid paper when writing letters to my brothers. I should keep them and bind them into a volume every year. The benefits cannot be ignored. Brothers, when writing letters to me, they must also use lined paper of the same color for easy binding.
After Mr. Xie Guotang left Beijing, he wrote a letter and two poems. My husband is over sixty years old and has a great reputation. When we meet, we always fall in love with each other. After we say goodbye, we never forget each other. I want to see how much my elders love their talents. I hereby send the poems together with the poems and circulate them among the people, so that Mr. Xiang will know that this old man is a great gentleman.
I have a large copper ruler that I have been unable to find. Has Ninth Brother brought it back? I send you Huangying cabbage seeds every year and plant them at home. Is it okay? Have you bought paint while saving time? Who is the painter? Letter came and asked for detailed instructions.
Brother Guofan’s handicrafts.