1. Original text
I have been uneasy about military affairs recently and have trouble sleeping and eating. My family's poem is about etiquette. Diligence and simplicity are the way to live in the world, and perseverance is the root of diligence and simplicity. Although I was in the army, I still wrote one page and read twenty pages every day. After reading it, mark it with a red pen. It is better to complete this homework every day.
Occasionally, I have too many things to do. Even if I catch up on my books tomorrow, I won’t be happy, so I have to take some time out of my busy schedule to do it. However, this strategy is still underdeveloped, so I must get up early to think about it. I am absolutely not willing to delay today, saying that there is tomorrow, and I am not willing to take care of things today because I think there will be something tomorrow. This goes on for several years without interruption or suffering. ——Excerpt from "Books of Four Families in the Qing Dynasty"
2. Translation
I have been busy with military affairs recently, and I have been restless in eating and sleeping. Our family is a well-known and well-known family. Diligence and simplicity are my way of life, and perseverance is the root of diligence and simplicity. Although I was in the army, I still wrote one page and read twenty pages every day. After reading it, circle it with a red pen and make sure to complete these lessons every day and set good habits for yourself.
Occasionally, when things are busy, I will not be happy even if I write and read more the next day, so I must take some time out of the busy schedule to do it. But this method was still a bad idea, so I had to get up earlier. That was what I thought at the time. I will never delay today and be honest about the next day; nor will I prepare for tomorrow if something happens tomorrow. These few years have been without interruption and without any pain.
Extended information
Four Famous Famous Family Letters in the Qing Dynasty
This "Four Famous Famous Family Letters in the Qing Dynasty" was originally called "Four Famous Famous Family Letters in the Qing Dynasty". Selected by the master of Jinxia Pavilion in the Republic of China. The selection has the following characteristics:
1. All the selected people are celebrities from the Qing Dynasty;
2. Among the four, there are politicians, military strategists, scholars, and Artists can be said to have a complete range of categories and are very representative;
3. In terms of time span, starting from Zheng Banqiao in the early Qing Dynasty to Yuan Shikai in the late Qing Dynasty and the early Republic of China, almost throughout the entire Qing Dynasty.
4. Some of these family letters were obtained by the editors from the descendants of these famous people, but they are often not found in their collected works. Therefore, they can make up for the shortcomings of the collected works, and thus the shortcomings of historical materials.
By reading these family letters, we can not only appreciate the ambitions and sentiments of these celebrities, but also their elegant character, tastes and hobbies. We will see how they talk about current affairs, and how they reflect the changes in the situation; how they teach their children, and how they warn their true feelings; when they talk about trivial matters in life, they reveal their philosophy in a few words; when they talk about making friends, they read all the vicissitudes of life. Well versed in the world. From these family letters, we can appreciate Zheng Banqiao's wildness, Ji Xiaolan's humor, and Lin Zexu's integrity. We can also see Zeng Guofan's mind and Yuan Shikai's social changes.