Paper Keywords: Zeng Guofan; Enlighten the family; Ethical thought

Abstract: Zeng Guofan has two strategies to promote learning through education. Eight? Handed down from generation to generation, in addition to arrogance and introspection, it is self-reliance and self-reliance. Zeng Guofan's educational ethics is undoubtedly a valuable ideological resource for modern family education, such as overindulging, valuing wisdom and neglecting morality.

Zeng Guofan is a striking figure in China's modern history. His evaluation, especially his political evaluation, has always been mixed, but his family ethics education has always been mixed. He wrote thousands of books for his family in his life, and the lines were full of teaching, exhortation and care for his brothers, sons and nephews. What is more commendable is that Zeng's family education seems to be very effective. Zeng Guofan's family lasted for more than 190 years, producing a total of 240 talents, especially a descendant, which is a much-told story. His family letters and family instructions have also been regarded as the standard by the literati, and have influenced it to this day.

First, the basic content of Zeng Guofan's enlightening family ethics.

① Two? Eight? From generation to generation, guard against arrogance and rashness.

Zeng Guofan was born in a farming and reading family. Influenced by his great-grandfather, great-grandfather and father, it is inevitable to inherit the family education tradition. In March of the eleventh year of Xianfeng (186 1), he wrote to his two sons, saying: My children can't live without eight books, and three or two are lucky. Eight people said: reading ancient books is important for training and selling, writing poems is important for tone, raising relatives is important for favor, keeping in good health is important for less anger, keeping in good health is important for not talking nonsense, managing the family is important for not occupying money, and marching is important for not disturbing the people. The three said: filial piety is auspicious, diligence is auspicious and forgiveness is detailed. My grandfather Xing Ganggong's teachings have eight characters and three unbeliefs: eight: examination, treasure, morning, sweeping, books, vegetables, fish and pigs; Of the three, I don't believe in monks and wizards, immortals and medicine. In troubled times, the less money, the more you can avoid disaster; The less you spend, the more you can improve your happiness. "On the fourth day of the same month, Zeng Guofan also sent a letter with roughly the same content to his brothers, warning his disciples to take hard work as the first meaning and modesty as the second meaning.

Did he write these two letters? The military is in danger. Will it be all right? Written in this case. In these letters similar to wills, Zeng Guofan summed up the family education rules of three generations of Zeng family as two? Eight? Two? Three? , each with its own characteristics. His grandfather's? Don't believe it? I admire him very much. Can I say something about him? Eight Books and Three Auspiciouss? Inherit here. He used his own? Eight books? For classics and grandpa's? Eight characters? For weft, warp and weft are coherent, forming a set of strict housekeeping theory system.

Teach disciples and nephews to do two things? Eight? Two? Three? Zeng Guofan asked them to be arrogant. When he saw from the letter from home that his children were very proud, he immediately wrote to give him advice. In Zeng Guofan's view, the proud habits of rich children are directly rooted in the influence of their parents, and the key to the rules is that parents cultivate them in themselves? Police reform? 、? Fierce province? We should combine demonstration with teaching. In his view, aristocratic men are most likely to make the mistake of extravagance and pride. Their younger generation of children have never seen hardship. They have big eyes and big breath. They are used to being slaves and drinking spleen, and they are proud of it. He is deeply worried about this. Therefore, he wrote to warn his family many times? Modesty? . ? Modesty? The first important thing is to be humble when studying, and the second important thing is to be humble and respectful. To achieve humility, we must get rid of it. Ci？ Heart. ? Geisha, on the other hand, are jealous of talents, are jealous of talents, and strive for favor. The so-called lazy people can't be repaired, and the jealous people are afraid of others' repair. The seeker is greedy for fame and fortune, and he is pregnant with soil benefits. As the saying goes, if you don't get what you have, you will lose what you have. I can't get rid of it, but it is full of thorns; I'd love to. My mouth is dirty. ? And to be geisha-free, sages say a thousand words, nothing more than that? Forgive? The word Confucius? The way of loyalty and forgiveness? . According to Zeng Guofan's understanding, you have to stand firm step by step. You have to know that others have to stand firm and you have to stand up straight. If you want to work anywhere, you should know that others should also work. And then what? Children and nephews should be taught the word "respect and forgiveness". Respect is not arrogance and laziness; Forgiveness is not willing to harm others and benefit themselves, and deliberately become thicker. ? In short, Zeng Guofan thinks? Eight books? 、? Eight characters? It is closely related to guard against arrogance and rashness. The former is the way to prosper the family and the latter is the way to protect the family.

(2) introspection and self-improvement.

When he was young, the conceited Zeng Guofan touched many walls. After a great enlightenment, he became more and more sophisticated in life, both rigid and flexible. He summed up his own experience and thought it was due to self-denial and introspection in the development of lifestyle and moral quality. He once reflected:? I was ill all my life. ? He also listed his persistence in Hanlin. When he was reading sexology books, when he was in the sixth department, and when he went out with the army and the water army, he forgave himself for nine years and forbade himself to read and write constantly. About his bad habit of smoking, he said to Ceng Jize. Before I was thirty, I had better smoke for a while, and decided to give up smoking at Daoguang Renyin 1 1 February 2 1 day, and I haven't eaten since. ? Zeng Guofan worked hard all his life, followed the rules every day, wrote his mistakes in his diary, and was always on his guard. His self-denial and introspection made him firm when he was down and out, and modest but not proud when he succeeded. He hopes that the younger generation will inherit his self-denial and introspection and be invincible in society.

Zeng Guofan not only hopes that his children can introspect, but also hopes that they can stand on their own feet. He knows that self-reliance is the foundation of life and the source of family's long-term wealth. Self-reliance and self-improvement are the key reasons why I can run group training as a scholar and bring forth talented people in the world. In Zeng Guofan's view, if a person wants to strengthen himself and a family wants to prosper, only reading. How can you stand on your own feet without reading? ! ? Only reading can change temperament? . There are only two things to study: one is to enter Germany, and the other is to study. ? Only studying in Germany is reliable. If you enter Germany, you will be filial and righteous; If you study it, writing poetry is also true. These two are up to me. ? At the same time? Scholars should be ambitious, knowledgeable and persistent. If you are ambitious, you will never be willing to be dirty; If you have knowledge, you know that knowledge is infinite, and you dare not sell yourself short. Such as Hebo watching the sea, such as a well frog peeping into the sky, no one knows; Nothing is impossible if you have perseverance. These three are indispensable. ? Determined to be like? And change the bones? Perseverance is necessary, without which nothing can be achieved. In his letter at home, he particularly emphasized "Wusu"? Determined to be salty? And then what? Have constant suggestions? Education disciple nephew? Often? It is the first virtue that requires them to achieve self-reliance through determination and perseverance in learning.

In addition, Zeng Guofan believes that the road of life is extremely difficult and bumpy. So he teaches children to strive for self-improvement in life. If a person wants to stand on his own feet, he must be stubborn. ? It should be? Cowardly and inflexible? Four words is shame. A person should? It is ok to seek strength in a self-study place. Why not win strongly? . So-called? Fight for strength in self-study class? , is to pay attention to their own inner cultivation, improve quality, and gradually develop the moral quality of Dashan. And then what? Do you have to use plain words to argue irrationally? Think? As for accepting great things, it's all about being bright and powerful, okay? . He has warned his brothers many times that they should start with plain words, be clear before being strong, be clear and strong, combine clear and strong, and combine rigidity with softness. If you are too weak, you will be discouraged. If you are too rigid, you will be folded. . Clarity is a kind of reason, not stubbornness. Being strong to the extreme is foolhardy, but it can't last long, and the soft can't stay. Taking rigidity as the foundation and softness as the application can not only survive in the world, but also leave enough space to deal with emergencies, so as to be round and reach the highest level. Zeng Guofan, as his adopted son, made his family prosperous. Although he is in a high position and busy with government affairs, he still attaches so much importance to family education that he has to be admired.