First, I have been ambitious since I was a child, and I like many books.
In the traditional feudal society of China, reading is the best or even the only way for individuals to gain money status, realize the value of life and enjoy prosperity. For the family, you can make a name for yourself and worship your ancestors. Therefore, as long as people from all walks of life can cope with life a little, they send their children to private schools in order to "become famous after ten years of cold window" and achieve a big family.
Zeng Guofan was born in a remote mountain village, and his family has been farming for generations. Zeng Guofan's grandfather, Zeng Yuping, gave up school in his early years and his education level was not high.
Zeng Guofan's father, Zeng Lin, was a scholar, and he only took an examination of a scholar for most of his life. The whole family pinned their hopes on the Zeng Guofan brothers.
When Zeng Guofan was six years old, Zeng Yuping hired a gentleman to teach him to read and write. Zeng Guofan began to read thousands of words before he was ten years old, and finished reading four books and five classics. Then I began to study stereotyped writing and prepare for the exam. In a few years, Zeng Guofan was able to make a poem with eight rhymes and a work of art. At this time, his interest in reading was not too high, just to cope with the imperial examination, which was the original intention of Zeng Guofan's reading.
In the spring of the sixth year of Daoguang (1826), Zeng Guofan, who was 16 years old, went to Changsha to take an examination of Tongzifu, ranking seventh. The first appearance of his talent made Zeng Yuping and his son overjoyed. For the sake of their children's future and career, Zeng Yuping and his son decided to send Zeng Guofan to the Tang family school founded by Mr. Wang Juean in Hengyang. First, you can change the environment, so that Zeng Guofan is refreshed and has a new thirst for knowledge; Secondly, contact with some teaching methods to link reading and writing stereotyped writing more closely.
Wang Juean teaches Disciples Rules. As usual, he teaches four books, five classics and essays face to face every day, and also gives students some eight-part essays to recite and explain in detail. After more than a year's study, Zeng Guofan's eight-part essay is not inferior to Wang Jue 'an.
A year later, Zeng Yuping and his son sent Zeng Guofan to Lianbin College to study, in order to get out of the rut of private schools as soon as possible and gain comprehensive and greater development.
There are not only knowledgeable teachers and rich books, but also ambitious and energetic schoolmates from the county. Here, Zeng Guofan put an end to making friends and studied in the academy all day. In order to realize his ambition, he changed his name to "Sheng Di" in order to get rid of old habits and start a new life.
In the winter of the 11th year of Daoguang (183 1), Zeng Guofan graduated from Lianbin Academy. At that time, he was young and promising, and his biggest worry was his desire for the imperial examination. In the autumn of the 13th year of Daoguang (1833), 23-year-old Zeng Guofan took the exam in Xiangxiang County, and was lucky enough to win a scholar. Then he continued to forge ahead towards the next goal on the road of imperial examination. Less than a year after entering Yuelu Academy, I took the provincial examination and won the prize.
However, the imperial examinations in the Qing Dynasty were based on the system inherited from the Ming Dynasty, and the system of recording officials was also based on the Ming Dynasty. In the Ming Dynasty, he was another scholar. He was born in a family, and Juren was born in a family. If a juror fails the examination, he may apply for promotion in prison, or be recommended or elected as an official. Zhao Yi pointed out in "Examination of Jade Cong": "In the Ming Dynasty, Jinshi was always the most important position. Anyone who is an official in Beijing and North Korea is not allowed to be promoted to county magistrate. If you care about it, you will be the first person to accept it. In a few years, you will get the official position of Yushi Cao. And the second branch has fallen into westernization, but it is in the right tune "[1]. It can be seen that Juren is very different from Jinshi at the beginning of his official career.
Zeng Guofan studied hard at a cold window for more than ten years, with lofty aspirations. Naturally, he doesn't want to stop at juren. He wants to climb a toad to win the crown in Beijing by virtue of the spring breeze of winning the exam. However, the later career seems to be not so smooth, and I took the exam three times before I won the Jinshi.
Zeng Guofan's footprint, before he entered the provincial examination, never went out of Hunan.
At that time, as he himself said, "I get along with ordinary people every day and know nothing about it." [2] The so-called "studying for the exam" is centered on learning in the examination room. Every day, just to gain fame, I try to post some stereotyped writing, which can only be called a poor Confucian who blocks the mountainous area. After Zeng Guofan entered imperial academy, he was determined to get rid of old habits and become a loyal minister of feudal countries. He often expresses his feelings and ambitions in poems, diaries and letters. In his letter to his brothers, he said: "A gentleman's ambition is also based on things and people, and he has a career of being a saint inside and a king outside. Then he is not satisfied with his parents' background and is worthy of perfection in heaven and earth." [3] In short, he should study according to the purpose of self-cultivation, keeping the family in order, governing the country and leveling the world in order to achieve it.
Second, the reading thought of keeping pace with the times and seeking truth from facts.
Zeng Guofan's reading before entering the Jinshi was centered on the imperial examination, and the scope was relatively narrow. After entering Beijing, I learned that I still have other knowledge such as Confucian classics and Neo-Confucianism. Under the influence of famous neo-Confucianists, such as Tang Jian and Woren, Zeng Guofan's reading was more systematic and academic, and his knowledge was constantly expanding.
When he first entered the academician courtyard, Zeng Guofan mainly taught himself and was blind. He loves ancient prose, especially studies the works of Yao Nai, an ancient prose writer in Qing Dynasty, hoping to make some achievements in the field of ancient prose. However, in the contacts between the capital and scholars and celebrities, Zeng Guofan found that Mei Zengliang and He were far ahead of him at that time, and it was difficult to surpass his peers in the field of ancient prose. Therefore, only by studying and studying in another way can we make a difference. Later, Zeng Guofan explained this change to himself: "I just entered the capital and traveled with celebrities. When Mei Bo was talking about ancient prose, He Zizhen studied calligraphy, and both of them were very famous. I always feel his accomplishments, but I don't want to go down. I think of myself as nothing to accumulate. I think more about reading and think that my descendants are not as good as others. " [4]. So I chose celebrities to read and gradually turned to the road of governing the country.
Zeng Guofan's theory of governing the country began with reading the complete works of Zhu. But how to learn this book well, Zeng Guofan had a lot of trouble, and he didn't know how to start, so he had to ask his fellow countryman Tang Jian for advice. Tang Jian, known as the master of Neo-Confucianism, is famous among scholars in Beijing. Tang Jian's words made Zeng Guofan "listen clearly, but get confused" [6]. He focused on Neo-Confucianism and treated ancient prose. After a period of study and practice, Zeng Guofan found that the reading method and self-cultivation method of Neo-Confucianism were not suitable for him, so he changed his course and limited the goal of studying Neo-Confucianism to understanding its spiritual essence, that is, the so-called "rough knowledge of a few words, dare not make mistakes, can make a big mistake" [7], and changed the reading content to ancient prose and governing the country. At the same time, his research on governance was no longer limited to reading the works of Zhu Cheng and others, but went back to the past and began to contact the books of Zhang Zai and Zhou Dunyi, and he became interested in them.
In the process of reading, with the change of time and environment, Zeng Guofan's attitude towards different schools of thought will also change. At the beginning of the twenty-third year of Daoguang (1843), Zeng Guofan still held a contemptuous attitude towards the textual research formed since Ganjia, and regarded it as a trivial matter, making it clear that "there is no learning from textual research" [7]. However, from the 26th year of Daoguang (1846), Zeng Guofan began to study textual research and exegesis.
Zeng Guofan's reading has always been centered on Neo-Confucianism and history books. He is not satisfied with being a knowledgeable and versatile Confucian scholar or official, but wants to put what he has read all his life into practice and revive the crumbling Qing Dynasty. Zeng Guofan was an assistant minister in five departments: does, officials, Ministry of War, punishments and Ministry of Industry. During his tenure as an official, he concentrated on reading "General Code" and "Learning from Resources" according to the characteristics of various departments, thus gaining insight into the political advantages and disadvantages, official customs, the situation of mountains and rivers and the sufferings of people's livelihood in the Qing Dynasty.
Emperor Xianfeng ascended the throne, forced by the crisis, and asked for advice. Zeng Guofan got up the courage and went up and down one after another, pouring out the long-held plan of saving the country and governing the country.
The first line is "Shu should be summoned", which talks about talent. He pointed out that "Fang's current situation is extremely bad, bureaucracy is getting worse and worse, and people are distracted." Zeng Guofan put forward his own views on how to cultivate talents and change bureaucratic style. Then, I went to Talk about Japan, Talk about Eliminating Soldiers, Prepare for People's Suffering, Fair Price and so on, and put forward my own unique views on the political, military, social and economic issues at that time. Among them, the biggest political influence is "respecting Chen Shengde's three-terminal prevention of abuse". Zeng Guofan pointed out that saving the officialdom atmosphere depends entirely on the emperor's personal attitude. It is said that after seeing it, Emperor Xianfeng was very angry at first, threw it on the ground and wanted to punish Zeng Guofan. Fortunately, Qi Juanzao, a cadet, helped him out many times. After careful consideration, Emperor Xianfeng was finally moved by Zeng Guofan's original intention of loyalty to the monarch and patriotism and praised him greatly. Several remonstrances also made Zeng Guofan win a good reputation in the ruling and opposition circles as "daring to remonstrate directly and serving the country loyally".
In the tense military life, Zeng Guofan still insisted on reading every day, and read purposefully in combination with military and political struggles. "When the crisis is shocking, it is especially frustrating, not disturbing." Based on what he has learned, he will never change from birth to death. " [8]
During his stay in Hunan, he focused on the experience of managing troops and chaos in Imperial Classics and Historical Records. He read the art of war, and found that Qi Jiguang's Military Training in the Ming Dynasty was very suitable for him to form the Xiang Army at present, and Qi Jiguang's team-based organization was very reasonable. "Where there is a battalion, there are ten teams, eight teams are whistles, and both teams and whistles are long ... four whistles are camps. From the operational point of view, this kind of preparation is indeed very adaptable and easy to manage at ordinary times. On the basis of Qi Jiguang's The Art of War, Zeng Guofan also made major reforms to the military system in the late Qing Dynasty, changing the old system that the army was directly allocated by the imperial court and ruled by temporary generals.
In the war-torn and eventful autumn, Zeng Guofan especially likes to study Wang Chuanshan's works, hoping to get inspiration from them and find a way to defeat the enemy. Under his influence, many important figures in the Xiang army also carefully studied Chuanshan's works, forming a strong atmosphere of advocating and learning Chuanshan's works from top to bottom. By studying Chuanshan's works, Zeng Guofan's thought of "applying the world" was perfected. In this way, Chuanshan became the wisdom embodiment of the black silk scarf of feather fan like Zhuge Liang in the eyes of scholars at that time, while Zeng Guofan became an example for young scholars to govern the country.
Zeng Guofan was born in the last days of feudal society, which can be described as internal and external troubles. In order to maintain the status of the feudal ruling class, it is not enough to rely solely on the traditional culture of China. We should break through the boundary of "Yi Xia", look at the world and learn advanced foreign technology. As the supreme commander of the Xiang army, Zeng Guofan has learned the power of western artillery. In this regard, he not only carefully read books about China's ancient skills such as The Flower King's Gongji, but also began to read new theories written by the Japanese and works about western science, technology and manufacturing, thus making the response of seeking advantages and avoiding disadvantages for the purpose of getting rid of the crisis-creating the Westernization Movement for the purpose of self-improvement, and gradually stepping onto the road of modernization in China.
Third, the way of reading and its influence on later generations
Zeng Guofan is not only the most respected "model" of officialdom by politicians, but also the most respected "model" of reading by scholars. Zeng Guofan's life is a career of reading, and he has his own unique reading methods. Zeng Guofan believes that "reading and writing" is indispensable. He said: "reading should be fast, but reading too much is too boring;" Warm old books should be familiar, but they are easy to forget without memorizing; Learning Chinese characters should be persistent, but if you are not proficient, you will have no worries, and there will be no wood on the mountain; You have to think hard about writing, but you are not good at it. You talk like a mute, and even a lame horse can't. One of the four must be wrong. " [ 10]
Reading with eyes and heart is inevitable, but reading with hands and mouth is more important. The books he reads every day are circled and commented, and the experiences that flash in his mind at any time are recorded. The Complete Works of Zeng Guofan, with millions of words, recorded a large number of his reading notes, which made young students sigh. Hu Shi thinks this is a "very important method" [1 1]. Chen once commented on Zeng Guofan's method like this. He thinks that Zeng Guofan has no talent, but his strength lies in his perseverance, patience and the ability to take notes at any time, so he has made rapid progress. Zeng Guofan advocates that reading should be based on tone, that is, in the process of reading aloud, you can deeply understand the connotation of the author's words and deepen your memory and understanding. "If you don't swim, sing or move, you can't control its far rhyme" [12].
Zeng Guofan pays attention to "appointment, specialization and forbearance" in reading. "About" means reading "less but better", grasping the key points and studying hard until you understand. A person's life energy is limited. Instead of casting a net around all his life with little effect, it is better to study in depth and make achievements in one aspect. Only by grasping a central problem and its essence can other minor problems be bypassed by analogy. So Zeng Guofan only studied more than ten kinds of books in his life. "Specialization" means "there is no other learning method". The direction of reading has been set, so we should understand every problem step by step and concentrate step by step. "Brothers must always strive to be professional ... If they aim at poverty, they must keep it once; If you are determined to make a statement, you must read a manuscript; If you are interested in writing ancient prose, you must read a collection of essays. " Never hold a competition at the same time, because if you hold a competition at the same time, there is nothing you can do. "[13]" Endurance "means that when reading, you should base yourself on words and names. If we don't understand one sentence, we can't read the next. I can't read it today, but I will continue reading it tomorrow. In short, I will never give up until I understand it. I can't aim too high and make a quick decision. " Getting quick success and instant benefit will help, but it will harm others and not benefit themselves. As long as it accumulates over time, it will be like a foolish man moving mountains, and finally it will suddenly become clear. " [ 14]
For Zeng Guofan, there can be no delicious food, extravagant food and beautiful women, but books are indispensable, and reading has become an indispensable part of his life. He didn't love money or gather wealth all his life, but he loved books, reading and gathering books. A large number of books have become the most precious wealth in his life. Therefore, Zeng Guofan was deeply branded as "learning" in his official career. He is like a Confucian in managing affairs. He didn't waste literary works in a hurry. Cheng Wei benefited from reading history books until his book died when he was seriously ill in his later years. His reading style has infected countless descendants.
It was his children who influenced him first. It can be clearly seen from Zeng Guofan's1200,000-word letter that Zeng Guofan really spent a lot of effort in teaching children to read. "If I can teach my brother to enter Germany, I will be filial. If I can teach my brother to enter Germany, I will be very filial. If Zuo Zuo can't teach my brother to become famous, I will be very unfilial! " [ 14]
I will urge my younger brothers to study in Germany as a way of filial piety. Taiwan Province scholar Hou commented that Zeng Guofan used the word "Han Yong" as one of the ways to teach children to read. This method does have its advantages. Influenced by him, not only men in the Tseng family read widely, but also women know how to write and be polite. Ceng Guoquan, Zeng Guofan's ninth brother, changed from a soldier who was eager for quick success and instant benefit to a man of insight. Ceng Jize, Zeng Guofan's son, inherited his father's legacy, studied foreign languages and became a famous diplomat in modern China. Zeng Guofan's second son, Zeng Ji Hong, specialized in mathematics and astronomy, and also made some achievements. Zeng Guofan's great-grandson, Zeng Baosun, is a famous female educator in China and founded a girls' school combining Chinese and western. Zeng's grandson and great-grandson are all talented people, which is related to Zeng Guofan's reading style.
The influence of Zeng Guofan's reading method on the late Qing Dynasty and the early Republic of China and even the whole modern scholar-officials in China should not be underestimated. His direct disciples were Li Hongzhang, Xue Fucheng, Zhang Yuzhao, Li Shuchang and Wu Rulun. Li Hongzhang mainly joined the army in politics, and his academic performance was not outstanding. However, since following Zeng Guofan, he has always warned his children: "Anyone who has difficulty in reading cannot solve it. There is a saying, you can't be a reporter. You don't have to study it hard. You just have to recite it calmly. Reading a few articles today and reading a few articles tomorrow is naturally beneficial for a long time. " However, people who have watched it several times will send their own signals and make a few comments. [15] This is obviously a repetition and promotion of Zeng Guofan's reading methods of "learning from time to time, and learning from time to time" and "specializing in one industry, specializing in one study". Under the guidance of Zeng Guofan, four great scholars, Zhang, Wu, Xue and Li, finally became famous scholars in the late Qing Dynasty after years of hard study.
Zeng Guofan's reading style still has considerable reference significance for today's scholars. Modern science and technology are highly developed, and it is much superior to Zeng Guofan's feudal era in collecting and processing data. However, no one can replace their reading and thinking with machines. We need more opportunities to start work, move our eyes, move our mouths and use our brains. Therefore, Zeng Guofan's indispensable reading method of "reading and writing" has important practical significance.
Excerpted from Baidu netizens, thank you.