Zheng Xianfu's Lingnan Talents
Zheng Xiaogu is Zheng Xianfu, formerly known as Cunmi, and also known as Xiaogu. He often claims to be a cultured cultivator, a grass and a mountain. He is a Zhuang nationality and was born in Baishizhai, a quaint residence. Zheng Xianfu won glory for the Zhuang nationality in modern China, and made a name for himself. He is an educator, scholar and writer, and a famous cultural figure in Lingnan area in the middle of19th century.
Resign and return to the field to teach and educate people.
Zheng Xianfu's father is a rural private school teacher. Influenced by his father, he studied hard in his hometown since he was a child. He worked very hard and was ambitious, and he was bent on making a difference in his career. In the fifteenth year of Qing Daoguang (1835), he passed the imperial examination and was assigned to work in the Forbidden City in Beijing. However, when he became an official, Zheng Xianfu discovered the darkness of officialdom and the difficulty of his career, and there was no place for him to display his talents. So he only worked as a supervisor of punishments for one year and two months, and resigned and went home on the grounds of supporting the elderly. Instead of blaming him, the Qing court rewarded him with five titles, such as "filial piety and moral integrity".
Zheng Xianfu returned to his hometown, determined to pass on his profound knowledge to future generations, so he set up a school in his hometown and taught and educated people for 30 years. He spent most of his life teaching in Guangdong and Guangxi. It has a library in Luo Rong, Guangxi, and gives lectures in Desheng College, Qingjiang College, Ronghu College, Xiufeng College, Xiangtai College, Liujiang College, Fengshan College in Shunde, Guangdong, and Yuehua College in Guangzhou. The outstanding talents cultivated from his school are all over Lingnan, and many students stand out under the influence of his thoughts and become the elite of officialdom at all levels.
Therefore, Zheng Xianfu has become a very influential figure in the education field in Lingnan area, which is also one of his great contributions to society and is known as the "Guangdong Master".
Zheng Xianfu has also made admirable achievements in compiling local chronicles. Xiang Zhou Zhi, edited by him, was praised as a masterpiece of local chronicles by later generations. The Chronicle of Xiangzhou is the best in the history of simple local chronicles because of its concise structure and concise, elegant, orderly and practical narrative style. Li Shichun, the magistrate of Xiangzhou in Tongzhi period of Qing Dynasty, said in the preface that "knowing Xiangzhou is later than knowing Xiangzhou, but knowing Xiangzhou is really difficult to govern", and said that "there are those who govern Xiangzhou late, and those who know Xiangzhou, or there are many gains and losses in this process."
In the eleventh year of Tongzhi (1872), Zheng Xianfu died at the podium of Guilin Xiaolian College at the age of 7 1. Zheng Xianfu's tomb is located in the middle of the west side of Nandaling, Shuizhan Village, Sicun Town, Xiangzhou County. There is an inscription saying: "The first generation in western Guangdong is genuine; Master Ling Biao Gu ".
Believing in Confucianism and criticizing Buddhism and Taoism
Zheng Xianfu studied Confucian classics all his life, wrote Notes to Four Books, and made detailed comments on The Analects of Confucius, The University, The Doctrine of the Mean and Mencius. In his nearly thirty years of teaching career, he used Confucianism to educate students. After a long-term study, he believes that Taoism and primitive Buddhism in the pre-Qin period were originally philosophies about heaven, earth and life, and later Taoists and Buddhists turned to witchcraft: "There were no immortals and Buddhists in modern times, but * * * tended to witches." He believes that immortals and Buddhists have changed from learning to religion, from religion to superstition, and their hearts are not ancient, and they have gone from bad to worse and deviated from it.
Zheng Xianfu was very dissatisfied with Zhu Cheng's Neo-Confucianism. He believed that Neo-Confucianism dogmatized his belief in Confucianism and the rigidity of the imperial examination system. He criticized him for "talking about life and discussing heaven" from a sage to a sage, which began in the Southern Song Dynasty. "Zheng Xianfu believes that Song Confucianism's exposition of Confucian classics is not the same as Confucius' ideological theory at all, misleading people's children and doing great harm. Many people often don't study the original works carefully and don't understand the will of the sages. They only know how to recite Zhu's Notes on the Four Books, which is the golden rule and unchangeable dogma, turning themselves into puppets without brains and opinions. He did not object to the imperial examination system, but did not approve of stereotyped writing as a kind of ability. Instead, it advocates paying more attention to the basic content and spiritual essence of Confucian classics, mastering useful knowledge and cultivating real talents and practical learning.
Economics is full of problems and warns the world.
"Give self-study classes to more than three children; Worrying about the country and the people, wearing a forbearing picture. " This is Zheng Xianfu's antithetical couplet.
Couplets mean that you should use all your spare time to study and study, and the word "zi" in couplets refers to tense; "Self-study" here refers to completing one's established studies. Su Dongpo once said, "One guest sings solo, and attends classes silently at night" ("When I was sick, I didn't see Guo for several days in the snow, so I signed it with my rhyme"); "Sanyu" refers to the allusion of Dong Yu's reading in Sanyu at the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty. During the reign of Emperor Xiandi Xingping of Han Dynasty, there were frequent wars and droughts in successive years, so Dong Yu and his eldest brother had to flee to other places to make a living by firewood. Under extremely difficult circumstances, Dong Yu continued to study in all his spare time and eventually became a famous scholar in the Three Kingdoms period. When someone asks him for advice, Dong Yu always asks someone to read it a hundred times first and says, "Read it a hundred times and you will understand what it means." His followers said that they had no time to suffer hardships. Dong Yu replied: "Three surpluses", that is, "those who are at leisure in winter, those who are at leisure in the night and those who are at leisure in the rain" (The Biography of Zhong You, Hua Xin and Wang Lang in Volume XIII of the History of the Three Kingdoms quoted Wei slightly). "Three surpluses" are three kinds of leisure time, and there is little farm work in winter, which is the leisure time in a year. It is not convenient to work in the fields at night, it is a free time of the day; Rainy days are also a short period of free time. The first part of this book says that if you can make use of the "three surpluses" and study hard, you will succeed in your studies.
The second couplet means to experience the world, that is, to treat people with the intention of "harmony is the most important and patience is the highest". The so-called "forbearance" means patience in all aspects. It refers to Zhang Gongyi, who lived in Yunzhou for life and lived under the same roof for nine generations in Tang Dynasty. During the Linde period, Emperor Gaozong (Li Zhi) worshipped Mount Tai and passed through Yunzhou, so he was lucky enough to visit his home and ask why. Public art needs pen and paper, but there are more than 100 words of "forbearance" in the book (see "Biography of Xiao You Zhang Gongyi in Old Tang Dynasty"). Later it was described as "patience becomes gold". As the saying goes, endure a moment's anger, so as not to worry for a hundred days. All troubles are never unbearable. You can't stand it in the movie, and your troubles will get longer and longer. The magnanimity of an old friend should be grand, and grandeur means that people can't tolerate it. This can not only harmonize the family atmosphere, but also adjust your mood. Therefore, Hu said, "People can always tolerate physical safety." The word "forbearance" is not only a way of keeping in good health, but also an important way to cope with the world. Of course, problems of principle cannot be tolerated. We should understand them rationally and distinguish right from wrong. The unprincipled question should be "forbearance is the highest."
Although Zheng Xianfu was a great scholar in Qing Dynasty, his family life was not harmonious. His wife died first, and he once wrote elegiac couplet: "Qing is also good at housekeeping and arbitrary for decades, so I can close my eyes;" Although I am a widow, seven or eight people love each other, and I feel a sense of peace recently. "As can be seen from the tone of this elegiac couplet, he seems to be rude to the deceased and violates the original intention of mourning. But by complaining about others in the elegiac couplet, we can see the frank and unrestrained side of his character from another angle.
Zheng Xianfu is full of knowledge and skills, and couplets are often "outstanding". He took Chen Jichang's couplet and wrote it differently: "Ding family is the couplet, which is counted as the famous Confucianism in the previous generation, and four are the last; After raising a donkey for seven years, I returned to my old place. I'm so stupid, neither side. " Chen Jichang, a native of Lingui, Guangxi, is the great-grandson of Chen Hongmou, a great scholar, and the last winner of the "San Yuan Ji" in the imperial examination era. He once wrote a seal for himself, and the seal was "13th in the imperial examination since the Tang and Song Dynasties". In other words, from the ancients to him, only 13 people even hit the ternary. But Zheng Xianfu took Chen Jichang's couplet and said that there were 14 people. Why? The order of 14 people mentioned by Zheng Xianfu is: Zhang and Cui in Tang Dynasty; In Song Dynasty, there were Sun He, Wang Zeng, Song Yao, Emperor Wen of Sui, Wang Yanmai and Feng Jing. Meng Zongxian of Jin Dynasty; Wang Zongzhe in Yuan Dynasty; Shang Lu in Ming Dynasty; Wang Yucheng, Baiqian and Chen Jichang belong to the Qing Dynasty. It is verified that there are differences between them. I'm afraid the problem lies with Wang Yubi. According to Wang Yubi, it is called the "three elements" of martial arts. 13 people in Chen Jichang belong to liberal arts, while Zheng Xianfu counts martial arts, so there are 14 people. From this couplet, we can see his profound knowledge.
If you are diligent and eager to learn, you will know Jiangnan.
Zheng Xianfu is not only studious, but also quick-thinking and brilliant. He is familiar with the four books and five classics, and is proficient in classics, history, literature and art, and is familiar with folk songs. He can recite poems and write compositions since he was a child.
In the 19th year of Qing Daoguang (1839), Zheng Xianfu responded to the invitation of Wu, a teacher and governor of Hubei Province, and went to teach in Wu's official residence. One day, when he was visiting the Yellow Crane Tower, he happened to meet a group of Jiangnan literati who had a banquet upstairs and drank and recited poems for fun. Scholars were very dissatisfied when they saw a plain-looking foreign scholar in a thick shirt and a bookboy rushing upstairs. One of the scholars said loudly, "We have booked the Yellow Crane Tower today. People who go upstairs will definitely recite poems. If you can't, hurry downstairs! " A group of literati followed, clamoring to drive people downstairs if they couldn't write a poem.
Zheng Xianfu looked at the literati, smiled, and then wrote on the wall: "Climb the Yellow Crane Tower". When scholars saw it, they thought it was vulgar and burst into laughter. When they stopped laughing, Zheng Xianfu wrote the second sentence: "Smoke flies over the sea and geese fly over Qiu Lai". When the scholars saw it, they felt that this sentence was extraordinary and suddenly quieted down. Zheng Xianfu turned his head, looked at the scholar, and wrote the last two sentences with a smile: "If it weren't for Junshan across the street, I would have seen all the twelve continents in the south of the Yangtze River." When many scholars saw it, they all stood in awe. They were full of praise after tasting it. When they came to their senses, the poet had disappeared. Later, they learned that he was from Zheng Xianfu, a "barbarian land" in Guangxi, and he never looked down on Lingnan people again.
Zheng Xianfu wrote a lot of poems in his youth, and compiled them into Zhao Hongji, Zhao Hongji's Continuation and Wandering Women's Collection, which were published by Wu, a big businessman in Guangzhou. These poems are all from 1825 to 1833. The rest of the poems were included in Bu Xuexuan's Poetry Collection and Bu Xuexuan's Poetry Collection, and then edited into Crow Songs Collection (1834- 1854) and Crane Collection (1855- 1860) by year.
Criticize the shortcomings of poetry and make it fragrant.
Zheng Xianfu is a realistic poet with strong thoughts and persistence. His poetic thoughts are rich in connotation, but all of them are his appearance experience, a true portrayal and singing of social life. For example, The Crow Collection is a lighthouse record of the First Opium War and a moaning portrayal of the sufferings of China people during the Opium War. Crane Collection mainly describes the wind and waves that swept the earth and mountains and rivers during the Second Opium War and the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom Revolution, and it is a portrayal of the times when the wind blows. Wiki Collection and Europe recorded and reflected his moaning life after the war and in his later years.
In his works, Zheng Xianfu satirized and exposed the dark corruption of the emperor, officials at all levels and political affairs at that time. The picture of drunken Zhong Kui, written by Xianfeng in the fifth year of Qing dynasty (1855), satirized that the emperor was a "nine-fold drunken emperor" and officials at all levels were "half drunk and drowned people's blood", and finally shouted, "When can I get rid of it in this life?" In the seventh year of Xianfeng (1857), Zheng Xianfu went to Guangzhou to give lectures from Guilin, which coincided with the outbreak of the Second Opium War. So he wrote a chronicle of taking his family out of the city on the 16th, denouncing Ye Yong, the governor of Guangdong and Guangxi, for delaying his work: "Thunder is thunderous, but Fu is surprised by the old man. At dawn, at dawn, the red devils enter the city! The flag bearer called the general, but the general was speechless. City people jointly knocked Guo Xiang, Guo Xiang was silent. The duke refused to abandon the island, and the island seized the sovereignty of the city. " He also wrote Feelings in Lingnan, arguing that foreign invaders can actually be defeated, but the soldiers of the Qing army are lax. The reason is that "there is no land to build a strong platform in the sea", and there is no defense. In the tenth year of Xianfeng in Qing Dynasty (1860), the British and French allied forces entered Beijing and burned the Yuanmingyuan. He wrote a poem entitled "Inscription Painting Stone Jade", which expressed great indignation at the barbaric acts of the imperialist invaders and aroused the voice of the people. He also wrote "Random Thoughts on Reading History" to express his worries about the country: "Even if there is car manure in Beijing, it is not without horses." Looking leisurely at the banks in Wang Yue City, cold apes and lonely geese mourn. "
Zheng Xianfu left more than 3,000 poems in his life. In terms of quantity and quality, it was not only the best among the ancient writers of Zhuang nationality, but also one of the few poets in China at that time. Because he gave lectures in schools all over Lingnan, his poems also spread all over Lingnan, which had a great response. From then on, he was Li Bai and Du Fu of Zhuang nationality.
Zheng Xianfu's poetic theory is very unique, with nearly 30 poems discussed by poetry, which is rare not only among ancient Zhuang writers, but also in the contemporary and later poetic circles in China. Zheng Xianfu's poetics is not only the result of the cultural exchange between the strong and the weak, but also has a unique theoretical color of the strong culture, which is of great positive significance for revealing the inclusive relationship of "you have me and I have you" in the history of China's national literary theory and strengthening national unity.
It can't be forgotten that another thought of Zheng Xianfu's scholarship is that he has always advocated summing up the achievements of his predecessors and drawing on their experience to enrich his knowledge think tank. He particularly emphasized "Wan Li Road, thousands of books". He said, "If you don't break ten thousand volumes, security can make you hungry" (Miscellaneous Poems). He asked students to read extensively and accumulate knowledge. So he loves books, buys books when he has money, and pays attention to collecting all kinds of books. According to his own records, he has nearly 10,000 books and materials. After his death, his family counted the stacks, and there were indeed nearly ten thousand volumes. In an era of underdeveloped printing and social unrest, it is not easy to collect poems from thousands of books. No wonder Xiangzhou County Records also said that he had no hobbies in his life, only good books, which he kept all day and studied by reading. There are annotations and collations of the Thirteen Classics. Especially familiar with history. For the article, run through ancient and modern times, directly express what you see, and never modify it.