Lu You wrote many poems as a tutor. According to statistics, there are more than 200 poems, half of which are written for Yu Zi.
It is human nature to favor the elderly at home, so it is not difficult to understand that we should attach importance to smart children. But Lu You has a more important consideration, that is, the smarter a person is, the more he should be guided and not let him go astray. This can be interpreted from Weng Jia Xun. Lu you believes that "those who are talented and keen in their later years are the easiest to go bad ... you must always add simple bundles to make them familiar with classics, but also be generous and respectful, and don't let them travel with superficial people." After so many years, my interest is self-contained. Otherwise, there is not one thing to worry about. " That is to say, smart and introverted people in the younger generation are the most likely to go bad. When such children are born in a family, the father must strictly restrain and discipline them, ask them to read classics and subsets of history, teach them the principles of tolerance, kindness, respect and caution, and forbid them to associate with irresponsible people. If you persist in doing this for more than ten years, you can cultivate elegant interests. Otherwise, there won't be one or two things to worry about.
The history of the Lushi family is glorious, but by Lu You's generation, the dark corruption of the officialdom in troubled times has been seen through, and future generations have been taught to be ordinary people with peace of mind. Lu You wrote in the eighth poem of "Reading on a Winter Night": "Reading thousands of books is not for food, but before the book. If you want to know where you are, you are happy to drink water. " When it comes to reading without seeking wealth, I can't help but say an indignant sentence in "Family Instructions for Youweng": "The world is getting worse, and those who are worried are not their own business. I am lucky to be old and dead. If I don't die, I will never return to my official position ... My family is a farmer, and I can restore my ability to be a farmer. Dumen is poor in classics, so he shouldn't be promoted and doesn't want to be an official. I am content with a small official and don't admire Rong Da. " Lu You said that in today's society, the world is not ancient and there are too many worrying facts. Fortunately, I am old and will not live for a few days. When I close my eyes, everything will be still. Even if I can live a few more years, I won't go out and be excluded as an official again. Considering your future, I'm really worried ... I think it's the best choice to be a dutiful farmer. "Self-cultivation, self-sufficiency, I don't know if Yao and Shun are my kings"; You can also consider staying away from officialdom, studying and studying all your life, and being a pure scholar; If you really can't live, you must go out to earn money to support your family. Then be a contented little official in Zhi Zhi. There is no way out. Try not to go this way.
Of course, we know that this is just an angry remark. Scholars still want children to study hard. The third poem in the group "Reading on a Winter Night for Children" is a well-known exhortation article. "The ancients didn't learn anything, it takes time to grow old. I feel that on paper, I never know if this should be done. " This seven-character quatrain clearly tells Yu Zi that learning is the key: if you want to learn poetry, you must work hard outside it; Work hard from now on, time waits for no one. Only by sparing no effort and perseverance can we succeed. However, studying hard at a cold window is not studying behind closed doors. We should also pay attention to the combination with social practice, apply what we have learned and practice it. We should use what we have learned to guide practice, and use what we have learned to correct our bad behavior, so as to cultivate our sentiments and improve our personality.
With the approach of old age, Lu You, who is old and frail, still sets an example. "There are often short lights in the middle of the night" and "I want to study with my son for several years", which inspires Yuzi to study hard with his lifelong learning spirit.
In a word, many ideas and methods in Lu You's family instruction poems and family instructions are still worth pondering.