Let’s continue to talk about “Qijia”.
Next, look at the Qing Dynasty minister and calligrapher Mr. Zhang Zhao (1691-1745):
How many generations of furniture in ancient and modern times have accumulated virtue,
Between heaven and earth The first character must be self-reading.
The general meaning of the first couplet is that the survival and development of individuals require accumulation of virtue, and the survival and development of families also require accumulation of virtue. There is a widely circulated Spring Festival couplet that says it well: Spring is always there in Xiangyangmen, and people who have accumulated good deeds will have more than enough time to celebrate. "Accumulate good" and "accumulate virtue" have the same meaning.
Here is a look at Mr. Wang Wenzhi (1730-1802) of the Qing Dynasty:
For hundreds of years, people have only accumulated good deeds.
The first-class career is studying. .
This one is almost the same as the previous one, so I won’t say more.
Next, let’s take a look at the modern calligraphy master Tang Tuo (1871-1938):
Three important things to do is to take good care of yourself and develop a correct way to teach your children.
The first couplet of this couplet talks about self-cultivation, and the second couplet talks about educating children.
The "three essentials of self-examination" in the first couplet are exactly what Zeng Zi said in "The Analects": "I will examine myself three times every day."
The second line "Yangzheng Article" refers to the "Yangzheng Yigui" compiled by the Qing Dynasty scholar Chen Hongmou (1696-1771). This book brings together the works of Zhu Xi, Wang Yangming, Lu Longqi and other former sages and scholars. Good words and meaningful words. Let’s read a passage from Lu Longqi’s godson in the book:
Although I am in Beijing, I deeply care about your study. I don’t want you to study to gain wealth, but I really want you to read and understand the teachings of saints and sages, so as not to become a vulgar person. Studying and being a human being are not two different things. Taking every sentence of the book you read into consideration for yourself is the way to be a good person. Only in this way can one be called a scholar.
Next, let’s look at the first prize of Lu Runxiang (1841-1915):
Don’t deceive anyone, and those who can keep their composure respect their ancestors;
Shou If the body is self-reflective and will suffer losses, then it is a filial son and a virtuous grandson.
The "no deception" mentioned in the first couplet is also one of the bottom lines of traditional self-cultivation. The time-honored traditional Chinese medicine brand "Hu Qingyutang" founded by Hu Xueyan, a modern businessman, has been in business for a hundred years and is inseparable from the fact that it has always adhered to the motto of "don't bully". Tongrentang, which is also a century-old store, also said that "No one can see the harmony, but God knows the intention." The couplets of its chain drugstores also repeatedly emphasize this point: No matter how complicated the preparation is, we must not save labor, and no matter how expensive the taste is, we must not dare to save labor. Reduce material resources.
"Being lawful" means fulfilling the responsibilities and obligations within one's role. When you are a supervisor, you must be a good supervisor, when you are an employee, you must be a good employee, when you are a father, you must be a good father, and when you are a son, you must be a good son.
Only when you have done all the above can you be regarded as "respecting your ancestors". There is a curse word in the Central Plains: "Shame on your ancestors!" - which means that your actions have brought shame on your ancestors.
The second couplet talks about Zeng Zi's "I have to examine myself three times every day" and "Suffering a loss is a blessing". Only by doing this can we be called "filial sons and virtuous grandchildren".
There are some sayings in the tradition that say it well:
If you are not weak, striving for strength will lead to disaster;
Endure the calm for a while, and take a step back to open up the world.
Take advantage and suffer big losses;
Give up one point today and get three points tomorrow.
One point is given to small things, three points to big things.
Next, look at Mr. Wang Xun (?-1915), a Jinshi of the Qing Dynasty and a celebrity in Changzhou:
Tolerance and harmony are the best policies, and diligence and frugality are good plans for starting a business.
The upper and lower lines here talk about the four key words of "Qijia", namely "endurance", "harmony", "diligence" and "thrift".
To achieve harmony, you must first be tolerant. Mr. Hu Shi once said: Tolerance is more important than freedom. This is equally important for a family, an organization, and even a country.
Let’s take a look at Mr. Tang Tuo’s performance:
He has a good family tradition but only maintains integrity, and his behavior is unremarkable but straightforward.
This is an old couplet. Although it is unremarkable, it is a magic weapon that remains unchanged and adapts to all changes - one is "thickness" and the other is "frankness". You can use a thousand tricks, but I only use two. It is simple, effective, and saves worry and effort.
Speaking of this, I remembered a few old couplets that have been circulated for hundreds of years. For example, during the Spring Festival today, some people posted "May the days increase and people live longer, and spring brings happiness to the universe." When doing business, someone posted "Business is booming all over the world, and wealth is abundant reaching three rivers." For birthdays, some people posted "Blessings are like the flowing water of the East China Sea." "The longevity is as long as the immortal pine in Nanshan" and so on. These old sayings are indeed good.
The following is a picture of Mr. Liu Chunlin (1872-1944), the last number one scholar:
The family is as happy as spring wine, and the small building is quiet and comfortable.
This was discussed in "Easy" earlier. This "spring brew" is the result of completing the serious work of father and son and brothers in "famous religion". Only then can the liveliness here be born. That is, only with rules and discipline can there be happiness and freedom.
The following is a picture of Mr. Zhang Tingji (1768-1848), a great scholar in the Qing Dynasty:
There are little Zou Lu books on the four walls, and ancient Tang and Yu music in one hall.
This couplet was also mentioned in the previous "Reading". "One Hall and Harmony in Ancient Tang and Yu" means that the family returns to simplicity and happiness, as if they have returned to the ancient times of Tang Yao, Yu and Shun.
Finally, let’s look at the famous contemporary scholar and writer Lin Yutang (1895-1976):
Extremely clever, Shuhui alone possesses the brilliance.
Looking at the inscription, "In the autumn of the 60th year of the Republic of China, I wrote an inscription for guarding Jing", we can see that this was written by Mr. Lin to his wife.
He is extremely smart and virtuous, but he is also good at hiding things and not showing them. This Mr. Lin really knows how to praise his wife.
The happiness of married life not only requires both men and women to stick to their bottom line, but also requires both parties to create happiness with their heart. Creating surprises in the ordinary and creating freshness in the monotonous are both the art of life.
Mr. Lin has written a book called "The Art of Living", which covers nature, life, marriage, family, culture, thought, leisure, travel and other aspects. , can be kept at hand as a reference in life. Let’s take a look at the section on marriage:
? ? Anyone who fails to achieve a sufficient relationship with a woman and takes a morally wrong path, such as Oscar Wilde, is really pitiful - they call men It is extremely difficult to live with a woman; on the other hand, it is said that a man cannot live without a woman. From this point of view, although more than four thousand years have passed from the author of the Indian Book of Genesis to Wilde in the 20th century, human wisdom seems to have not progressed. Because the Indian author had the same mentality as Wilde.
According to this book of "Genesis", when God created women, he adopted the beauty of flowers, the songs of birds, the colors of rainbows, the softness of wind, the smile of water, the gentleness of sheep, The cunning of the fox, the elusiveness of the clouds and the fickleness of the rain are intertwined into a woman, and she is given to a man as his wife.
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Attached: Other ink marks