Zeng Guofan has 240 descendants, none of whom is a black sheep. Based on these five words
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there is a saying in
the Zeng Guofan family has been prosperous for 200 years, and there are talents from generation to generation. among its 240 descendants, there is not a black sheep of the family, relying on its original tutoring theory and its own Zeng family style.
and the five sentences of "the combination of maxims" have also been used perfectly by Zeng Guofan, thus achieving a rare phenomenon of "eight generations without decline" in Chinese history.
01
diligence and thrift are the foundation of running a family
as the saying goes, "success comes from diligence and thrift and failure comes from extravagance." this is an immutable truth through the ages.
Zeng Guofan runs the family without any merit, and all he adheres to is the word "diligence and thrift".
in his letter to Zeng Guofan, he once mentioned such a way of running a family:
"first, harmony between your brothers; second, your body and filial piety; and third, the word diligence and thrift."
he also has a "sixteen-character motto":
"thrift at home, health in diligence, thrift in diligence, and never poverty and inferiority."
Zeng Guofan applied the word "diligence and thrift" to the whole process of running a family incisively and vividly.
he asked his family not to sit in a sedan chair or ask anyone to fetch water to add tea, and even to do things like collecting firewood, collecting dung, and planting fields and crops. As for the maiden, cooking, spinning and clothing of his daughter's family, they should not fake their hands with others.
in terms of diet, Zeng Guofan was an undemanding person who paid no attention to the ostentation of the prime minister. He ate only one taste of vegetables per meal and never set more, so he got the nickname of "prime minister of one taste".
in terms of dress, his shoes and socks are all sewn by his wife and his wife and daughter.
in terms of residence, Zeng Guofan does not have the air of a prime minister.
his brother Zeng Guoquan, citing the increase in his family's population, built a new house in addition to the Zeng family's old house, which has been around for a century, at a cost of more than 3,000 yuan.
when Zeng Guofan found out, he was very unhappy and swore that he would never live in a new house in his life.
Zeng Guofan held the word "diligence and frugality" for the rest of his life. as a result, his official fortune was prosperous all his life, and the Zeng family miraculously avoided the fate of "no more than three generations of wealth".
02
Heshun, the foundation of the Qi family
, Zeng Guofan also has an original understanding of the way of "harmony and harmony". He said:
"the way of standing on the inside is firm and gentle on the outside; the way of the fat family is superior and inferior.
you can't pick up things if you don't and can't control them if you're not strict. "
in his letter to Zeng Guoquan, Zeng Guofan also quoted the classics to emphasize the importance of "harmony." he said:
"harmony can be kept without displeasure; discord, there are no losers."
there are nine brothers and sisters in Zeng Guofan's family. he is the eldest son of the Zeng family and has achieved something a long time ago. he tries his best to love his brothers, but he does not indulge them.
in daily life, he often takes the lead by setting an example, regardless of personal gains and losses, honor or disgrace, but puts family first.
he often said:
"Brotherhood and harmony are bound to flourish, though small families are bound to prosper; discord among brothers is bound to lead to defeat."
Mencius said, "the way of Yao and Shun is just filial piety."
Zeng Guofan, as a model of Confucianism, calmed the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom and saved the Qing Dynasty from the ups and downs.
and all this is based on his daily way of "unifying the family", which can be described as a model of "the family together and then the rule of the country".
03
cautious, the foundation of the family
Zeng Guofan is a very cautious man. He believes that prudence is the first skill in dealing with the world.
after he became a high-ranking official, many people in his family went out in "four big sedan chairs", so Zeng Guofan warned everyone:
"everything should be cautious and simple."
this is not only a habit of diligence and thrift, but also a cautious and unobtrusive way of doing things.
in "converging in the heyday of Chengdi," Zeng Guofan stressed:
"I think that when our family is in its heyday, these places should always be restrained and should not be carried forward too much. I hope my younger brother will always pay attention."
means that the more prosperous a person is, the more cautious he is.
prudence is the thought of running a family that Zeng Guofan has always emphasized, and when his official position is getting higher and higher and his reputation is becoming more and more famous, the more he pays attention to cautious convergence.
because he is well aware of the truth that "high places surpass the cold" and "merit outweighs the Lord", if people are too proud, disaster is likely to come soon.
it is with this caution and pride that the Zeng family has been able to survive for a long time.
04
Poetry
Zeng Guofan attaches great importance to the cultural education of future generations. In his letter to his younger brother, he once mentioned that if a person can "work hard and stand on his own feet," even if he cannot be admitted to fame, he is also a great helper to men.
he even said, for example, that those great sages and great scholars in their hometown have no fame, but they live happily and are famous in the countryside.
he also encouraged his son to say:
"I don't want to be a high-ranking official, but I want to be a reasonable gentleman."
in reading, Zeng Guofan himself set an example. He made reading a daily habit.
No matter how busy the day is, reading three pages is an immutable plan, even in the army.
in Zeng Guofan's family letters, there are also many contents that teach brothers and sisters and grandchildren to abide by the family's tradition of "ploughing and reading".
he warned his children not only to read the four Books and five Classics, but also to read more history books and be familiar with the four Classics.Xun, Chen Hongmou's "five kinds of rules" and other books.
in the family style of "half ploughing and half reading", Zeng Guofan himself gradually grew into a generation.
at the same time, he also combined his own way of learning, incorporated new ideas into it, and further carried forward the tradition of "ploughing, reading and passing on the family".
it is precisely because of the teaching of poetry and books that Zeng's descendants have emerged in large numbers.
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05
loyalty and filial piety, the foundation of the family
Zeng Guofan has a famous saying: "the use of precious goods is endless, loyalty and filial piety is endless."
as the saying goes, it is difficult to be loyal and filial piety since ancient times.
but Zeng Guofan did it.
on the one hand, he is a son of great filial piety and attaches great importance to the culture of filial piety. In his view, filial piety is more important than reading for fame.
he once said:
"to do a point in filial piety is to learn, and to do ten is to learn ten percent."
at the same time, he also believes that filial piety is an important law for handling family relations and an important factor for family harmony and auspiciousness. He said:
"filial piety is the good fortune of the family. All karma and retribution may not be fulfilled."
he is a loyal minister to the country.
Zeng Guofan did his duty to the country and did his best to treat the affairs of the country as his own.
he once said:
"all great things must be treated as their own business."
for the country and the people in the future, we should treat it like a family everywhere in order to be kind. "
it is precisely because the Zeng family scrupulously abides by the way of loyalty and filial piety that their brothers and nephews take care of each other, share weal and woe in the long-term eunuch sea, and keep a clear head in front of the great righteousness of the family, thus ensuring the long-term development of the family.
Today, although society is changing with each passing day, human nature has never changed.
some people are rampant when they are in power, while others have raised a "rich second generation".
Don't say "you can't be rich for three generations". "when you see a tall building, you see it collapse", it's on every day.
how can it be like the Zeng family "who has lived through eight generations without a black sheep in a hundred years"?