1. Determined
A person who has learned a lot at a young age has a high ambition in life. Others carry swords, but I have a pen like a sword. ("Poems of a Child Prodigy")
In the morning he was a farmer, and in the evening he ascended to the Emperor's Hall. Generals have no seeds at all, and men should strive for self-improvement. ("Poems of a Child Prodigy")
After forty years of studying the law and reading books, there is a blue sky above the black yarn. The man wants to paint Lingyan Pavilion. First of all, he doesn’t like money because of his fame. (Ming Dynasty Yang Jisheng's "Poetry of Yan Zhi")
2. Diligence in study
The lights are on at three o'clock and the chickens are on at five o'clock, which is when men are studying. Black-haired people don't know how to study hard early, and white-haired people regret studying late. ("Encouraging Learning" by Yan Zhenqing of the Tang Dynasty)
Mechanics is like hard work, and you know yourself if you are diligent and lazy. But if there are many kinds of books, there will be good times. ("Academy" by Liu Guo of the Song Dynasty)
3. Cherish the time
The sunflowers in the green garden are waiting for the sun to set in the morning dew. In the spring of Budeze, all things will be radiant. I am often afraid that when the autumn festival comes, the yellow flowers and leaves will wither. From the east to the sea, when will the rivers return to the west? If a young man does not work hard, the old man will be miserable. ("Long Song Xing")
The prime years will never come again, and the morning will never come again. Be encouraged in time, time waits for no one. ("Miscellaneous Poems" by Tao Yuanming of Jin Dynasty)
I advise you not to cherish your gold-threaded clothes; I advise you to cherish your youth. If there are flowers, you must break them straight away. Don’t wait until there are no flowers. (Tang Dynasty's "Golden Thread Clothes")
Yesterday, yesterday, how good yesterday was! Yesterday has passed, today is just a worry. People in the world only know that they regret yesterday, but they don’t realize that today has passed. The water is gone and gurgling, the flowers are falling and the sun is fading. Everything is established today, don’t wait until tomorrow to regret the present. (Anonymous "Yesterday's Song")
Today is the same as today, how little today is! If you don’t do it today, when will this happen? It is a pity that today is not the day of a hundred years of life! If Yangu waits for the arrival of the Ming Dynasty, there will be Ming Dynasty affairs in the Ming Dynasty. I will compose today's poem for you. Please start working hard today. ("Today's Song" by Ming Wenjia)
Tomorrow comes tomorrow, there are so many tomorrows. If I wait for tomorrow, everything will be wasted. If the world is tired of tomorrow, spring will pass and autumn will come, and old age will come. Look at the water flowing in the east in the morning, and the sun setting in the west at dusk. What will happen in a hundred years? Please listen to my song tomorrow.
("Song of Tomorrow" by Qian Yong of the Qing Dynasty)