Zeng Guofan's front and side_Zeng Guofan's front and side TXT
People are dominated by Qi, which is the spirit inside and the complexion outside. Zeng Guofan's Front and Side TXT "Zeng Guofan's Front and Side" tells the ups and downs of Zeng Guofan's life, revealing many unknown details: the five major setbacks he encountered in his life; his entanglement and friendship with Zuo Zongtang; his lifetime income and expenditure; how to treat Feng Shui, fortune telling, fortune telling, destiny, etc. The whole book shows Zeng Guofan as an upright, honest and wise "sage", a contradictory and struggling professional official embedded in the core of the system.
This is a Chinese political textbook. Through the portrait of Zeng Guofan in this book, we can get a glimpse of the subtle and complex "hidden rules" of traditional Chinese officialdom. From an angry youth to the most successful official in history, how did he "reborn"? Zeng Guofan, who was completely different around the age of 30, showed the majority of young people how a young man went from ideal to reality, which is of great practical significance. Through Zeng Guofan, readers can get a glimpse of the subtle and complex "hidden rules" of traditional Chinese officialdom and the unique survival philosophy of the system with Chinese characteristics.
Zeng Guofan’s Thoughts and Academics Zeng Guofan followed Cheng-Zhu Neo-Confucianism throughout his life, but he did not blindly worship Cheng-Zhu Neo-Confucianism. In fact, he also absorbed a lot of ideas from other branches of Confucianism in the Song and Ming Dynasties. Neo-Confucianism in the Song and Ming dynasties was actually divided into three academic schools: Qi, Neo-Confucianism and Xinxue.
Zeng Guofan also gradually saw the limitations of Cheng-Zhu Neo-Confucianism in political practice and military struggle. In this situation, Zeng Guofan showed a tolerant academic attitude towards the study of mind. Regarding the academic debate between Cheng-Zhu Neo-Confucianism and Lu-Wang Xinxue, he believed that in the dispute between the two schools, we should adopt their similarities, avoid their differences, promote their strengths, be inclusive, promote their strengths and avoid their weaknesses, and promote the development of Confucianism.
Zeng Guofan also used the resources of Qi Science in the theory of generation to make up for the limitations of Neo-Confucianism, saying that "Zhang Zizhi's Zhengmeng is mellow and upright, but has few friends." According to the ideas of Qi science, Zeng Guofan believed that all things in the world are born from innate Qi, and Qi is the ultimate basic element that constitutes all things in the world. In the sense that they are born from innate energy, all things in the world are of the same body.
However, Zeng Guofan also believed that although the Qi of Taihe and Miao was prevalent and the Qi of all things in the world were initially "equal", the actual Qi of people and things, saints and ordinary people was not the same. same. In terms of the relative relationship between people and things, people have the complete Qi, but things only have partial Qi; therefore, people have intelligence, while things only have physical nature. As far as human beings are concerned, the Qi endowed by saints is clear and thick, while the Qi endowed by ordinary people is turbid and thin.
Zeng Guofan’s family management strategy Zeng Guofan believed that the most important thing was the principle of filial piety among family members. Filial piety is easy to understand, which means gratitude, respect and support for parents and elders. Brotherhood refers to the harmony and friendship between brothers, that is, the harmony and harmony between peers. In Zeng Guofan's family letters, it is generally believed that he wrote the most letters to his children. In fact, he wrote the most letters to his younger brothers, which shows that he attached great importance to the relationship between brothers. Zeng Guofan made a famous comment, saying that the rule of family prosperity is: the families of officials in the world generally last only one generation before becoming depressed, because most of them are the sons of dandies; the families of merchants, that is, the families of private entrepreneurs, generally last three generations. ; A farming and reading family, that is, a family based on farming and studying, can generally thrive for five or six generations; while a filial friend's family, which is a family that pays attention to filial piety and brotherhood, and manages the family based on harmony, can often last for ten or eight generations.
Zeng Guofan also emphasized "diligence in managing the family" under the purpose of "ruling the family with harmony". Zeng Guofan's idea of being diligent in running a household has two meanings. One is that family members should be diligent and frugal, and the other is that parents should teach diligently through words and deeds. What Zeng Guopan said, he was able to take the lead and do it meticulously, and he did it very well. For example, the eldest son Zeng Jize likes Western sociology, and Zeng Jihong likes mathematics and physics. Although Zeng Guofan knows nothing about it, he can still try his best to understand it and study hard. Such a father is worthy of being a truly "hard-working" father.
Under the influence of Zeng Guofan, Zeng Jize always personally taught the children English, mathematics, and music. He also taught them calligraphy, writing poetry, and explaining classics. No matter how busy he was, he always took time to accompany his children every day. Spending time with your family is the best family education. Therefore, there are many scientists, educators and social activists among Zeng Guofan's descendants, great-grandchildren, and even great-great-grandchildren.